News

The welcome mat for Sonoma County’s wine country was rolled up several weeks ago in the midst of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, and there is no prediction of when it might be rolled out again. Only a little over one quarter (27.8%) of the county’s 7,000 lodging rooms were occupied at the beginning of this month, down from an average occupancy rate of 78% from a year ago.

One morning in the fall of 2017, Occidental resident Carolyn Sell woke up to an orange sky and a view of the Santa Rosa valley on fire. Realizing how easily fire could spread west to her community, Sell decided, from her vantage point up in the hills, to make sure Occidental would be ready when disaster came.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many people in Sonoma County and around the world have taken to creating masks for healthcare workers, frontline personnel and community members. Longtime Healdsburg quilters Denise Feldman has put a pause on her quilt making to join the cause. She now makes between 15-20 masks a day, which she distributes from her front porch to community members. 

If rebranding does come to pass for the consolidated high school of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD), it won’t be until next fall by Superintendent Toni Beal’s projection as of the Sept. 14 school board meeting.

COVID-19, a novel strain from the family of coronaviruses, is now in Sonoma County, but the impacts are still uncertain, and the county has declared a local health emergency to prepare for the worst.

While the annual Forestry Crab Feed fundraiser and raffle is canceled this year due to COVID-19, you can still donate to the organization, which aims to raise funds for local nonprofits and for CalFire firefighters who’ve lost their homes or were injured in recent wildland fires.