Vehicles were negotiating Santa Rosa intersections without traffic lights and businesses were left in the dark for several hours Wednesday morning.

Thousands of retirees, employees affected as supervisors move to bring benefits into line with other public, private entities. Insurance payments will drop over 5 years to resolve a $15M annual deficit in health care premium costs.

No reasons given for sudden resignation of J. Barrie Graham. His departure comes as Sonoma Countys oldest and largest commercial bank is navigating through losses on construction loans.

Medical device maker numbers beat analysts expectations as Medtronics Santa Rosa division continues to drive growth for the medical device maker. Will the two new stents launched in July by competitors challenge Endeavor

You cant get much more rad than this, American star Donny Robinson, 25, of Napa said as the first BMX race in Olympic history took place earlier today. Robinson, the top-ranked rider in the world, crashed in a quarterfinal race but still managed to advance to tonights semifinals.

Sonoma council considers proposal allowing rabbits, chickens in residential neighborhoods. Proponents contend its a step toward self-sufficiency and providing healthier meat and eggs.

Eastbound Highway 12 in Santa Rosa has reopened after a motorcycle crash blocked traffic for part of Wednesday morning, the CHP said.
The motorcyclist suffered minor injuries in the 8:52 a.m. collision and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, the CHP said.

Bargain shoppers snap up foreclosed homes; prices drop to 53-month low

The Sonoma Coffee Company, a once-popular Fourth Street hang-out, closed its doors over the weekend.
The coffee shops last day of business was Saturday, according to neighboring merchants. The owner informed neighbors that business had been slow and she planned to move to Kansas.

SANTA CLARA - Coach Mike Nolan promised a fair competition for the starting quarterback job this summer. Whether that has occurred is open for interpretation, but Alex Smith said it is something he tries not to consider.
Im not getting into all that, Smith said.

A jetliner heading to the popular Canary Islands vacation resort crashed during takeoff Wednesday, turning a wooded area off the end of a runway into a hellish scene of charred bodies and smoldering wreckage. Some 153 were believed dead _ Spains worst air...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to end the stalemate over a state budget Wednesday by offering a compromise spending plan that calls for a temporary 1 percent sales tax increase and additional cuts. In the past, the governor has said he is against raising...

Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, had a brain hemorrhage and was in critical condition with limited brain function, a doctor said Wednesday. Tubbs Jones, 58, suffered the hemorrhage while driving...

Russian forces dug trenches and built sentry posts deep inside Georgia on Wednesday, showing few signs they would pull back later this week as promised. Georgian soldiers suggested the Russians were trying to provoke them and justify a resumption of the...

A senior U.S. military official says the U.S. government has approved a draft agreement on reducing the American military presence in Iraq. The official said the deal is not final and is subject to acceptance by Iraqi leaders. The official said that barring...

A man convicted of causing a deadly commuter rail crash that he blamed on an attempt to commit suicide was sentenced Wednesday to 11 consecutive life terms by a judge who denounced him as a remorseless killer. Superior Court Judge William Pounders said he...