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]]> A Santa Rosa man was charged Monday with raping three teenage girls, providing them with alcohol and drugs and videotaping the sex acts, Santa Rosa police said Tuesday. John Heglin, 50, was booked into Sonoma County Jail last week in lieu of $500,000 bail. Police didn't release information about the arrest and investigation until Tuesday. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 23:08:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209435 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209436
]]> The Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday rejected a proposal to put a medicinal marijuana dispensary on the edges of the South Park neighborhood, siding with police who said the area already is plagued by gang members, prostitutes and drug traffickers. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 23:05:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209436 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209437
]]> Fragrance permeates the spacious packing shed at Neve Brothers ranch near Petaluma, where workers are busy bundling thousands of long-stemmed roses. “It's hectic,” said Nick Neve, who runs the family-owned flower business with his brother, Chris. “Everyone wants their roses.” Tue, 9 Feb 2010 22:55:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209437 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209438
]]> Donald George Wright, a cabinet maker and general contractor, left his creative mark in remodeling jobs, whether in French restaurants in San Francisco, or pubs and wineries in Sonoma County. Wright died Jan. 27 at his family home in Camp Meeker due to complications from prostate cancer. He was 57. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 22:52:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209438 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209439
]]> Despite daunting conditions and physical demands of the sport, more surfers are being drawn to the North Coast Tue, 9 Feb 2010 22:43:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209439 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209440
]]> Santa Rosa's school board tonight will re-examine its policy of prohibiting seniors who fail to pass the state high school exit exam from walking in graduation ceremonies and receiving a certificate of completion. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 22:36:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209440 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209470
]]> Interest in a Feb. 20 spay and neuter clinic for cats organized by Sonoma County's animal shelters was so high Tuesday that a phone line dedicated to reserving a spot essentially crashed, organizers said. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 14:39:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209470 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209484
]]> The Amgen Tour of California will race through downtown for one lap in May, sponsors announced Tuesday. They promised better weather, more competitive cyclists. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 11:08:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209484 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209477
]]> A Petaluma woman was arrested after police concluded she had falsely reported that a store clerk sexually assaulted her last week, Petaluma police said Tuesday. Lillian Palmer, 23, of Petaluma was arrested Monday on suspicion of falsely reporting a crime. She posted bail early Tuesday and was released from Sonoma County Jail. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 18:45:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209477 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209499
]]> A Windsor man briefly escaped Petaluma police Monday night by using a handcuff key he’d hidden in his mouth, police reported Tuesday. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209499 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209502
]]> Breakfast lovers around the country can give their wallets a break today as Denny's once again offers its Grand Slam breakfast for free. On Super Bowl Sunday, the chain promised customers its signature dish of pancakes, sausage, bacon and eggs to anyone from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 07:36:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209502 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209503
]]> A big rig got stuck on rural Highway 175 early Tuesday, blocking the route between Mendocino and Lake counties for hours, the CHP reported. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 07:34:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/articles/100209503 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209498
]]> A big-box shopping center in the works for more than five years won approval late Monday night from a divided Petaluma City Council. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:12:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100209/news/100209498 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209505
]]> In a new Associated Press report, Lake County ranked as the 14th worst economy in the nation. And many residents and experts wonder how the economy can come back. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:30:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209505 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/news/100209518
]]> Santa Rosa's school board will consider cutting three days from the upcoming school year, along with eliminating spring sports and more than seven librarians, in a quest to save $5.6 million. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:28:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/news/100209518 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209519
]]> Hundreds of Sonoma County cat owners have made appoints for a free event designed to reduce cat overpopulation. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:26:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209519 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/video/2062000
]]> Robby Rowland of the Cloverdale Eagles breaks the Redwood Empire all-time scoring record of 2,389 points, Friday February 5, 2010. Sat, 6 Feb 2010 21:31:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/video/2062000 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209513
]]> The son of a Lake County pastor died Feb. 3 in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province when an improvised explosive device killed three U.S. Army Special Operations soldiers. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:28:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209513 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209542
]]> A woman chasing after her dog fell 60 feet down a Mendocino cliff to her death Sunday evening. The woman has been identified as Lisa Chapman, 48, of Mendocino. The dog, which had stopped halfway down the steep cliff, was later rescued, said Danny Hervilla, chief of the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 14:39:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209542 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209537
]]> Opening statements are expected this week in the Sonoma County Superior Court trial of two men accused in a more than three-year-old downtown Santa Rosa gang slaying that led to grand jury indictments and widespread community outrage. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 13:54:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209537 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209520
]]> Census officials are reaching out to hard-to-count groups such as Indian tribes and other minorities, and on Monday brought their road show to the offices of the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo in Healdsburg. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:09:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209520 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/news/100209554
]]> A hit-and-run crash on Highway 101 Sunday evening led to an arrest of a Northern California man after a CHP officer spotted a damaged car weaving on a nearby road, reported the CHP Monday morning. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 08:46:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/news/100209554 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209524
]]> Law enforcement officers acted appropriately last fall when when a Ukiah man died after being stunned three times with Tasers, Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott announced Monday. Mon, 8 Feb 2010 17:49:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209524 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209504
]]> ASSOCIATED PRESS The most and least economically stressed counties with populations over 25,000 and their December 2009 Stress scores, according to the Associated Press Economic Stress Index: MOST STRESSED 1. Imperial County, 31.57 2. Merced County, 26.44 3. Lyon County, Nev., 24.93 4. San Benito County, 24.46 5. Sutter County, 24.13 Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:50:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/articles/100209504 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209570
]]> Some in Sonoma County didn't spend Sunday on the coach watching the New Orleans Saint beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, opting instead for shopping, getting tattoos or enjoying the sunshine. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 21:40:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209570 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209578
]]> About $20,000 was raised Sunday during the inaugural Annadel Half Marathon in Santa Rosa, with the money going to help finance the state park threatened last year by closure because of budget cuts. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 17:28:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209578 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209581
]]> Sonoma County will pay the Danielli family $1.48 million for a conservation easement over its 165-acre property that sits across Highway 12 from the Oakmont subdivision. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209581 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209582
]]> Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will hold a series of public hearings, beginning today in Cotati, to find out what people want their train stations to look like. There will be 14 stations along the 70-mile corridor from Cloverdale to Larkspur. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 15:22:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209582 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209583
]]> A proposal to locate a medicinal marijuana dispensary in Santa Rosa could help cure an ailing city budget. That's the opinion of City Councilman Gary Wysocky, who would consider placing a measure on a future ballot to tax the profits of such dispensaries. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 14:46:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209583 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209584
]]> A proposal to locate a medicinal marijuana dispensary in what police say is one of Santa Rosa's most troubled neighborhoods goes before the City Council on Tuesday. If approved in South Park, it would become the second dispensary in Santa Rosa and would serve up to 500 doctor-prescribed clients. Sun, 7 Feb 2010 14:40:00 -0500 http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100207/news/100209584