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Wildfire burning north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - Cal Fire firefighters have gotten the upper hand on a 50-acre vegetation fire in Sonoma County on Wednesday evening. Forward progress has been stopped and the fire is 35% contained. The agency's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit is calling this the Flora Fire, located on both sides of the...
Sonoma County commits to building $308 million, 5-story headquarters on existing government campus in Santa Rosa
After multiple starts, pauses and iterations, Sonoma County’s beleaguered efforts to build new government offices are moving forward with an emphasis on buying existing office space in the area to supplement a downsized new headquarters building in Santa Rosa. The hybrid approach represents a less ambitious and less costly vision than the altogether new or remodeled campus that current ...
Circus of Flowers at Sonoma County Fair features a giant giraffe, humongous hippo
Santa Rosa A big tent of flowers at the 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 ...
Santa Rosa Takes First Step in New Tobacco Regulations
The Santa Rosa City Council has approved new regulations for tobacco retailers. It bans the sale of flavored tobacco products and electronic smoking devices, sets a minimum pack price of $10, and prohibits retailers from offering coupons or discounts. It also prohibits local retailers from selling tobacco products online. Retailers will also have to obtain a license from the city. Additionally, no new tobacco retailers will be allowed within 600 feet of schools, parks and other youth-oriented areas. Also, licensed retailers relocating their business can’t transfer their license if the new location falls within the 600-foot buffer zone. A second formal vote is scheduled for next month. Licensing and enforcement will start in January.
Newsom’s order to clear homeless encampments worries advocates, but local officials say little is likely to change
Sonoma County advocates for people who are experiencing homelessness reacted with alarm Thursday to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s same-day executive order to California agencies to remove homeless encampments from state property. North Bay officials, meanwhile, said they were analyzing the local implications of the order but suggested that Newsom’s directive would not immediately produce any changes in ...
Sonoma County Advances with Plans for New Government Center and Mixed-Use Development in Santa Rosa
To revitalize its aging infrastructure, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has unanimously given the green light for developing a new government center poised to span 200,000 square feet on the grounds of the current county campus in Santa Rosa. The modern center, which replaces the original from the 1950s beset by increasing repair costs and inefficiencies, introduces a significant mixed-use component, featuring up to 1,000 housing units on a 9.3-acre property slice, as reported by the County of Sonoma.
Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Apple Fair has roots in over century-old apple show
When Sebastopol opens its famed Gravenstein Apple Fair on Aug. 10 for its 51st anniversary, it will be carrying on a tradition established precisely 114 years ago when the city held California’s first apple show. In the spring of 1910, prominent apple growers of the region formed the Gravenstein Apple Show Association with the idea of holding a grand apple show at Sebastopol in August, when ...
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 ...
Workers link US, Canadian sides of new Gordie Howe International Bridge over Detroit River
DETROIT (AP) — Workers have linked the U.S. and Canadian sides of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge spanning the Detroit River. The Detroit News reports the workers finished connecting southwest Detroit and northwest Windsor on Wednesday. The bridge will provide another link between one of the busiest commercial points on the U.S-Canadian border when it is completed in fall 2025. About a third of all trade between the two countries occurs between Detroit and Windsor. The bridge deck alone has taken six years to build. When it is finished, the bridge will measure 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers), placing it among the 10 longest bridges in North America.
Penngrove tackles traffic issues with comprehensive study
If you think Penngrove has some serious traffic issues for such a sleepy little town, you are not mistaken. The recent Penngrove traffic study highlights several key concerns and potential solutions for improving safety and traffic flow in this Sonoma County community. Collision hot spots identified. The study reveals that...
Pro-Palestine activists issue ‘People’s Ceasefire Resolution’
Frustrated with the negative response to ceasefire resolutions by the majority of Sonoma County cities, pro-Palestine activists July 23 declared a “People’s Resolution.”. Cotati is the only city in the county to approve a resolution calling for an end to Israel’s ten-and-a-half-month assault on Gaza, which has left an estimated 40,000 Gazans dead and many more injured or buried under rubble. Activists failed in their attempts to pass similar resolutions in Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol,
More traffic changes near Santa Rosa’s Steele Lane Elementary planned
Santa Rosa is expanding a pilot program aimed at improving pedestrian and traffic safety around Steele Lane Elementary School. City traffic engineers in March implemented a road diet on a small stretch of westbound Steele Lane to provide a dedicated lane for buses and parents dropping off and picking up their kids. The effort, the first of its kind in the city, was intended to test how the ...
Rising costs, system upgrades spur 3-year sewer rate increase plan in Rohnert Park
Rohnert Park households and businesses can expect to pay about 7% more on their sewer bills come October after the City Council approved raising rates to keep up with the cost of managing and treating the city’s wastewater. Monthly bills for single-family homes, which comprise 69% of the hookups within the city, are expected to increase a little more than $3, from $42.20 to $45.33, in the ...
Santa Rosa’s Cultural Heritage Board Sees Resignations Over Increased Fees
The volunteer chairman of Santa Rosa’s Cultural Heritage Board resigned due to concerns over sharply increased fees for work in historic districts. Four other board members also stepped down in solidarity. The fee increases, some up to one-thousand-percent, alarmed board members, hindering preservation efforts. A previous fee for a major renovation would have been about $2,100, but the new fee schedule would increase that to about $20-thousand. However, city officials claim the fees haven’t been fully implemented and are working to address the issue. City of Santa Rosa Council member Chris Rogers acknowledged the miscommunication and assured the public that it’s being fixed.
National Night Out builds community cohesion
Continuing its mission to protect and serve all communities in our area with transparency, equality, and respect, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety will host its annual National Night Out event on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 4-7 p.m. in front of its central station (500 City Center Drive). This...
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