2015 News Quiz answers

1. C - A moveable barrier made of 3,200 steel-and-concrete segments allows crews driving “zipper trucks” to shift traffic lanes on the 1.7-mile bridge.

2. D - The Valley fire destroyed nearly 125 square miles, which is roughly equal in size to San Francisco (46 square miles) and Seattle (80 square miles).

3. Sonoma State University President Ruben Arminana, Santa Rosa schools Superintendent Socorro Shiels and Petaluma schools Superintendent Steve Bolma.

4. C - Rents have increased 42 percent since 2011 to $1,719 a month.

5. The measure received only 38 percent of the vote - with critics saying the board couldn’t be trusted to spend the money, as promised, on roads.

6. False. Lake County supervisors, did, however, place an advisory measure on the ballot to determine whether residents want to join the 51st state movement. (The decision was subsequently rescinded.)

7. In the 1889-90 weather year, according to Press Democrat records, more than 56 inches of rain fell in Santa Rosa.

8. B - McDonalds

9. False. A military outpost was founded and named for Bragg in 1857, but he never set foot there. The name became a source of controversy when a state senator sought to eliminate Confederate names from public buildings.

10. C - Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson reached the summit of the 3,000-foot rock in Yosemite National Park after 19 days, marking the first free ascent of a notoriously difficult section of El Capitan.

11. D - Brookfield Homes were concerned that potential homebuyers might not want to live on streets named after “Kruk and Kuip.” Clearly, they need to get to know this market better.

12. A. - Seismologists for the United States Geological Survey raised their estimates of the likelihood of an earthquake along the Rogers Creek Fault, which extends from San Pablo Bay to the northern outskirts of Santa Rosa. The good news is, the chances of an earthquake of 8.0 or higher remain very small, less than 0.01 percent. The bad news is, scientists didn’t previously believe that an earthquake of 8.0 or greater magnitude was possible on the Rodgers Creek Fault.

13. B - A crowd gathered at a rental office on West College Avenue to submit applications for 42 apartments with subsidized rents at a complex then under construction in southeast Santa Rosa.

14. C - Pay for members of the Board of Supervisors has soared 45 percent over the past 10 years. The increase puts the board among the most well-compensated in the state. As of July 1, supervisors received base pay of $141,780 a year plus other earnings, pushing their total pay to almost $160,000. All of this is due to a formula that tethers their salaries to 75 percent of what state superior court judges earn. By comparison, San Francisco and Sacramento supervisors received annual salaries of about $118,000, according to a Bay Area survey.

15. B - Ten times, the Warriors had 30 or fewer wins including three times the team had fewer than 20. Many forget that just four years ago, the Warriors won just 23 wins, a mark the teams reached this year by Dec. 8, before its first loss.

16. Dominic Foppoli. He didn’t win – and Harvey didn’t accidentally announce the wrong winner.

17. All 1.4 miles of Freezeout Road parallels the south side of the Russian River between Jenner and Duncans Mills.

18. False, the Santa Rosa City Council endorsed a plan that will reduce the cost of re-uniting Old Courthouse Square from $17 million to $10 million. Minus the gold-plating, construction could begin in the new year. No statues are planned.

19. The Fountaingrove District is the newest American Viticultural Area. The district encompasses 38,000 acres located in eastern Sonoma County along the Napa County line. If you’re keeping count, it’s the 17th AVA in Sonoma County.

20. In July, hundreds of hungry customers lined up at Amy’s Drive Thru in Rohnert Park. The restaurant was opened by the same folks who own and operate Amy’s Kitchen, a major producer of organic, vegetarian foods.

Bonus question: The Motel 6 Cactus Bowl on Saturday featured Arizona State (6-6) and West Virginia (7-5). It’s not clear where the teams stayed the night.