There’s been a question for several years what would replace the Kmart store in Santa Rosa, even while shoppers were still frequenting the “big box” retail building that the Tubbs Fire destroyed nearly three years ago. Shortly after a new proposal was submitted for hundreds of apartments on the site of the former Fountaingrove Inn… Keep Reading
Thirty years ago, the St. Rose neighborhood of Santa Rosa became the city’s first historic district, featuring blocks of charming old homes centered around the St. Rose Catholic Church just north of downtown. But over the past decade, the pocket of Santa Rosa with blocks of Arts and Crafts-style bungalows and Queen Anne Victorians that… Keep Reading
As the pandemic grinds on, we’re all doing things we never did before. We’re making sure to have at least one mask before leaving home. Fist- and elbow-bumping. Learning to perform at home and electronically all sorts of tasks and functions we used to do on location and face-to-face. And many of us are for… Keep Reading
Early during the local coronavirus pandemic, maybe 1% of the patients occupying a hospital bed at Santa Rosa Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals had a diagnosis of COVID-19. But that share has grown steadily, particularly in the past month, just as it has across the state. By the Fourth of July, some 5% of patients… Keep Reading
Stepping up efforts to enforce local and state health orders, Sonoma County supervisors on Thursday will consider imposing new fines on businesses and individuals who flout rules designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The enforcement plan, devised by county staff, would establish a central hotline where callers can report people and businesses that are… Keep Reading
Santa Rosa City Schools made official late Wednesday what was ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week: All of the district’s approximately 16,000 students will start the school year Aug. 17 with online-only classes. The 7-0 vote was both expected and nearly ceremonial after Newsom declared last week that no schools in counties on the… Keep Reading
When Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled back business activities last week to combat a resurgence of the coronavirus, wineries ended up with an advantage over other alcohol purveyors in being allowed to continue selling wine tastings outside without having to also serve meals. There was no such break for breweries and distilleries, under the July 13 state… Keep Reading
Deb Rock guarantees she has never eaten a dish without a chile pepper, much like her grandfather, who bit into a fresh jalapeño at every meal. She also believes she may be the only Latina in the United States producing her own line of hot sauce. Her brand, Sonoma Hot Sauce, has been on the… Keep Reading
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Monday marked the first day of a week-long hospital strike in the North Bay. Hundreds of workers lined the sidewalk in front of Santa Rosa’s Memorial Hospital, banging drums, chanting, and waving signs. Motorists on Montgomery Drive added to the din, honking horns in support. The National Union of Healthcare Workers represents nursing… Keep Reading
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday licensed barbers and cosmetologists — whose businesses were shuttered last week in 33 counties during a sweeping round of closures intended to contain increase COVID-19 transmission — would be permitted to move their operations outdoors. A short time later, the state Department of Consumer Affairs issued clarification saying only… Keep Reading
