All articles tagged with #sonoma county
Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and Mendocino counties have issued seasonal mask mandates for specific healthcare settings to mitigate respiratory virus transmission. The orders, effective November 1, 2026, target vulnerable populations in nursing homes and dialysis centers, reflecting a coordinated regional response to the upcoming flu and cold season.
A small aircraft crashed and burned in a field near Petaluma Municipal Airport on Wednesday, killing two people. The FAA identified the plane as a Van’s RV-7A kit aircraft. The NTSB is investigating the cause, while witnesses described a sudden engine failure and fireball.
Gundlach Bundschu, California’s oldest family-owned winery, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to restructure approximately $37 million in debt. The 168-year-old Sonoma County institution, which survived Prohibition and major wildfires, is seeking a new investor while the family retains a minority stake. The filing highlights a broader industry crisis driven by declining consumer demand, trade disputes, and over-leveraged expansions made just before the pandemic. While the winery remains open to visitors, it has cut its workforce by nearly half and is closing its secondary Abbot’s Passage facility. Industry experts note that while sales volumes continue to drop, the sector may be nearing a bottom, though the market is expected to become permanently smaller and more consolidated.
Sonoma County began constructing a youth behavioral health facility at the Los Guilicos campus, adding eight beds for teen drug treatment and six beds for crisis care, along with outpatient services for ages 12–25 and spaces for individual, group and family counseling. Funded by an $18 million state grant awarded in 2023, the project aims to reduce out-of-county placements and provide age-appropriate care close to home, with a groundbreaking held Aug. 26, 2026.
In Sonoma County, loneliness among adults 60+ is a growing health crisis, linked to poor health behaviors, increased depression, sleep problems, higher fall risk, and even suicide—rates of older-adult suicide rising 50% since 2020. The piece highlights programs like PEARLS, senior centers, Meals on Wheels, and adult-day services as vital connections, while underscoring the need for funding and community involvement to help isolated seniors access resources before crises develop.
Alaska Airlines will launch three seasonal winter routes from Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County (STS) to Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Boise starting Nov. 1, 2026 (through April 2027), with Embraer 175 jets and up to daily service on PHX and SLC and up to daily service to BOI. The move comes as Southwest launches service to Santa Rosa in a budding wine-country turf war, and Alaska will also return to Long Beach with nonstop SEA–LGB service starting Sept. 8, 2026, operated by a 737 and connecting to Hawaiian Airlines, marking its first LGB service since 2015, as part of a broader West Coast expansion.
Partial remains found on Salmon Creek Beach in 2022 have been identified as Walter Kinney, a Santa Rosa banker who disappeared in 1999, after investigators used genetic genealogy and GEDmatch to link the bones to Kinney and to earlier remains washed ashore in 1999; the case is notable for resolving a missing-person mystery twice with breakthrough help from the DNA Doe Project.
Sonoma County faces its first avian flu outbreaks of the 2025-26 winter, affecting duck and egg farms, with significant bird deaths and economic impacts, highlighting ongoing biosecurity challenges and the need for rapid response to contain the highly virulent virus.
Zoe Rosenberg, an animal rights activist and UC Berkeley student, was convicted of conspiracy, trespass, and tampering after releasing chickens from a poultry farm, an act she described as a rescue but which industry officials labeled as theft. The case highlights tensions between activist groups like DxE and the poultry industry, with Rosenberg planning the operation using disguises and tracking devices. She plans to appeal, and her case underscores ongoing debates over activism tactics and legal boundaries in animal rights protests.
Sonoma County has mandated masking for healthcare workers in certain facilities caring for vulnerable populations through March to reduce the spread of influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses, focusing on areas where patients and staff interact, with the order being reissued annually based on surveillance data.
Sonoma County faces rising suicide rates among seniors, with older adults experiencing increased isolation, grief, and health challenges. Local initiatives focus on mental health awareness, suicide prevention training, and community support to address these issues and improve the quality of life for the aging population.
A mysterious fiery streak was seen across Northern California's sky, likely caused by the reentry of Starlink satellites, and not a natural meteor, sparking awe among witnesses from Sonoma County to Sacramento.
A Sebastopol man has died from Legionnaires' disease, an isolated case according to Sonoma County health officials, with no indication of a larger outbreak; the disease is caused by Legionella bacteria found in warm, stagnant water and primarily affects older individuals with weakened immune systems.
COVID-19 cases are rising in Sonoma County with a mild summer surge, while health officials discuss changing vaccine recommendations amid political and scientific debates, emphasizing continued vaccination for vulnerable groups and children.
San Francisco and the Bay Area are experiencing severe flooding due to a powerful atmospheric river, marking the second such storm this week. Flash flood warnings have been issued across the region, with significant rainfall causing road closures, flight delays, and trapping residents in flooded areas. Sonoma County has been particularly hard hit, with record-breaking rainfall leading to swollen waterways and potential 500-year flood events. Experts attribute the intensity of the storm to climate change, which is increasing atmospheric moisture levels.