Car thefts on the rise in Rohnert Park; pandemic may be a catalyst
Pezzola, Samantha
4
Yes
Car thefts are on the rise in California, especially in Rohnert Park. , Issue has been on the rise during 2020 and it is still on the rise in the U.S., Car thieves may steal cars if drivers are leaving their keys inside their cars, especially if the key is visible to the thief., 6% rise in carjacking has increased from the previous years. , Been a quick turnaround in car thefts, with according to the California Highway Patrol, individuals were able to retrieve 86.9% recovery rate., There are several key steps to mitigate car thefts: always have your keys on your person, keep keys within your reach only when with acquaintances, take keys out of your car and lock it.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Santa Rosa ranked 10th happiest city in America despite ongoing social difficulties
Barkey, Isabelle
5
Yes
March 8, 2021, Wallethub, a personal finance website based in Washington D.C., posted an in-depth report on the happiest cities in America., Santa Rosa was ranked 10th happiest city in the country. San Jose ranked at 5th. Fremont ranked as 1st., Each city was based on 31 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to the income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day., Each city ranked under 3 subjects: Emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment., In the survey, there are 182 cities listed. The ranking of Santa Rosa being listed as 10th as been viewed as controversial.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Students Spotlight of the Week: Women in art
Carroll, Cheyanne
6
Yes
SSU students working on empowerment and focus on men for Women's History Month. , Various SSU students from the music and dance departments to talk about their projects. , Fourth year dance student Estefania Gutierrez started teaching a heels dance class recently to empower women and the LGBTQ community in their bodies and identities., Jasmine Kailulani Lee, a hip hop dancer at Sonoma State, talked about an embodied research project called 'CODE EM-Revisited: Reimaging Realities Through Embodied Exploration' that she and 3 other womxn students and faculty member Farrah McAdam., Another student, Madeline Hansen, a student who plays the alto saxophone in the Women's Jazz Ensemble, is working on "Melba's Blues" by Melba Liston and, "In the Land of Oo Bla Dee" by Mary Lou Williams., Jennifer Silvera, a student working on the podcast, "Project Pauline", along with student Abbi Samuels. , Kristina Ibarra, an SSU Student plays the ghost of Pauline Viardot in the project. The project, the Sonoma State Opera Scenes class that is celebrating the life and work of Pauline Viardot on the 200th anniversary of her birthday.
2020
Sonoma State Star
'Quetzal' inspires Sonoma State through music
Insua, Nancy
6
Yes
Grammy award winning band 'Quetzal' was a guest in the The Green Room at the Green Music Center., Quetzal's performance of songs are from their album Puentes Sonoros. The bands blend of social activism and art can be heard in the strength and artistry of their music., The digital livestream of the bands performance was hosted by Jacob Yarrow, Executive Director of the Green Music Center., The livestream also offered conversations on the bands origins in activism focusing on a range of topics affecting society.
2020
Sonoma State Star
SSU celebrates Women's History Month
Blair, Julia
7
Yes
SSU celebrated Women's History Month in March, a time that celebrates women and their contributions to American history and society over time in a range of areas., According to The National Women's History Museum, the month originally began as Women's History Week, the holiday fought for more recognition and declared March as Women's History Month in 1987., Every year, the organization choose a theme. This year, the theme is, "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.", The celebration is being done virtually this year, with various virtual space being opened for students., Events include, the Umoja Queens, the University's mentorship group for students who identify as Black Womxn within the Pan Afrcian Diaspora. Another event is the, Women of Color Collective, with guest speaker Dr. Eric Tom, writer and teacher., CAPAS (Counseling and Psychological Services) at Sonoma State will also hold a virtual discussion event on various conversation topics.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Take a trip with virtual wine tasting
Rowell, Mary Helen
7
Yes
Sonoma County's most popular wineries have begun offering virtual wine tasting events., Sonoma County wineries like Buena Vista, Alexander Valley, Adobe Road, and Hoopes have been hosting a range of private virtual wine tasting for almost a year now., Many of these local wineries offer a variety of packages customers can purchase and customize to their liking. , These virtual experiences have moved away from traditional wine tasting, to include more interactive and including experiences for participants., Reactions to the virtual tastings have been greatly positive.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Festivals announce 2021 dates
Alvarado, Jayline
7
Yes
The Life if Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas has announced their lineup including Billie Eillish, Green Day, Tame Impala, and ASAP Rocky as some of their headliners., The festival goes from Sept 17th to the 19th, with tickets already sold out and single day tickets to be released soon., Napa's BottleRock is scheduled for Sept 3rd to the 5th, but currently has no announced lineup., Miami's Ultra Festival, has an announced lineup, but has been rescheduled to 2022., EDC Festival in Las Vegas will make a return this year in 2021.
2020
Sonoma State hosts virtual grad fair
Smith, Matthew
8
Yes
Sonoma State held a virtual grad fair on March 10th and 11th for all students that will be graduating at the end of the Spring semester., The grad fair is usually in person, but since the pandemic, this year the grad fair had to be held virtually., This grad fair is more informative and will not include photo opportunities. , Sonoma State will have a commencement ceremony for the graduates of the Class of 2020, with a hybrid drive-thru and a virtual commencement ceremony on campus the weekend of May 15-16, 2021.
2020
Redwood Forest Foundation hosts biochar event
Philpott, Noah
8
Yes
The Redwood Forest Foundation hosted an informational Zoom meeting introducing a series called, "Dig Into Nature: Biomass to Biochar"., The series discussed the characteristics of creating biochar, which is charcoal produced from plant matter and stores in the soil as a means of removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere., This type of charcoal provides specific benefits to our forests, soil, and our climate. Biochar is rich in carbon, and helps to enrich soil for thousands., Since 2010, the Sonoma State Ecology Center has been exploring the use of biochar through a series of fuel trials and education activities., The goal of this is not to encourage more open burning, but to take an existing practice and make it less polluting.
2020
Mono tribe shares cultural knowledge of fire at Zoom event
Breen, Kaitlin
8
Yes
Native American Studies Department kicked off new lecture series, called Fire on the Land and in Our Live. , Starting off the lecture series, Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono tribe, Ron Goode, presented "The Heritage, Perspectives, and Practices of the North Fork Mono Tribe.", Event opened with a land acknowledgement led by Amal Munayer, who is an advisor for the Educational Opportunity Program at SSU. , Discussions of an abundance of topics in relation to the North Fork Mono Tribe, focusing highly on cultural burning practices as part of land management, and tribal culture.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Virtual Club Fest allows students to find ways to connect during the pandemic
Morales, Caroline
9
Yes
Virtual Club Fest from March 9th to the 11th, showcases the exploration of various ways to get involved with SSU online and offline., The Virtual Club Fest hosted nearly 20 SSU clubs. The Club Fest is beneficial for students who are looking to get involved or make new connections., Being involved in campus whether or not online or offline is a great way for students to gain valuable leadership skills that they can bring with them into the future and friendships.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Seawolves SPEAK! "What new hobbies have you picked up during the pandemic?"
Meyers, Pamela
9
Yes
COVID has forced us to adjust to a new way of life, where masks are mandatory and in-person communication has turned into video chatting. , Everyone has been abruptly pushed out of their normal routine; forced to find new hobbies, new ways to keep busy, and new ways to keep in touch with friends and family., Students at Sonoma State have had to leave our gorgeous campus and adapt to using Zoom for virtual learning and discussion with classmates. , We have reached out to the student body and asked them what they have been doing to keep busy and if they have picked up any new hobbies since the pandemic started, and here's what they have to say.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Bide promises all adults eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine by May
Adams, Callie
10
Yes
In President Biden's first prime-time television address last Thursday, declared for all American adults to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 this year. , As of last Friday, the United States has administered over 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations, and 35 million American adults have been fully vaccinated., As of last Wednesday, in Sonoma County, 167,930 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been administered, with 50,889 citizens fully vaccinated, according to SoCo Emergency.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Sonoma County still struggling to contain COVID-19
Alvarado, Emily
10
Yes
Sonoma County is one of two counties in the Bay Area remaining in the most sever tier of California's COVID-19 case tracking system, the purple tier. , California's tier system is color-coded with the most severe being purple, or widespread, meaning that most non-essential businesses are not open indoors., The tier system is purple, red, orange, and yellow.
2020
Sonoma State Star
CDC released new guidelines for vaccinated individuals
Fabbri, Casey
11
Yes
CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) released a new set of recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals moving forward into the pandemic., CDC says that the US is still at high-risk of contracting the virus with only 9.2% of the nation is currently vaccinated. , The United States has currently a shortage of vaccines, with Sonoma County struggling to meet the needs of the community., CDC's latest press release gave hope for vaccinated individuals.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Understanding the differences between the three approved COVID-19 vaccines in America
Adams, Callie
11
Yes
Three different vaccines have currently been approved against the COVID-19 disease during the pandemic., Over 150 other varieties of the COVID-19 vaccine remain in development. , Three have advanced to clinical trials are two mRNA and one viral vector vaccine, from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson companies., Each vaccine has a different percentage of efficacy against the COVID-19 virus. Pfizer's vaccine has shown to be 95% effective after both doses have been administered., The Modern vaccine is considered to be 94.1% effective against the virus after both doses. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine which has only one dose, is considered to be between 66 to 85% effective against moderate to severe cases., Officials warn that the vaccine trials were conducted at different times and were each limited in their trials.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Quetzal performs for the Green Music Center
Sonoma STAR Staff
12
Yes
Quetzal performed at the Tropico Union Studio in Los Angeles on March 11th, 2021. , Martha Gonzales, leader vocalist for Quetzal, performed live in Los Angeles. , In their performance live in Los Angeles, they streamed the performance to the Green Music Center.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Local eateries fight through pandemic
Sonoma STAR Staff
12
Yes
Cafe Mimosa in Rohnert Park has remained open for the majority of the pandemic. , Customers wear masks so they can visit the Redwood Cafe, a local favorite. , Bud's Custom Mats in Penngrove has also remained open for pickup throughout 2020 and 2021., DoorDash has gained many new opportunities due to the pandemic.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Stevenson Hall renovations delayed until Spring 2023
Lepori, Willy
1,4
Yes
Complications in scheduling led to the delay for renovating Stevenson Hall, which was expected to be done fall 2022., Stevenson Hall has been a landmark for SSU, it was built in 1967. , Recent wildfires and the pandemic in Sonoma County are the issues for blame for the delay, and the overall complexity in the plans which was underestimated also contributed to the delay of the renovations.
2020
Sonoma State Star
Stimulus checks arrive; students are included
McKibbin, Quinn
1,4
Yes
American's making under $120,000 per year have begun receiving their their third rounds of stimulus checks or are slated to receive them shortly after months of onerous deliberations from Congress. , Most stimulus checks should have been distributed countrywide to over 130 million Americans by March 17. , On March 27, 2020 federal lawmakers issued a stimulus economic of $2 trillion. The package will be putting checks of up to $1,200 per person direct into the bank accounts and pockets of many American countrywide in desperate needs of an economic boost., Single adults making under $75,000 per year will receive a check for $1,200. If you're married and filed jointly with your partner, you'll receive a check for $2,400 on it.
