A woman was arrested Thursday in Duncans Mills after she set three fires and attempted to steal a Fire Chief's pickup truck. The woman says she ran out of gas in Jenner and walked to Duncans Mills, where set fire to a hedge, a garbage can and a wooden container... she told officials she did it to keep warm. Once Monte Rio Fire Protection District arrived, she tried to steal chief Steve Baxman's truck, but was unsuccessful.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted to let the state's utilities — including Pacific Gas & Electric — add a fixed charge to people's power bills each month to pay for installing and maintaining the equipment necessary to transmit electricity to homes. For most people, the charge will be $24.15 per month and will take effect starting late next year. Others with lower incomes who are enrolled in one of two discount programs will pay less, either $6 or $12 per month. In exchange for the new charge, the price of electricity will drop by between 5 cents and 7 cents per kilowatt hour.

Wednesday afternoon Santa Rosa police were called to Yuba Drive for a report of burglar inside of a home. The homeowners arrived to find a man hiding in a closet wearing a pair of pants belonging to one of the residents. The man left the house and ran, police found him a short time later.... he was now naked and on the roof of a neighbors house. They arrested 45-year old Ronald Rutherford, and were able to return the stolen pants.

The Northern Lights could be visible over Northern California tonight into early Saturday morning thanks to a massive geomagnetic storm released by the sun. The coronal mass ejection, or CME, was ranked a four out of five. and the strongest in two decades. The best viewing of a possible reddish or green glow would be away from city lights and higher up on mountains, it is also possible that disturbances of the Earth's magnetic field will result in communication disruptions and possible power outages over the weekend,

The Sonoma County sheriff's office announced yesterday the identification of a woman's body found back in 1967 near Jenner. The body was down a steep ravine and had multiple fractures, and no identification. Using DNA technology, the Jane Doe is now identified as Lilian Marie Cardenas, born in 1928 and last known to live in San Francisco. The Sheriff's office is now trying to locate any surviving family members to try and piece together her life and what happened to her.

Sole Desire Shoes, a family-owned business since the early 1990's is closing it's Montogmery Village location to consolidate operations into it's Railroad Square flagship store. According to the Press Democrat, their 10-year lease is up soon and the brother's who co-own the business felt the move was the best way to ensure the a strong future. The Montgomery Village location will close sometime in the middle of June.

Santa Rosa police are still looking for the gray pickup truck that struck a motorcycle rider at the intersection of Hopper Ave and Airway Drive back on April 30th. Newly released surveillance footage shower the Ford F-150 FX4 with stickers on the drivers side of the windshield, black rims and no front license plate. The motorcycle rider suffered life-threatening injuries. Anyone who sees the truck should contact Santa Rosa police.

Driving along Hwy 12 from Fulton Road to Stony Point Road you couldn't miss it, homeless campers had set up residence once again. However, the Joe Rodota trail is now empty, as officials began clearing the trail Monday night. About 50 campers were cleared out and offered shelter at Sam Jones Hall in Santa Rosa that provides homeless services. According to the Press Democrat, it is unclear how many people chose to accept that offer.

A much loved cinema complex in Santa Rosa could soon close and be converted into a fitness center. Neighbors around the Summerfield Cinemas received notice that the property owners intend to rent the facility to Planet Fitness, who will renovate the five-screen complex. There will be a public meeting on May 16th before the city's Zoning Administrator according to the notice. It is not clear when the current lease with Santa Rosa Entertainment Group runs out.

A federal judge ruled that flood control measures taken by the Army Corps of Engineers at the Coyote Valley Dam on Lake Mendocino violated the endangered species act. Releases from the dam stir up sediment, causing the water to turn a muddy brown, increasing turbidity and harming endangered Central California coast steelhead, coho and Chinook salmon. The Corps is now engaged in drafting a new plan to manage releases in a way that mitigates impacts to the salmon.

In January of 2024, the Santa Rosa Police Department launched a social media campaign to highlight missing adult cold cases. Over the course of six weeks, 30 cases were highlighted, with the oldest being from 1984 and the most recent being reported just before the start of the program. So far, 5 individuals have been found with strong leads on 4 more. The Missing Person Monday program now has additional resources and looks to continue it's success in the future with a twice a year campaign.

Great news for California's water supply heading into summer. Lake Oroville, the second largest reservoir in the state is at 100% of it's capacity. Lake Shasta, the largest storage reservoir is at 97% of capacity... both lakes are well over 110% of historical average for this time of year. Locally Lake Sonoma, Mendocino and Berryessa are in very good shape.

You have the opportunity today and tomorrow to watch as the Santa Rosa City Council holds a two day study session in advance of adopting a nearly $500 million dollar budget for the coming year. The meeting today starts at 12:30 at city hall, tomorrow's session starts at 9am. The council will hear from various departments on ways to curtails spending, increase revenue and try to avoid budget cuts and layoffs. You can attend the meetings in person or watch remotely through zoom or the city's YouTube channel.

Two black bears were spotted in the North Bay about 70 miles apart on Monday. First, in Napa near Silverado Resort a man drinking coffee watched as a bear wandered through his back yard. Then in Guerneville, a man watched as a bear strolled up his driveway the same day. Sightings of bears are rare, but becoming more frequent in Sonoma county. A wildlife specialist told the Press Democrat that the bears were most likely looking for food, much like what happens in Lake Tahoe in the spring. Black bears usually avoid conflict, if you see one, make yourself big and make noise according to the expert.

To kickoff National Wildfire Preparedness Month, State Senator Mike McGuire will be joined by Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler for his annual virtual Town Hall on Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention this Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30 p.m. The town hall is open to the public and will be livestreamed. Senator.McGuire@senate.ca.gov. What: Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention Town Hall When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Where: Virtual (https://sd02.senate.ca.gov/videos) Senator.McGuire@senate.ca.gov.

To kickoff National Wildfire Preparedness Month, State Senator Mike McGuire will be joined by Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler for his annual virtual Town Hall on Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention this Wednesday, May 8th at 6:30 p.m. The town hall is open to the public and will be livestreamed. You can submit questions in advance through the RSVP link which we will have up on the KZST website under news. Senator.McGuire@senate.ca.gov. What: Wildfire Preparedness and Prevention Town Hall When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Where: Virtual (https://sd02.senate.ca.gov/videos) Senator.McGuire@senate.ca.gov.

You may have seen, or been stuck in, the long traffic nightmare on Friday evening when I-80 was shut down while the CHP surrounded a car. That car, and the entire situation, started in Santa Rosa earlier in the day when a woman reported someone firing a gun at her on highway 101. Later on, the same car, a 2001 Toyota Corolla, was spotted in Rohnert Park, and the chase was on. From there, the driver made it all the way to I-80 at Cordeilla, where spike strips were used to stop the car and armored vehicles were brought in. The standoff lasted over two hours before the man eventually shot himself.... he was critically injured, we are waiting on an update on his condition sometime this morning.

Graton Resort & Casino was named as one of the luckiest Casinos in California by Casinos.com It came in at number 5 on the list... Yaa-ma-va Resort and Casino in Highland came in at number 1. Graton recently started a $1 billion dollar expansion that will add a new hotel wing, expanded gaming, new restaurant, theater and parking garage that is already under construction.

You may have read the article in the Press Democrat about the city of Santa Rosa's plan to try and redevelop garage number 5 on Third Street in downtown Santa Rosa. They have entered into an agreement with Keith Rogal from Napa to transform the garage into housing over the objections of downtown business owners and shoppers, who correctly note that losing a parking garage adjacent to Fourth Street and Old Courthouse Square will negatively impact their businesses. Plus, a lawsuit has been filed challenging the city's designation of the garage as surplus property. There is a hearing on May 24th in Sonoma County Superior Court over that issue.

You may have read the article in the Press Democrat about the city of Santa Rosa's plan to try and redevelop garage number 5 on Third Street in downtown Santa Rosa. They have entered into an agreement with Keith Rogal from Napa to transform the garage into housing over the objections of downtown business owners and shoppers, who correctly note that losing a parking garage adjacent to Fourth Street and Old Courthouse Square will negatively impact their businesses. Plus, a lawsuit has been filed challenging the city's designation of the garage as surplus property. There is a hearing on May 24th in Sonoma County Superior Court over that issue.