Sonoma County

13 Stories

After Muddy Endurance Race, a 'Disgusting' Development

More than 100 participants say they got bacterial infections after Tough Mudder event in California

(Newser) - At the end of the Tough Mudder obstacle races held worldwide, participants are usually treated to a turkey leg, a cold beer, and the satisfaction of having completed a difficult task. In one such event in California's Sonoma County earlier this month, however, more than 100 participants say they...

Man Rescued From Vineyard Fan After 2 Days

Police in California have no idea why he climbed in

(Newser) - Police in northern California say they rescued a man who had been trapped inside a large fan at a vineyard for two days—but they have no idea what he was doing in there. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office says a deputy responding to a call about a suspicious...

Family of 4 Went to the Beach. Only One Left It

2 kids presumed dead after father drowns in sneaker wave

(Newser) - A California woman went to the beach with her partner and two children on Sunday, but tragically, she was the only one to return home. A sneaker wave struck at Blind Beach near Jenner around 2:30pm, knocking down the couple, their 4-year-old son, and 7-year-old daughter, Monte Rio Fire...

Vineyards Race to Save Grapes From Fire, Smoke

Lack of tourists also causes problems in California's wine country

(Newser) - With an early harvest already underway, a wildfire a few miles west of John Bucher's ranch added new urgency to getting his pinot noir grapes off the vine. If flames didn't do any damage to the delicate fruit, ash and smoke certainly could. Bucher hired an extra crew,...

Defying Order, California Official Headed to Beach

Sonoma County's emergency manager Chris Godley took his family along, too

(Newser) - People have routinely been making headlines for violating shelter-in-place orders amid the coronavirus pandemic. You just wouldn't expect an emergency management official to be among the number. Chris Godley, director of emergency management for California's Sonoma County, where he also heads the Emergency Operation Center, took his family...

PG&E Warns of 'Extreme Measure' Amid High Winds

Utility may be shutting off power to 2 million people in Northern California on Saturday night

(Newser) - More than 2 million people in Northern California may be without power Saturday night in a planned blackout meant to fend off wildfires. The Los Angeles Times reports that this anticipated move by Pacific Gas and Electric, which would affect 36 counties, is due to high winds forecast for the...

Ripping Up Protected Land Costs Couple Nearly $600K

Judge blasts violation of conservation easement

(Newser) - A neighbor wondered what heavy equipment was doing on Sonoma Mountain in northern California. Under a conservation easement, the land was supposed to stay in its natural state. So an official of the Sonoma Land Trust paid a visit in 2014. What Bob Neale found was "really the most...

Burned by California Wildfires: Local Marijuana Industry

At least 31 pot farms have been destroyed, with many more damaged—and no crop insurance

(Newser) - The same fires that have destroyed Northern California's wineries have also taken a toll on the region's marijuana farms, which were about to begin an important harvest less than three months before the nation's largest recreational pot market opens for business in January. At least 31 marijuana...

As Fire Raged, Calif. Couple Hid in Pool for 6 Hours

Death toll now at 31; emergency far from over

(Newser) - The confirmed death toll from the California wildfires is now at least 31—and it would probably be two higher if Jan and John Pascoe hadn't remembered their neighbors' pool. The couple, trapped as flames surrounded their mountaintop Santa Rosa home, ended up spending six hours sheltering in the...

State of Emergency in California as Wildfires Rage

Evacuations in Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba counties

(Newser) - California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba counties because of wildfires he says are threatening thousands of homes. Brown issued the declaration on Monday, as multiple fires forced people to evacuate their homes, the AP reports. Napa County Fire Chief Barry Biermann...

2 Charged With Stealing From Firefighters Battling Calif. Blaze

The suspects' own shoe prints helped bust them

(Newser) - What better way to thank the firefighters risking their lives to put out a forest fire in your community than by robbing them blind? Such is the case for US Forest Service firefighters as they arrived at a landfill Wednesday morning outside of Clearlake, Calif., ready to start working to...

Deputy Who Killed Boy With BB Gun Won't Be Charged

Andy Lopez was carrying toy gun in rural California

(Newser) - A sheriff's deputy who gunned down a 13-year-old carrying a BB gun in Northern California last year won't face criminal charges, but still has a civil suit coming down the pike, the Press Democrat reports. Deputy Erick Gelhaus "fired his weapon in response to what he honestly...

Now Vintners Want Redwoods Razed

Environmentalists irate over razing request by wineries

(Newser) - Giant redwoods have lots of enemies. First it was Pacific Lumber. Now, it's the growing horde of vintners who are demanding rights to raze the trees to make way for Pinot Noir vineyards and mansions. Two large wineries in northern California are petitioning the state for the right to...

13 Stories