Bay Area officials are conducting polling to see the level of support for a nine-county bond measure that could potentially secure $10 to $20 billion dollars in funding for affordable housing. The measure, Bay Area Housing for All still has a long way to go before it makes it to the ballot.. a $10 billion dollar bond would add $100 per year to a $1 million dollar house in taxes. Sonoma county could receive up to $800 million depending on how much is raised.

Actor Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in six of the Harry Potter films, has passed away this morning at the age of 82. He had been suffering from neumonia recently according to his family.

The Senate has voted to reverse an informal guidance issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that senators could wear what they want when voting or speaking in the chamber. The resolution passed Wednesday night by voice vote with no objections. It requires that ”business attire be worn on the floor of the Senate, which for men shall include a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants.” It did not specify what women should wear.

The Senate has voted to reverse an informal guidance issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that senators could wear what they want when voting or speaking in the chamber. The resolution passed Wednesday night by voice vote with no objections. It requires that ”business attire be worn on the floor of the Senate, which for men shall include a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants.” It did not specify what women should wear.

The Senate has voted to reverse an informal guidance issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that senators could wear what they want when voting or speaking in the chamber. The resolution passed Wednesday night by voice vote with no objections. It requires that ”business attire be worn on the floor of the Senate, which for men shall include a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants.” It did not specify what women should wear.

You may see smoke in the sky today and tomorrow from a prescribed burn in Salt Point State Park north of Jenner. Calfire will begin the burn near the Kruse Rhododendron reserve at 8am and continue until 8pm. Smoke may linger for a day or two depending on weather conditions.

Anyone interested in exploring an electric vehicle might want to stop by the Sonoma Clean Power Electric Vehicle Showcase on Saturday. The event will take place from 11am to 3pm at the advanced energy center in Santa Rosa at 741 Fourth Street. You can see several electric vehicles and get information on financial incentives and rebates. Information will be available in English and Spanish.

Mendocino County Sheriff's are looking for 44-year old Edgar Arteaga Coria, one of the men identified as a suspect in the weekend killing of 32-year old Jesus Joel Romero on Ten Mile Cut Off Road near Point Arena. He’s about 5 feet 10 inches tall and between 160 and 170 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He has a tattoo on the left side of his neck and “Arteaga” tattooed on the back of his neck. A second suspect, Antonio Coria Garcia, 23, who was arrested Monday. Coria is considered armed and dangerous, anyone who sees him should contact the Mendocino county sheriff.

24-year old Brandon Sanchez will spend the next seven years and four months in prison for his part in a violent robbery of the WestAmerica bank on Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa back in 2021....and what makes it worse is it was an inside job, he was an employee there. Two other suspects were involved, Jeferson Montiel, who has already pled guilty and Gilary Sanchez, who also worked at the bank and is charged with robbery and false imprisonment.

The sipping and swirling is underway today during the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition Judging at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Judges are sampling about 1,000 wines, all hoping to win top honors. The judging wraps up today, winners will be announced on October 1st at the Harvest Fair Awards night. The Harvest Fair itself is Saturday, October 14th.

The parents of Jayden Pienta, the 16-year old boy who was stabbed to death during a fight at Montgomery High School in March, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school, school district and multiple individuals. Up to 100 other unidentified defendants are also named in the suit filed on Monday. The lawsuit contends Pienta’s death was preventable and “occurred due to the negligence of the teachers, staff, administrators, superintendent, board members, and other personnel.”

Santa Rosa police were called to Martin Luther King, Jr. park in Southwest Santa Rosa around 2:20 Monday morning for reports of gunshots in the area. Police initially did not find evidence of a shooting, but did find fresh graffiti. About an hour and a half later, more calls came in about gunshots. This time they found about 20 spend bullet casings near the graffiti. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police.

Officials with the SMART train just announced a new grant of some $31 million dollars in federal funding, great news. Part of the money will help pay for extending the rail line north from Windsor to Healdsburg and include replacing the railway that spans the Russian River in Healdsburg. In total, SMART has secured over $220 million in grants. Yet at the same time, a report yesterday by KTVU said that unless voters in Sonoma and Marin county extend a quarter-percent sales tax, the trains will stop running and they will cease operation in 2029, even with ridership up over pre-pandemic numbers.

The plan to develop a housing project next to the soon-to-be-built Petaluma North SMART train station just got a big boost. The Meridan project just got $20 million in funding towards the $86 million dollar total. Eventually 131 affordable housing units will be built near Corona Road and North McDowell Blvd.

Two 15-year-olds were arrested with a loaded .38-caliber pistol after police received an anonymous tip that Montgomery High School students were planning a shooting at the school. The arrest came Friday afternoon after a search of a home on Fourth Street. School officials worked with police to verify the student's information and address. In addition to the revolver, which had an altered serial number, police found clothing and accessories associated with gang affiliation

Concerned Sonoma County residents will get their chance to view 3 options for a proposed controversial casino project by the Koi Nation in Windsor. The tribe acquired land on Shiloh road in 2021. The Sonoma county board of supervisors as wall as the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the Dry Creek Rancheria, the Cloverdale Rancheria and the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians all oppose the project along with neighbors in Windsor. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold the virtual meeting Wednesday, beginning at 6 p.m. on Zoom. The 211-page document and instructions for participation in the hearing can be viewed at www.shiloh-resort-environmental.com

President Joe Biden is heading to the Bay Area next week for a campaign events. The president is set to arrive on Tuesday and stay through Wednesday for two separate fundraisers. The first is in Atherton, hosted by billionaire couple Mark Heising and Liz Simons. Then on Wednesday, he will be in San Francisco at a fundraiser hosted by Facebook co-founder Andrew McCollum.

The Windsor Town Council and Planning Commission will get a look at an updated proposal for the Vintage Oaks project on a former mobile home park. Previously the 24-acre site was to have 387 units, but the developer deemed it not economically viable. So work halted on the project after 14-years. The new project is scaled back with 125 two story homes. The panel will not be voting or making a decision at this first unveiling of the project.

A reminder that this is the weekend that CalTrans will be closing down both directions of Hwy 12 between Dutton Ave and Fulton Road for repaving. The closure will start tonight at 8pm and run until 8am tomorrow...and then repeat Saturday and Sunday night. One lane in each direction of the 3-mile stretch will be open during the day. The roadway should fully reopen sometime early Monday morning, the entire project will eventually repave everything from Farmers Lane to Llano Road.

Oakland may have missed out, but Santa Rosa did receive a grant from the state for over $2 million dollars to help fight retail crimes. Sonoma County's DA Carla Rodriguez made the announcement. Part of the money will go towards hiring a prosecutor who will solely focus on retails crimes.