All clips written by Roger Coryell, owned by their publishers
When the Russian River flooded in early January, the wastewater treatment plant outside Guerneville flooded with it. Millions of gallons of untreated sewage spilled into the river over two days.…
Sonoma County has always had a quiet side hustle economy. You just didn’t used to be able to taste it.
It is small on paper but enormous in practice. It can turn an ordinary day into something you remember. It can make hard days survivable. It can loosen the grip…
Roll north out of Marin County on Highway 1 and the energy shifts the second you cross the county line. Development thins out, the wind picks up, and you get…
Roll north out of Marin County on Highway 1 and the energy shifts the second you cross the county line. Development thins out, the wind picks up, and you get…
Look, I appreciate the thought. I do. I know you care, I know you’re busy, and I know you bravely entered a HomeGoods during peak Mariah Carey season and survived.…
Not the normal ones. Not snow and holly and “ugh, relatives.” The weird ones. The words that sound like they’ve already had three hot toddies and are reading obscure poetry…
Word junkie: the bull market in buzzwords, with boots on the ground
Built for balance and flavor, this vegetarian spread leans on roasted roots, bright citrus, and make-ahead ease. From carrot–ginger soup to red-wine poached pears, each dish layers comfort with polish—a…
There’s a special someone padding down the halls of Forestville School — and she’s got four paws, a wagging tail and a talent for making everyone smile. Gretel, the school’s…
The mornings across Sonoma County smell like harvest—diesel, damp leaves and cider. Trucks roll before dawn not just to crush pads but to apple sheds and pumpkin patches. October is…
Orillia, Ontario. CAN – October 16, 2012
Cider pressing with Ethic Cider. Go on a Fall Farm Adventure Sept. 27 & 28 with Sonoma County Farm Trails. (Sonoma Farm Trails_
Expect some candid crop talk at the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. The newly released 2024 Sonoma County crop report is on the agenda, and it shows the…
A sweeping plan to remove two century-old dams on Northern California’s Eel River promises to revive native fish runs – but it also raises alarms for the wildlife that has…
One year ago, Recology poured $35 million into its Santa Rosa recycling plant. With 100 conveyor belts, optical scanners, and storage bunkers the size of small houses, the Materials Recovery…
Readers ask me every day, “What are your guidelines for submitting a story to the Sonoma County Gazette?” This might help. — Editor@Sonomacountygazette.com
Red worms on a white background
Kicking off Occidental Pride 2023 with an opening ceremony by Drs. Brenda FlysWithHawks and Erica Tom. Adrian Chang photo.
Sebastopol’s free neighborhood music festival is back Sept. 13, but not on porches. After a packed debut on High Street in 2024, PorchFest organizers will shift this year’s event to…
The weather’s not the problem. Highs in the 70s and 80s, nights in the 50s, and barely a whisper of rain — classic Sonoma September. The Harvest Moon on Sept.…
A newly released oversight report on the 2022 killing of David Peláez Chavez by a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy faults the agency’s tactics and transparency, highlighting missed chances to use…
Farmers in Sonoma County are staring down another dry season, but a new round of opportunities is opening up — from funding and field days to policy surveys that will…
At dawn, Sonoma County’s ridgelines look quiet. But while most of us sip coffee, a mesh of cameras, satellites and software is already sweeping the hills for the first wisp…
This fall marks the 200th wine grape harvest in Sonoma Valley — a bicentennial milestone for the region long considered the birthplace of California wine.
If your kids are campaigning hard for a puppy, science just handed them fresh ammo. A three-year study that followed 600 children from preschool into early elementary school found that…
The Madrona in Healdsburg has been recognized on the MICHELIN Guide's "10 Most Beautiful Hotels in California" for 2025, a design-focused list highlighting properties where setting and interiors are as…
An invasive beetle is killing Sonoma County’s white oaks, and the pace alarms people who watch our forests. “Jeannie Chin had sent us an invitation to a Zoom meeting and…
onoma County is packed with treasure-hunt destinations where junk turns into pure gold. From sprawling salvage yards to quirky thrift shops and antique emporiums the size of small towns, locals…
In a city where wildfire risk looms year-round, the job of fire marshal is one of the most important in public safety. Petaluma has a new person in that role:…
At the August 20 Sonoma City Council meeting, residents spoke out about a proposal to rezone parts of the historic Sebastiani Winery property from agriculture to a new “Sonoma mixed…
Did you know sea otters can eat a quarter of their body weight in food every day?
Laguna de Santa Rosa — First light lifts over the Laguna and the water stirs: pintails skim the shallows, teal chatter in tight circles, and a raft of mallards lifts…
On the outer edge of Bodega Head, the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory is a working waterfront for science. The lab trains students, hosts visiting researchers and runs projects that…
Some people inherit family crests. My old friend Tom Hopfensperger inherited a whole pint glass. In German, Hopfen means hops, and -sperg comes from old place-names tied to hills and…
The idea sounded simple enough: add one percent to every tasting room bill in Sonoma County and put the money toward marketing our wines. That’s the Wine Business Improvement District…
Sonoma County is sweating through a late-summer heat wave just as smoke from the Pickett Fire over the hill in Napa nudges air quality around the edges of the county.…
The crow of a rooster at dawn used to be the sound of farm life. In Sonoma County this summer, it’s more like the sound of a crisis.
Smoke in the air. Heat bearing down. Anxiety running high across Sonoma County. Against that backdrop, one story has cut through the haze: the Sheriff’s helicopter crew pulling off a…
Every 2½ days, another Sonoma County resident dies from an overdose. The toll—about 12 lives a month—has made the county the third highest in the Bay Area for overdose mortality.…
Seven months after a February slide damaged Westside Road and sent a house into the Russian River, the county will reopen the Forestville segment on August 28 at noon. This…
Seven months after a February slide ripped out a chunk of Westside Road and sent an empty house into the Russian River, the county is cutting a ribbon and reopening…
We’re not talking about the friendly Lazy Bears in Guerneville.
On Aug. 20, 1858, Darwin’s theory of evolution saw daylight for the first time. More than 165 years later, Sonoma County is still writing its own chapters of survival and…
Sewer bills keep climbing, tanker trucks still haul roughly 17,000 gallons a day out of Occidental, and summer bacteria warnings shadow parts of the Russian River. West Sonoma County gets…
What’s on the menu when your kids head back to class this fall? Sonoma County schools serve up more than just learning
Back to school isn’t just for the kids — it’s for puppies too! As families gear up for another school year, it’s the perfect time to help your puppy start…
Here’s the plain‑English version of what’s about to happen — and what it means if you grow grapes or buy fruit in Sonoma County.
After months of warnings about a looming deficit, Sonoma’s books now pencil out in the black. City Hall is projecting a $200,000 General Fund surplus for the 2025—26 fiscal year…
The Russian is generous in summer—shade, slow water along the shore, a place to cool down. It’s also unforgiving when we forget it’s a moving river. Three people drowned here…