Page last updated: March 11, 2010 @ 1:02 AM
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Rockys recovery

The 50-pound, Rottweiler-mix called Rocky is recovering from head injuries suffered in a beating in Santa Rosa on Saturday. A 25-year-old Petaluma man has pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty charges.

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Doctor caught in sex sting gets two-month jail term

The East Bay doctor caught in a nationally televised child-sex sting in Petaluma in 2006 was sentenced Wednesday to two months in jail and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life

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County unemployment rises to 11.3 percent in January

Sonoma County unemployment hit 11.3 percent in January as a record 28,600 residents looked for work, state labor analysts reported Wednesday. And the jobless rate will likely climb higher.

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State quarantines Napa Valley areas against European moth

The heart of Napas grape growing region was placed under quarantine Tuesday to stop the spread of the European grapevine moth. The quarantine boundaries extend to a sliver of Sonoma County that has a small olive orchard and almost 50 acres of grapes.

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Cohn: Why hitting two homers doesnt excite Chavez

Eric Chavez has had numerous surgeries in recent years, only to have his hopes of playing full time again dashed. Chavez approaches this season warily.

Healdsburg nixes plan to require community impact reports on projects

A proposal to require â??community impact reportsâ?? in Healdsburg to assess the economic and social effects of new development has failed to obtain the needed support from the City Council. â??Its pretty much dead in the water,â?? Councilman Gary Plass said Wednesday.

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Hard times threaten Petalumas iconic Butter & Egg Days

Last year, Petalumans dug into their pockets to save the annual Veterans Day parade after it lost city funding, and now they are being asked to keep on digging to support the popular Butter & Egg Days celebration next month.

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ThermaSource wins drilling contract in Nicaragua

Santa Rosa geothermal company ThermaSource Inc. said Tuesday it won a contract to drill new wells at a growing geothermal energy complex in Nicaragua.

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Feds to probe cause of runaway Prius

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) â?? Federal officials are sending an investigator to determine what caused a Toyota Prius to race out of control on a California freeway.

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Prep notebook: Basketball teams already psyched for next season

Given the basketball talent returning to many Empire schools, a look to the future might help ease the pain of season-ending losses.

SF Gate/Chronicle Headlines
First condor nest in Pinnacles in 100 years

A lonely cave on a cliff in the rugged Pinnacles National Monument is the setting for a story of two love birds who found one another despite unimaginable hardship and decided to bring new life into a world that almost destroyed them. They are, of course,...

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Constituents conflicted over gay legislator

The state senator who represents this Bible Belt region of farms and oil fields was once best known for moments like the one he created on April 2, 2005. Organizing a rally at Bakersfields Patriots Park, Roy Ashburn stood with evangelical leaders to condemn...

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Speeding motorist dies in Emeryville pileup

A motorist died in a multi-car pileup in Interstate 80 in Emeryville that was caused when he lost control while speeding, authorities said today. The victim, whose name has not been released, was driving a 1988 Ford Mustang east on I-80 west of Ashby Avenue...

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Uncontrolled acceleration: Stopping runaway car

The latest instance of sudden, uncontrolled acceleration in a Toyota - an incident Monday in which a Prius hit 94 mph on a freeway east of San Diego before the driver got it under control- raises the question: What do you do if this happens to you? Police and...

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Runaway Prius driver: Brakes were almost burned

Before he called 911, James Sikes says he reached down with his hand to loosen the stuck accelerator on his 2008 Toyota Prius, his other hand on the steering wheel. The pedal didnt move. My car cant slow down, he began when a California Highway Patrol...

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Obama renews backing of earthquake-stricken Haiti

President Barack Obama on Wednesday renewed Americas commitment to the recovery and reconstruction of earthquake-devastated Haiti, telling visiting President Rene Preval he knows the crisis has not passed. After an Oval Office meeting, Obama stood beside...