The Santa Rosa Press Democrat

By GUY KOVNER THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Enjoy the dry, albeit chilly weather while it lasts because the storm door is expected to open wide next week, with wet, windy and potentially hazardous weather starting Monday. Full Story »

BY MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT The man accused of looting the Sonoma home of a family killed in a weekend car crash wept during a jailhouse interview Thursday, apologizing for his actions and claiming he didn't know about the family's deaths. Full Story »

More than 100 elected officials representing county governments across the U.S. are convening in Santa Rosa, flexing muscle from improved relationships with the federal government, but chafing under funding cutbacks by their respective state governments. Full Story »

By BOB NORBERG THE PRESS DEMOCRAT A state court of appeal has ruled in favor of Sebastopol in its request for further study of the impacts of the controversial Laguna Vista development, which was first proposed in 2001. Full Story »

By BOB PADECKY PRESS DEMOCRAT COLUMNIST Coach Alfred Jones, who fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, has made a new home in Santa Rosa and is inspiring some of the city's at-risk youth on and off the football field. Full Story »

By MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT The couple accused of breaking into the home of a Sonoma family killed in a weekend car crash pleaded not guilty to burglary charges today. The pleas came after defendant Michael Vincent Gutierrez asked for forgiveness in a jailhouse interview. Full Story »

By BOB NORBERG THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Plans to open the southbound car-pool lanes of Highway 101 on Friday have been delayed by problems getting the striping done in time, highway officials said Thursday. Full Story »

BY CLARK MASON THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Sam Salmon, Windsor's most senior Town Council member, has been selected as the mayor for the coming year. Salmon, 59, who has served as mayor three times over the past 15 years, was the unanimous choice of his colleagues, who made the appointment Wednesday night. He replaces outgoing Mayor Robin Goble. Full Story »

After a poor start off Bodega Bay, commercial fishermen are hauling in good catches of Dungeness crab off Eureka and Crescent City. Supermarkets are advertising crab for $3.99 a pound, $2 to $3 down from two weeks ago. Full Story »

When you conjure up a mental image of one of Santa's elves, you probably don't picture a tall, scowling cynic who calls himself Crumpet. "Santaland Diaries," a one-man play based on writer David Sedaris' wry memoir about his stint as one of Santa's elves at Macy's in New York, offers a different angle on holiday spirit. Full Story »

By MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT A Petaluma man reportedly bent on escaping a jail term for his second DUI offense was arrested after police tracked him down at his girlfriend’s Santa Rosa apartment after a two-week effort, police said. Full Story »

By MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT A DMV tester administering a driving test on a Petaluma street suffered major injuries when the car in which he was riding was struck by an oncoming motorist, Petaluma Police said. Full Story »

By NATHAN HALVERSON THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Finance officials warned Wednesday that SSU is 'very near its breaking point' and that the school expects to raise fees 10 percent in the next academic year to deal with a budget shortfall of $4 million. Full Story »

By GUY KOVNER THE PRESS DEMOCRAT About 100 people came to Santa Rosa's Courthouse Square Wednesday night to quietly protest his decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Full Story »

By KERRY BENEFIELD THE PRESS DEMOCRAT With record-shattering numbers of applicants vying for a shrinking number of places at California universities, stress is the word of the day for area seniors. Full Story »

By BOB NORBERG THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Sarah Gurney was re-elected mayor of Sebastopol despite the City Council’s traditional policy of elevating the vice mayor to that post. Vice Mayor Linda Kelley, the next in line to be mayor, nominated Gurney for mayor and Councilman Guy Wilson for vice mayor. Full Story »

BY GUY KOVNER THE PRESS DEMOCRAT The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on a fatal mid-air collision in Lake County will be posted on the agency's Web site early next week, the investigator said Wednesday. Full Story »

By MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Two Sonoma County teens were arrested early Wednesday in a suspected stolen car filled with property apparently taken from other vehicles, Rohnert Park police said. The suspects, a girl and a boy, both 17, were stopped in a Rohnert Park apartment complex around 2:25 a.m. when a police officer noticed they were driving without headlights. Full Story »

BY ROBERT DIGITALE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT After a poor start off Bodega Bay, commercial fishermen are hauling in good catches of Dungeness crab off Eureka and Crescent City. Full Story »

Under warm sunny skies Tuesday, Domingo Lopez flocked Christmas tree at Kringles Korner in Santa Rosa. Sales, said the owner's daughter, have so far been equal to last year. Full Story »

A proposal to raise Santa Rosa's water rates 16 percent and sewer rates 14 percent over the next two years goes before the Santa Rosa City Council next week. What would you say to the council members about the increases? Please send your comments to Press Democrat staff writer Mike McCoy at mike.mccoy@pressdemocrat.com. Full Story »

BY PAUL PAYNE THE PRESS DEMOCRAT In a startling reversal, a Sonoma County judge Wednesday shaved nine years off a 12-year prison sentence handed down to a teen convicted of killing a man in a drunken-driving crash and leaving another in a coma. Full Story »

The holiday open house at the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens in Santa Rosa is a beautiful time to wander the property Now in its 30th year, the open house will be this weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Full Story »

By BOB NORBERG THE PRESS DEMOCRAT The southbound car pool lanes of Highway 101 between Santa Rosa and Windsor are now expected to open on Friday, with the northbound lanes opened on Sunday, highway officials said. Full Story »

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS About 140,000 property owners in Sonoma County likely will receive slightly lower tax bills next year because of the state's housing bust. The state Board of Equalization said the drop is the first since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. Full Story »