The counting of the birds

The Christmas Bird Count for Kids (CBC4Kids) on January 18 is a fun, family-friendly winter bird count event to celebrate our feathered friends while engaging youth and their families in the popular sport of birding. This is the eight year that Sonoma Birding has offered... Continue

A real 'Keeper'

Brothers Keeper, the rock/Americana trio out of Vail, will be joined by big fan and frequent collaborator John Popper, the harmonica legend from Blues Traveler. Saturday night, January. 8:30 p.m. $25. Sebastiani Theatre. 996.9756. Sebastianitheatre.com Continue

Volunteers needed: La Luz tax program

La Luz Center will again offer a free tax return preparation assistance program “Earn it, Keep it, Save it” and is actively recruiting volunteers to work a few hours a week during tax season. Last year La Luz helped over 50 individuals and families, with... Continue

Miriam R. Merli

Miriam Louise Robinson Merli left us overnight December 25, 2014. Our mother was born in Richmond, Virginia June 6, 1919 and grew up there and in Washington, D.C. and the Bronx, New York. She was the daughter of Andrew and Estelle Robinson and the sister... Continue

Make our streets safer

Editor: A few nights ago, I called the CHP in reference to a driver, racing a truck with purple tail Lights, up and down local street, as I stood in my driveway talking with my neighbor about the driver a few minutes later, he decided... Continue

America’s Security Oafs

TV shows and Hollywood movies often portray elite government security teams as oafish incompetents around whom brilliantly evil criminals run rapid circles. The plots then center around a cat-and-mouse game played by the evil-doers and the one or two members of law enforcement who can... Continue

Hospital CEO's 'year to remember'

(Kelly Mather/CEO Sonoma Valley Hospital) I can honestly say that 2014 was the most challenging year in my career. When I did my residency for my MHA in 1991, I remember being told that the “good old days” when insurance payments covered the cost for... Continue

Our Sonoma Valley family

Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are typically times when families celebrate together. Big meals are cooked and eaten, stories and gifts exchanged, photo albums hauled out and both naps and chaos reign. In the "Norman Rockwell" image of the holidays Mom proudly cooks a big... Continue

Oil Price Skeptic

Just as global warming gains international traction with treaties, targets and timetables the price of oil miraculously drops. A coincidence? I think not. Just as solar, wind, biofuel and electric technologies become more competitive with high-priced oil and gain wider adoption worldwide the price of... Continue

A day in Sonoma 2014

Sonoma Valley in photographs The Sun ends its 2014 publication schedule with this special, all-photo issue. What does a typical day in the Sonoma Valley look like? The following 32 photographs, all shot on Friday, December 12, will give you some idea. Our next issue... Continue