Monday, May 14, 2012
In a blonde wig, bikini and stick-on tattoos, Beth Rypins of Napa won the 5-mile kayak portion of the Great Russian River Race, which drew more than 400 paddlers and a total of 700 people to the Sonoma County event. She also won Best-Dressed.
Napan Beth Rypins, a former professional river rafter and paddler for 25 years who owns Wine Country CrossFit, won overall first place in the five-mile kayak competition during Saturday's Second Annual Great Russian River Race in Healdsburg. Rypins told Healdsburg Patch she had been off the river for a while, but when she heard about last year's event, she decided to dust off her paddling chops and jump in for the 2012 return of the 5-mile river race. "Since I had the advantage of experience, I decided to start way back and work myself up, picking people off," said Rypins, who also won the day's "Best Dressed" award, sporting a blonde wig, bikini and pasted-on tattoos. "I had to work really hard to pick people off, but I did it," Rypins …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Ranked 389th out of 398 communities around the country
A new study shows that Sonoma County has made little progress toward generating new jobs, ranking a disheartening 389th out of 400 cities across the country, according to an article in Friday's Press Democrat. The report examined non-farm jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 398 U.S. metropolitan areas between 2000 and January 2011 and found that job growth in the county was much lower than in many other part of the United States, including the Midwest, California's Central Valley and even parts of the South. According to the Joel Kotkin, an economist and one of the co-authors the study, the trend shows a shift in employment growth from the public sector to private businesses. But Robert Eyler, an economics professor at Sonoma…
Friday, April 27, 2012
Special pricing for Sonoma county residents on sales start May 1. Tickets go on sale June 1 for everybody else.
Sonoma County residents will be rewarded with first dibs on specially-priced tickets to the fifth annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, to be held in late August. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 1, but “locals” tickets go become available on Tuesday, May 1. Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, the premier wine and epicurean event that showcases the birthplace of California wine, is set for Labor Day Weekend August 21 - September 2 , 2012. “We recognize that Sonoma County residents deserve a special opportunity to support both our local beneficiaries, as well as the Sonoma wine industry,” said Honore Comfort, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend Co-Executive Director. “Visitors, as well as locals, are always a huge part of our full weekend …
Project, part of the Wilfred-Dowdell Specific Plan, must still pass City Council.
The "Village North" portion of the Wilfred-Dowdell Specific Plan moved a step further Thursday night, when the Planning Commission unanimously approved two new business on a five-acre parcel on Rohnert Park's northwest side, near Home Depot. McDonald's and the Oxford Inn and Suites, a 163-room hotel, will be built with new landscaping improvements, parking for nearly 200 cars at Redwood Drive and Wilfred Avenue, however Wilfred will be renamed Golf Course Drive West. McDonald's will include a drive-thru. To access the new business, which was formerly owned by the city's now defunct redevelopment agency, customers will enter through the Home Depot entrance. City staff said the planned casino on the city's west side could impact traffic …
Officials cheered a new business in the long-vacant spot near the Hwy. 101 on and offramps.
A new Starbucks is coming to Rohnert Park. The Planning Commission gave the green light Thursday night for a new mega-coffee shop chain to be located at the corner of Rohnert Park Expressway and Commerce Boulevard, in between Black Bear Diner and Jack in the Box — bringing the number of Starbucks in Rohnert Park to six. According to Marilyn Ponton, the 17,000 square-foot store that sits on nearly one acre, is replacing a former Wendy's that shuttered a few years ago. Ponton said the coffee shop chain includes parking for 28 cars cars, a drive-thru, Wi-Fi, five bike parking spots, facade improvements and a three-foot high screen planting around the perimeter of decorative trees and outside seating. "This paved site in the Sonoma Gateway …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
What would you like to see fill the former grocery?
Update: As of April 25, real estate sources from Keegan and Coppin said there's a new business coming in to the former Pacific Market this month — and there's only one week left! As we reported earlier this year, the longtime grocery in Mountain Shadows Shopping Plaza that shuttered last year is in negotiations with a new tenant. There's been a lot of activity in the area. Find our most recent story below, and in the meantime, tell us — what would you like for the new location? Have you seen anything going on at Mountain Shadows Plaza? I spoke to an agent from Keegan and Coppin recently, inquiring about the activity going on inside the former Pacific Market store. She didn't deny that there's a business coming to the vacant storefront, but…
The Planning Commission will review applications this Thursday, 7 p.m. at City Hall.
Bux The city's planning and building department is recommending the approval by Planning Commission Thursday of a new Starbucks, slated for the mostly vacant parcel on the corner of Commerce Boulevard and Rohnert Park Expressway — in between Jack in the Box and Black Bear Restaurant. The 17,000 square foot store will replace a shuttered Wendy's, according to a staff report. "This paved site in the Sonoma Gateway Center has been vacant for several years and distracts visually from the appearance of the shopping center from Commerce Boulevard," said Marilyn Ponton, the city's planning and building manager. "This proposal will be an attractive addition to the area." If approved Thursday, that'll bring the number of mega coffeeshop-chains in …
Friday, April 20, 2012
The Rohnert Park Chamber of Commerce Business is set for Thursday, May 3 at Wedgewood Wedding and Banquet Center near the Foxtail Golf Club. Open to the public from 5 to 7 p.m.
Don't miss the Rohnert Park Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase coming up Thursday, May 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Wedgewood Wedding and Banquet Center near Foxtail Golf Course. The free event spotlights local businesses, and gives you a chance to network with other business owners and community stakeholders. Promote your products and services, get a head start on your sales and meet new people! Even if you don't own a business here, this is a great chance to meet the people here who are investing in the local economy. While you're there, don't forget to stop by Rohnert Park Patch's booth — we'll be there handing out water bottles and T-shirts to the first batch of people to sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter. Interested in …
Voters weighed in over the last week — 32 percent of 25 voters said the Cotati restaurant has great food and atmosphere!
You said it — Redwood Cafe in Cotati is a unique locally-owned spot that has great food and atmosphere! Situated on the downtown strip, Redwood Cafe has been a staple in town for more than two decades. The spot features an amazing brunch menu — featuring classics like pancakes and bacon and eggs, to four variations on eggs benedict, tofu scrambles and even a Cajun scramble. Don't forget the mimosa! Dinner is offered till 9 p.m. most days, 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Don't miss the art lining the walls, from local artists and music on the weekends. Redwood Cafe offers free trade, organic coffee, a wide selection of healthy and vegetarian options and desserts — really there's something for everybody! And it's kid-friendly. According to…
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Initiated by Councilman Mike Healy, the letter encourages North Bay legislators to not ratify compact recently signed between Gov. Brown and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
The Petaluma City Council will send a letter to North Bay legislators urging them to reject the gaming contract recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that would allow a 3,000 slot machine casino near Rohnert Park on the grounds that it does not adequately address traffic and other negative impacts of the project that will be felt throughout the region. Monday night, council voted 6-0 to submit a letter arguing that there is nothing in the agreement between the state and the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria that would require the 1,300-member tribe to spend money on improving Highway 101. An estimated 18,000 vehicle trips are day are expected once the Las Vegas-style casino is built. There is also concern about where the 535,000 …
Doug Strickland
9:34 am on Friday, May 11, 2012
Hey Dee, lets start by showing a single example of the county encouraging "massive illegal immigration" please? This is another xenophobic statement that misrepresents reality, common sense, and facts. First, according to the US Agriculture Department's Migratory Labor Economic Offset study, the largest impact caused by illegal migrant labor is to the lower class. Next, middle class wages have … more ›