On a ribbon of road in West Marin, on wet winter nights when darkness comes early, a herd of determined amphibians gather together to cross to the breeding lake from which they once came.

Laguna Lake is a shallow natural body of water straddling the border between Sonoma and Marin counties. Half a mile wide and two miles long in the wet season, the lake is a birthing ground for the Taricha torso, or California newt, a slow-moving, red-bellied, big-eyed amphibian. Hardwired with the unfailing GPS endowed them by Mother Nature, the newts are compelled to travel back to the lake to spawn.

But odds are against them making it safely across Chileno Valley Road: in the winter of 2019, for instance, 41 percent of them died trying.

Enter the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade (CVNB), a small group of citizen scientists who’ve made it their mission to protect the critters from oncoming cars. Founded by a woman named Sally Gale who was chastened by the particularly grisly newt carnage of 2019, the brigade’s mission is simply to help move as many of the animals as they can from one side of the road to the other. READ MORE

Dog-save Afternoon

Sonoma Index-Tribune April 17, 2021

In 2005, the nation’s attention was riveted by the devastation of hurricane Katrina. It is estimated that 600,000 animals perished in the storm. And of the 1,833 human causalities, it’s estimated that 44 percent perished because they refused to leave their pets, according to veterinarian and animal rescue trainer Rebecca McConnico of Louisiana Tech University. Since then, wildfires in the West have joined hurricanes in their frequency and intensity.

Animal disaster responders from throughout California gathered at the Atwood Ranch in Glen Ellen last week to hear from McConnico and to take part in several days of hands-on training, courtesy of founder Julie Atwood’s Halter Project, which sponsored the event and provided full scholarships for the more than 60 attendees.

Participants included volunteer animal disaster responders, sheriff search and rescue (SAR), mounted officers, animal control officers, veterinarians, UC Davis vet students, firefighters and members of the state National Guard 26th Cavalry Division. READ MORE.

The Yellow Brick Road Leads to Sonoma

Sonoma Index-Tribune-28 January 2021

Andy Warhol is credited with coining the phrase about everyone having 15 minutes of fame. Sonoma’s Betty Ann Bruno, one of the last surviving Munchkins, has had more than her share. She writes about it in “The Munchkin Diary,” a memoir detailing her journey from “The Wizard of Oz,” to Stanford University, to working for the CIA, to being a civil activist in Oakland, to a career in television.

“I never intended to write about my life,” Bruno, 89, told the Index-Tribune. “Then I thought my kids would like to hear about being on the set with Judy Garland, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and a whole bunch of little people. That story led to many more.”

Bruno was born in Hawaii to a Hawaiian mother, her father from Texas. The family moved to Hollywood when she was quite young. Living across the street from the Twentieth Century Fox studios, it seemed only natural that Bruno would go into show business. And the timing was perfect.

“Hollywood was in love with everything Polynesian,” Bruno said. “Being Hawaiian helped me get roles.” She took singing and dancing lessons, and appeared in several movies. The big opportunity came when a call went out seeking girls less than 4-and-a-half feet tall, who could sing and dance and look terrified. Her mother took her to the audition. She made the cut and was cast as a Munchkin, joining 124 adults and a dozen young girls playing the inhabitants of Munchkinland. READ MORE.

Sonoma Story: Nancy Martin looks back

Sonoma Index-Tribune- 4 June 2020

There was a time when the Greyhound bus stopped in Sonoma. Nancy Martin discovered that bit of history when she, her young daughter and musician husband opened a business in the old bus building in 1976. She removed years of grime from the abandoned Greyhound station on the Plaza and opened an upscale womenswear boutique. Ahead of her time, the town had yet to become a tourist destination and that business closed. 

In her recently published memoir, “From the Summer of Love to the Valley of the Moon,” Martin traces her journey from 1960s San Francisco to a life in the Sonoma wine industry, helping husband Joe Martin usher St. Francis Winery to prominence. Along the way she shares her struggles through challenging marriages and a serious health crisis. READ MORE.

Saving Sonoma's bees, 1 hive at a time

Sonoma Index-Tribune - 7 May 2020

As we grapple with the coronavirus crisis, our bees struggle, too, though for different reasons. Over the past 50 years, the number of honeybees has declined. Each winter since 2006, about 30 percent of beehives collapsed because of disease, parasites, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), one out of every three bites of food in the U.S. depends on honeybees and other pollinators. The bees pollinate $15 billion of crops each year, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables. Without bees we wouldn’t have our cherished crisp apples or flavorful peaches, nutritious blueberries and lush melons, that morning cup of coffee and Valentine’s Day box of chocolates. Much is happening in Sonoma Valley and throughout the county to address this issue. READ MORE.

Sonoma's Valley Vibes: More than music

Sonoma Index-Tribune- 10 February 2020

Forty-five years ago, the gem of an idea for a youth music program took hold in Venezuela. It speard internationally and eventually found its way to the campus of El Verano Elementary School in Sonoma Valley.

In the early 1970’s. Jose Antonio Abreu, a Venezuelan government and conservatory-trained musician, had noticed that most key opportunities in the country’s few orchestras went to European or American musicians. Disturbed, he set out to do something about that. In 1975, Abreu procured 50 music stands along with sheet music and staged them in an empty parking lot in the capital city of Caracas. He spread the word—and waited. Eleven musicians showed up. The youngest took out his violin and began to play. Others followed. READ MORE

Pastrami and Rye, and Andy Weinberger's debut novel on the side

Sonoma Index-Tribune-26 November 2019

Andy Weinberger is known around town as owner of Sonoma’s well-visited Readers’ Books. Soon he will also be known as author of the new novel, “An Old Man’s Game: An Amos Parisman Mystery.” 

The story is set in Los Angeles. Parisman, a private eye, is brought out of retirement by a local synagogue’s board of directors when their controversial rabbi drops dead over his matzo ball soup at the renowned Canter’s Deli. The rabbi’s death is initially ruled an accident. That is, until Parisman discovers things are not as kosher as they seem. He uncovers a world of treachery that threatens to undermine the very core of L.A.’s Jewish community. READ MORE

League toasts 50 years of preservation

Sonoma index-Tribune October 11, 2019

Think of Sonoma Plaza absent its historic facade. Think tacky T-shirt shops and beckoning golden arches. Think of a town without character, a town without a soul.

And although the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation doesn’t claim credit for everything, it’s played a major role in the preservation of Sonoma’s downtown history. This year the league celebrates its 50th anniversary. READ MORE.

Inside Sonoma's Moose Lodge

Sonoma Index-Tribune September 14, 2019

The sign “Bingo Every Tuesday” displayed on Broadway St. beckons. Take a drive down the adjacent lane, past the hedge of pink and white oleander blossoms, to a big funky wooden building reminiscent of Old Sonoma.

It’s home to the Moose lodge. Founded in 1963, the club originally occupied space above the Sebastiani Theater before moving to the old Paul’s Resort in the springs and then eventually acquiring the 2.5 acre Broadway site. Approximately 250 members pay nominal dues to belong and Sonoma Moose is always taking new members,At the national level, the fraternal nonprofit has members in 50 states, Canada, the United Kingdom and Bermuda, and contributes approximately $100 million of community service every year. READ MORE

Land ho! New Mayflower play settling in Sonoma

Sonoma Index-Tribune August 1, 2019

In 1620 following a perilous 66-day journey across the Atlantic, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock. it’s one of our first American history lessons, and every year at Thanksgiving we celebrate the English passengers who settled the Plymouth Colony, know by school children across the country as the Pilgrims. Their feast of thanks celebrating the completion of their first harvest at Plymouth is, today, a national holiday, an occasion for family and friends to gather, give thanks and enjoy the traditional meal of turkey, cranberry and pumpkin pie.

As the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s landing approaches, plans for celebrations later this year and throughout 2020 are underway. One pf those events will happen in Sonoma this November, when the California Mayflower Society will present a one-act drama, ”Freedom’s Song,” at Hanna Boys Center.

“We’re thrilled to be staging this play in Sonoma. It’s the perfect place,” said Sally Jackson, membership secretary for the group. “There’s a correlation between the Pilgrims landing 400 years ago and the West Coast settlers who staged the Bear Flag revolt. Both groups sought freedom and a better life.” READ MORE

Altimira horticulture teacher 'Mr. Van' retires"

Sonoma Index-Tribune July 1, 2019

"It is the only place I've ever taught," said Adrian "Dutch" Van Herwynen, upon his retirement from Altimira Middle School earlier this month.

Over the past 27 years, “Mr. Van” as he is known, estimates he has taught 2,500 students. He began asa science teacher. Years later, perhaps prompted by Michelle Obama’s interest in nutrition and school gardening programs, Altimira received a grant to start a horticulture program.

With a Cal Ply degree in horticulture, Van Herwynen jumped at the chance. He expanded the campus garden to include raised beds for vegetables and flowers, planted fruit trees, and constructed a greenhouse for seedlings. A .33-acreparcel dubbed the Production Farm was added. During peak growing season, his garden parcel turns into a cornucopia of organic produce—corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, melons and eggplant. Using recycled materials, Van Herwynen and his students built a chicken coop for 20-plus chickens. And there’s a CSA program where the students sell fruit, vegetables, succulents, cut flowers and eggs. READ MORE

Pickeball fever reaches Sonoma's Larson Park

Sonoma Index-Tribune April 23, 2019

Most weekday mornings and again on Sunday, tranquil Larson Park comes to life. The calm is broken by the sound of exuberant players with paddles rallying to return a hollow ball across a net. 

Is it tennis? Pingpong?

No, the game they play is called pickleball. It arrived in Sonoma four years ago. 

“My husband Joe and I live in Palm Springs during the winter. Pickleball’s the rage there,” said Leslie Frank, Sonoma’s de facto pickleball organizer. “Seniors are flocking to the game. Moving around the court and leaning for the ball is good exercise. It helps with balance and is great fun.” READ MORE

‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ opens in Sonoma on Jan. 25

Sonoma Index Tribune January 24, 2019

In keeping with Sonoma Arts Live’s programming theme for the year – A Salute to the Classics – the theater company this month presents its production of the Joseph Kesselring play, “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

“This play is clever, well written and includes a bit of everything — murder and mayhem, romance, family dysfunction, food & wine and wit,” said director Michael Ross.

Kesselring’s farcical dark comedy was first performed on Broadway in 1941. An instant success, the show ran for three years and more than 1,400 performances. The 1944 screen adaptation was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant. READ MORE

Sonoma Fire Survivors Find Ongoing Support In Community

Sonoma Index Tribune November 8, 2018

“Three generations of the Botello-Burgi family resided in two houses side-by-side on Warm Springs Road. The children grew up there and attended local schools. It was a place of fond memories; the place they called home. On the night of Oct. 8, all of that changed.

Umberto Botello, step-mom Jacki Burgi and their three daughters Isamar, Ariana and Genesis lived in a rental house. Jacki’s mother, Cheri Burgi, lived next door in the Glen Ellen home she purchased 32 years ago.” READ MORE

‘Ruby in Love’ and ‘Harm’s Way’ on stage in Sonoma

Sonoma Index Tribune July 27, 2018

“Love, aging, sex and family dynamics are themes interwoven in Sonoma Arts Live’a original productions of “Harm’s Way” and “Ruby and George in Love.” Both are being staged in a unique format called readers’ theater. Without costumes, elaborate sets or memorization, actors bring the plots to life through reading their lines. Reflection, intonation and emotion drive the story.

Following the performance, audiences engage in a “talkback,” a conversation and Q&A with the playwrights and directors and an important part of the creative process.” READ MORE

Sonoma’s Homegrown Bagels turns 40

Sonoma Index Tribune June 7, 2018

“Stuart Teitelbaum grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Forty years ago he landed in Sonoma with a New York City subway token in his pocket and a recipe for the best bagels ever. Now he wears that metal token on a chain around his neck. And with the recipe, the affable Teitelbaum started Homegrown Bagels on West Napa Street.

‘Back then there was no place north of the Golden Gate to buy a bagel. The closest was Geary Street in San Francisco,’ he says. Teitelbaum invested everything he had in the business. ‘That first day I was a bit nervous,’ he says. ‘Until a customer walked in and handed me a dollar bill. Bagels were a quarter each then. I gave him four and we were both happy.’ ” READ MORE

Theater: The butler does it in Sonoma

Sonoma Index Tribune May 10, 2018

“Opening this weekend, Sonoma Arts Live brings to the stage an evening of good old fashioned theater.

The play ‘Jeeves Intervenes,’ written by Margaret Raether, is set in 1920s London high-society and was adapted from the stories of early 20th century English writer P.G. Wodehouse.

Director James Jandak Wood says he first saw ‘Jeeves Intervenes’ performed three years ago in British Columbia.

‘I laughed all the way through,’ says Wood. ‘I thought Sonoma audiences would enjoy it.’ ” READ MORE

“Hello, Dolly!”

Sonoma Index Tribune October 4, 2018

Sonoma Arts Live opens its 2018-2019 season with a powerhouse performance of an American musical comedy classic — “Hello, Dolly!” Set in New York in 1899, the play is based on Thornton Wilder’s farce “The Merchant of Yonkers” later revised and retitled as “The Matchmaker.”

David Merrick first produced the play, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, on Broadway in 1964. It won a record-tying 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, a record held for 37 years. READ MORE

Former Sonoma students star in ‘Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter’

Sonoma Index Tribune March 8, 2018

“A disabled U.S. Marine returns home from the war in Iraq. Instead of reuniting with her children, she takes a detour.

The gripping play ‘Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter’ was written by Julie Marie Myatt. Wendy Wisely, an adjunct faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College, directs the local production, opening this week.

‘I first saw the play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival several years ago,’ said Wisely. ‘I loved it and was thrilled when the theater department selection committee picked “Welcome Home” for our current season. Though the story is serious in nature, there is much humor throughout, particularly in the dialogue.’

‘It is not anti-war or political,’ she stresses. ‘It’s about one woman’s journey, yet the broader theme is the struggle communities, friends and families have in finding ways to support and welcome vets returning home.’ ” READ MORE