Ellen Mark pleads with Sonoma County supervisors not to cut her medical benefits. The five-member board voted Tuesday to shift a larger share of health care premiums to retirees and non-union county workers.

Santa Rosa narcotics officers Tuesday found a rental home turned into an indoor marijuana garden.
A search of a home in the 300 block of East Robles Avenue turned up more than 80 plants, ready for harvest, Sgt. Mike Lazzarini said.
He estimated the plants were worth about $16,000 if sold.

J. Barrie Graham resigns as president and chief executive officer of Exchange Bank, Sonoma Countys oldest and largest commercial bank. He put the 118-year-old bank on a more aggressive approach to growth.

NEW YORK - Stocks fell sharply Tuesday after a hefty jump in wholesale inflation and a drop in new home construction gave investors more reasons to believe the economy wont rebound anytime soon. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped by more than 100 points.

BEIJING - All week, Stephanie Brown Trafton, a resident of Galt, a small town south of Sacramento, had hints of the miracle that was about to occur.

The countys summer home sales surge continued as buyers snapped up properties shed by lenders and homeowners. Sales rose for the fourth straight month, but the majority of deals were in the bargain bin at the bottom of the market.

Potter Valley teacher Dan Holbrook quits his job and the Mendocino County D.A. dismisses molestation charges on shaky evidence.

The countys summer home sales surge continued as buyers snapped up properties shed by lenders and homeowners. Sales rose for the fourth straight month, but the majority of deals were in the bargain bin at the bottom of the market.

Medtronics Santa Rosa-based vascular business continues to drive growth for the medical device maker, with a 41 percent jump in global sales of coronary vascular products during the first quarter, the company said Tuesday.
Companywide, Medtronic posted quarterly revenue of $3.7 billion, 19 percent over the same period last year.

BEIJING - There are no ties in Olympic gymnastics.
Nastia Liukin learned the hard way Monday in the uneven bars, losing a gold-medal tiebreaker to Chinas He Kexin before admissions of confusion over rules, allegations of unfair judging and questions about gymnasts ages.

Tropical Storm Fay rolled ashore in Florida Tuesday short of hurricane strength, but mysteriously gained speed as it headed over land, bringing heavy rain, high wind and tornadoes. The storm dumped knee-deep water in some streets, downed trees and plunged...

A former San Jose police officer has been sentenced to two years in state prison for soliciting nude photos of a teenage girl, his attorney said today. Kenneth Williams, a 27-year veteran of the department, must also register as a sex offender, Judge Heather...

Bay Area home prices plunged to a 53-month low in July as a brisk business in foreclosed properties depressed prices and buoyed sales volume, according to a real estate report released Tuesday. The median price for both new and resale homes and condos stood...

Russian soldiers took about 20 Georgians in military uniform prisoner at a key Black Sea port in western Georgia on Tuesday, blindfolding them and holding them at gunpoint, and commandeered American Humvees awaiting shipment back to the United States. The...

With speculation rising daily, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama kept his plans for naming a running mate to himself Tuesday and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, rumored as a possible choice, professed no inside knowledge of when word would come...

A San Francisco boy drowned while trying to help a friend having trouble swimming in Lake Berryessa, authorities said today. Alan Diaz, 14, was swimming with friends Sunday afternoon when a 14-year-old girl began showing signs of distress at Oak Shores on the...