Sonoma County family’s logging plan for Jenner forestland riles coastal community, environmentalists
JENNER — For several generations, the Berry family has logged the forest on their sprawling coastal property near the mouth of the Russian River to feed a sawmill they continue to operate a few miles upstream. But the family’s latest plan for 1,099 acres of forest they own overlooking...
Acme Burger Duo Trades Patties For Prix Fixe At Occidental’s Bohemian Bistro
The husband-and-wife team behind Acme Burger, Todd and Erica Kniess, are flipping the script in Occidental, turning the former Hazel restaurant into a white-tablecloth venture called Bohemian Bistro with chef James Millar at the helm. Erica Kniess has called the new restaurant “a passion project” and says the couple...
These Sonoma County Brewers Prove Artisan Seltzers Haven’t Lost Their Sparkle
We get it: Not everyone loves beer. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun at local breweries. Alongside their traditional offerings, many Sonoma County brewers craft their own hard seltzers. While sales of mass-produced brands have been declining for the last few years, artisan...
Napa Merlot’s Identity Crisis
As a wine writer, I read extensively what my colleagues around the world publish on a daily basis. This (admittedly rather obsessive) consumption of wine media allows me to observe coverage trends as they rise and fall. Some are quite predictable. Others, more surprising. Lately, I’ve been scratching my head over the...
A Bay Area home where Coppola wrote ‘The Godfather’ hits market for $6.8M
The forested mini-compound offers an extraordinary creative legacy.
Distracted driving enforcement in Petaluma
The Petaluma Police Department held a distracted driving operation last week funded by an @ots_ca grant. Officers made 50 traffic stops and issued 38 citations. These included 21 citations for cellphone use or texting, 5 for speeding, and 5 for seatbelt violations.
Two California men charged after shattering an ancient mammoth tusk in Missouri
Two men from Petaluma, Calif., face felony charges after they allegedly destroyed a woolly mammoth tusk at a museum near Branson, Mo. Brett Howard, 46, and Todd Azevedo, 48, each face first-degree property damage charges, a Class E felony. The Taney County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened late Sunday,...
Sebastopol becomes third city to cut ties with North Bay Animal Services
The Sebastopol City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, March 17, to sever the city’s nearly four-year relationship with North Bay Animal Services, the Petaluma-based nonprofit that has come under fire after a 2025 Sonoma County grand jury reported on the agency’s faulty shelter operations, understaffing and poor...
Police Log, March 2-8
Residents and others are encouraged to call Police Dispatch as needed at (707) 431-3377, operational 24/7. 9:06am Graffiti was reported on Grant Street at the railroad tracks on the Foss Creek sign. 10:27am The Reporting Party (RP) on Fitch Street said she was involved in trying to evict a male...
East Bay Man Nabbed After $60K FedEx Drop Goes Missing
A pricey FedEx delivery that vanished on its way to a Strawberry home has landed an East Bay man in jail, after Marin County investigators traced the missing package worth about $60,000 to a car that crossed into Hayward. Authorities say someone signed for the delivery, and that signature ultimately led deputies to a...
