All clips written by Roger Coryell, owned by their publishers
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…
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…
This fall marks the 200th wine grape harvest in Sonoma Valley — a bicentennial milestone for the region long considered the birthplace of California wine.
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
Did you know sea otters can eat a quarter of their body weight in food every day?
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…
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.…
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…
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.
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 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…
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…
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…
We’re not talking about the friendly Lazy Bears in Guerneville.
What’s on the menu when your kids head back to class this fall? Sonoma County schools serve up more than just learning
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
The aroma of apple fritters greets visitors before they reach the gate at Ragle Ranch Regional Park, signaling arrival at the Gravenstein Apple Fair. The event celebrates its 52nd year…
Here’s the summer rumor, cleaned up for daylight: “Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) is draining Lake Pillsbury, so the upper river’s toast.” Catchy, dramatic and not quite right. What’s…
For the first time in five years, the Petaluma River’s going to get a good, deep clean. Come fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be back with their…
Every town swears it’s unique. Sonoma County went ahead and legislated it. From gas pumps that never shall be to courthouses where even the grass has rights, our patchwork of…
After years of planning and community anticipation, Cloverdale's Alexander Valley Healthcare Wellness Center is advancing with a redesigned, more sustainable approach. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the modified…
Windsor is spending $1.2 million on a 107-foot aerial ladder truck to match the town’s rising skyline. The Town Council approved the purchase for the Sonoma County Fire District using…
Santa Rosa’s homeless count is falling, but those closest to the issue say there’s no time to slow down.
In Rohnert Park, California, a new industrial facility is at the center of a heated local debate. On one side is Resynergi, a company proposing a cutting-edge “advanced recycling” plant…
Are pre-dawn roosters and vineyard booms crimes — or just the price of country living?
How much more will it cost to license your dog, run your restaurant, or pay off a DUI?
Wednesday’s Sonoma City Council meeting turned tense as residents crowded into the chamber to challenge what they saw as insider influence and a lack of transparency in the city’s General…
If your child’s math homework leaves you bewildered, you’re in good company. Today’s math education differs greatly from what most parents experienced. Here’s a quick, friendly rundown on what’s changed,…