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Big top comes to Hall of Flowers at this year’s Sonoma County Fair
The Hall of Flowers has been transformed into a fanciful and fragrant Cirque des Fleurs for the Sonoma County Fair opening on Thursday. Visitors will behold a high-diving hippo, a 30 foot tall two-headed giraffe ringmaster and a tightrope cycling clown set amid a riot of colorful flowers tightly packed into eight professionally designed display gardens. The “Greatest Fair on Earth” theme this ...
Army veteran and Santa Rosa attorney Joe Piasta remembered as man of deep faith
Joe Piasta, a noted Santa Rosa attorney, decorated Army veteran and pillar of the local Catholic community, died at his home on July 19, three years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 73. Piasta spent decades practicing law in Sonoma County, become a partner at Shapiro, Galvin, Shapiro, Piasta & Moran and litigation partner at O’Brien, Watters, Davis & Piasta. He opened Law ...
What Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to clear homeless encampments means for the people who live in them
Homeless advocates say California’s crackdown on encampments would simply move people to other areas in a state where the cost of living is high and the number of shelter beds limited.
$18 million NOAA grant to aid Pacific Coast Ocean Restoration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the awards that are recommended for funding under the Transformational Habitat Restoration & Coastal Resilience grant program. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) California has been recommended to receive $18 million over three years to launch the Pacific Coast Ocean Restoration Initiative (PCOR),...
Bay Area students engineer eggshells into sustainable building material
Building a better Bay Area often requires innovation. Take the case of some Bay Area students who were recent winners at an international biodesign competition -- turning eggshells into architecture.If you want to cook, you're going to eventually have to break some eggs. But what if you could put those shells to work and help save the planet at the same time?"So, these are brown eggshells which are actually washed and then baked in the oven. Not too much heat," said Miti Mehta, a design student at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.Mehta, along with collaborators Negar...
California town decimated by 2018 wildfire threatened again by state’s largest this year, as fires plague Oregon and Canada
An evacuation warning has been issued for the town of Paradise, where residents say the smell of smoke and sight of advancing flames on the horizon is enough to retraumatize them with the same horrors unleashed by California’s deadliest wildfire in 2018, which incinerated much of the town.
Mega Millions ticket worth $415,000 sold in California
LOS ANGELES - Feeling lucky? As the nation awaits the $331 million Mega Millions lottery winner, someone in California may be $400,000 richer. According to California Lottery's website late Friday night, a ticket worth $415,055 was sold at the Palma Liquor on La Palma Avenue in La Palma, California. The...
Bankruptcy filing of large wine producer spells scary time for state of industry
One of the largest wine producers in the country filed for bankruptcy this week.The news of Vintage Wine Estates filing for bankruptcy sent shock waves throughout the industry."Execution of the IPO. I think it was rushed," said Rob McMillan, Silicon Valley Bank executive vice president.The Santa Rosa-based company went public in 2020. Under it, over 30 wine and spirit brands.Most of its products are in the $15 to $20 range. To understand what might have gone wrong, we spoke with McMillan, one of the top wine-business analysts in the country.MORE: Invasive lanternflies that have potential to affect entire industries intercepted...
Joshua Tree National Park top choice for spreading ashes of dearly departed
A recent poll revealed Joshua Tree National Park as the top choice by Californians to spread the ashes of dearly departed loved ones. A survey by Choice Mutual, an insurance agency specializing in final expense life insurance, found that Californians chose Joshua Tree National Park as a preferred alternative burial location. ...
California date palm ranches reap not only fruit, but a permit to host weddings and quinceañeras
COACHELLA, Calif. (AP) — Claudia Lua Alvarado has staked her future on the rows of towering date palms behind the home where she lives with her husband and two children in a desert community east of Los Angeles. It’s not solely due to the fleshy, sweet fruit they give...
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