ICYMI: Stories topping the news you’ll want to read

Here’s the weekend list of the Top 5 Sonoma County stories you’re going to want to read before your workweek starts:

Museum of Sonoma County marks Lunar New Year: 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. The Museum of Sonoma County teamed up with the Redwood Empire Chinese Association to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a traditional dance in Santa Rosa.

The 1,500-year-old dance form is performed throughout the year at celebrations including weddings and parades.

The performance was in conjunction with the opening of a new museum exhibit, “Year of the Tiger: Chinese Traditions in Sonoma County, 1890-2022,” about how traditions of Santa Rosa’s Chinatown, which disappeared in the 1940s, continue in the community today.

Tensions over homelessness in Sebastopol come to a head over planned safe parking program: City officials and homeless advocates within weeks aim to move 18 trailers and campers from a longstanding vehicle encampment on Morris Street near The Barlow shopping center to the private lot about a mile away at 845 Gravenstein Highway North.

“A lot of people just think it’s a done deal,” he said of the village. “And I wanted to let a lot of people know it’s still pending,” said Brett Palm.

Palm, who lives next door to the planned village and put up the sign, is part of a local neighborhood group suing to stop the project. Palm is worried about noise and safety — and in particular RV dwellers’ dogs harassing his animals.

‘A kind soul who worked hard and loved his music’: Remembering ‘O.G.’ the song and dance man with a smile for everyone: Columnist Kerry Benefield pay tribute to O.G., a man who spent his days dancing his heart out and spinning a sign advertising Canevari’s Delicatessen just up the street on Lewis Road.

He was the perfect ad man. If O.G. was spinning, you could not miss him. And you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

Some days he danced to music pumping through his headphones. Some days he danced to songs he belted out loud.

And then he was gone.

Sonoma County supervisors merge department handling real estate into transportation and public works: Facing the need to fill several high level vacancies across county departments, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is going forward with a trial merger of the General Services Department and the Department of Transportation and Public Works.

The department’s merger with Transportation and Public Works, which has a $180.1 million budget and 173 permanent employees, means one of the largest combined budgets and workforces across the county’s two dozen departments and agencies.

‘Not the deal I signed up for’: Critics blast new plan for California’s rooftop solar users: Hundreds of Californians are in fight mode over a proposal introduced in December that would gut the incentives — $180 a month or more for some individual users — that have helped persuade residents and business owners to install nearly 1.3 million rooftop solar systems over the past 15 years.

The plan, which is pending before the commission, would potentially upend the solar power trade and jeopardize progress toward California’s ambitious renewable energy goals, critics say.

Willits, admirers, celebrate the birthday of Edie Ceccarelli, 12th oldest living person: Edith “Edie” Ceccarelli on Saturday turned 114 years old. Scientists who study super-longevity say their research shows that if she isn’t the 12th oldest person on Earth, she’s close to it.

“Thank you,” the fastidiously groomed, classically lovely Ceccarelli said softly, who continues to believe that among the best things in life is a sip of red wine.

‘It’s just gotten out of hand’: Would unlimited hunting help to control invasive pig population: New California bill seeks to ease hunting for feral pigs wreaking havoc in Wine Country vineyards, suburbs.

Pigs set free 250 years ago by Spanish missionaries have proliferated and evolved in California, largely untouched by predators, into what some lawmakers, wildlife officials and farmers now say amounts to a growing menace to Wine Country vineyards and suburban yards.