California city tried to stamp out 10-year-old’s beehive project. Saving the bees was a...
Sometimes it takes a village to raise a child. Or for one 10-year-old in Northern California, a colony of bees. When the city of Santa Rosa received an anonymous complaint this year about some problem insects in the area, city officials looked into the matter and zeroed in on the Bard family home and, in particular,...
Tobacco and Nicotine Ban Faces Backlash from Coastal Town Business Owners
A Bay Area town has enacted a comprehensive tobacco sales ban, prompting backlash from local business owners, with new restrictions on nicotine products scheduled to take effect this December. A coastal town in the Bay Area has taken a significant step towards public health by passing a comprehensive ban on...
City of Sonoma to Honor Phil Coturri with ‘Phil Coturri Day’ and Celebrate Local...
The City of Sonoma will present Phil Coturri with the Celebrate Sonoma award at a City Council meeting on November 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The city will also declare this date as 'Phil Coturri Day.' The event marks several milestones in Coturri’s career, including his 60th harvest, the 20th anniversary of Winery...
David Nelson and Company Celebrate NRPS with a Hippie Sock Hop in Marin County
David Nelson | Fairfax, CA | November 9th, 2025 | photos by Gabriel David Barkin. David Nelson, founding member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS), assembled an all-star cast of musicians in Marin County this weekend to celebrate the music of his seminal psychedelic bluegrass band. The Fairfax Pavilion...
Tenants & Landlords, Challenges Beset Marin’s Tight Residential Rental Market
One of the most harrowing experiences of my relatively charmed life occurred over the last two months as I sought out a residential rental in Marin. In all seriousness, I’m safe and sound now, but still not entirely over the trauma. And I’m not alone. I checked in...
Two Guitars and a Car, Tinsley Ellis comes to H’Burg
Tinsley Ellis is out driving around the country on what Alligator Records has dubbed his “Two Guitars and a Car” tour. That name comes from the fact that Ellis, a powerhouse electric blues/rock guitarist, is touring behind Naked Truth, his first acoustic album, carrying only the 1969 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar that...
Santa Rosa Woman Charged in High-Speed Chase on Highway 101 in Petaluma
According to a report from the Petaluma Police Department, a dangerous pursuit unfolded last Saturday, when an officer spotted a vehicle hurtling northward on Highway 101, crossing the East Washington Street overpass. The driver, identified as 21-year-old Santa Rosa resident Aleah Traill, initially appeared to...
Harvest Challenge Names 2023 Domaine Della Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Best of Show
November 11, 2025 – I’d never heard of Domaine Della, but a quick outreach to Mark Pisoni, who farms Soberanes Vineyard, revealed that the winemaker, David Hejl, has been making wine from that vineyard for since leaving Kosta Browne, where he had previously worked. Hejl started his own brand 10 years ago and has been...
Coalition Appeals Court Decision Weakening Civilian Oversight in Sonoma County
SONOMA COUNTY, CA – An amicus brief filed by the California Coalition for Sheriff Oversight (CCSO), the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) has been accepted in the appeal of a 2024 Sonoma County Superior Court ruling that undermined...
Sonoma’s Cafe La Haye Is Classic, Reliable and Always Comforting
When Cafe La Haye owner Saul Gropman announced his retirement in December 2024, Sonoma Valley collectively clutched its pearls. The bespectacled host had been a welcoming presence in the intimate dining room since the restaurant opened in 1996 — a rare fixed point in a county where the culinary landscape is always in...
