Mold Remediation in Santa Rosa, CA

SUGGESTED COVERAGE: Unclaimed $197 million lottery ticket expires Saturday

Check your tickets! One lucky winner is about to miss their chance at a fortune as an unclaimed $197 million lottery ticket is set to expire Saturday.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Feeling lucky?

For Nora Hammersteadt, it was just another day as she drove home from work when she decided to stop at a liquor store in Anaheim to buy a few California Lottery tickets.

"I’ve won a few thousand dollars playing before, but nothing like this," Hammersteadt shared with the California Lottery. "It was a shocker."

Hammersteadt bought a Royal Riches Scratcher from Anaheim Liquor and ended up winning the top prize of $10 million.

"I was thinking ‘this can’t be real, I must be dreaming!’ I’m going to pinch myself and wake up one of these days," Hammersteadt said.

She was so lucky she won $100 on another game she bought, lottery officials said.

Hammersteadt said she gets to retire two years earlier than planned thanks to her winnings.

Anaheim Liquor also received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

But Hammersteadt wasn't the only lucky one to strike big.

Here's where the other new millionaires got their tickets.

Santa Rosa

Jose Reyes Ayala also hit it rich on a $10 Instant Prize Crossword. His $2 million-winning game was sold at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa, which is also receiving a $10,000 bonus.

Fresno

Ogonna Onyeje spent $20 on an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers game and hit the top jackpot of $2 million.

Onyete purchased the lucky ticket at Shop-N-Go in Fresno.

"I play regularly, and I just stumbled upon a lucky one," Onyeje told the California Lottery. "From time to time, you hear of someone winning big, and I kept believing it would be my time someday. It finally happened!"

The Shop-N-Go also earned a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Oxnard

Blandina Carranza won the $1 million top prize on a Power 10’s Scratchers bought at Bard Market.

Stanton

Marilu Munoz Valazquez has an extra $2 million after winning the top prize on a Multiplier Craze Scratchers from the Marathon gas station in Stanton.

The Source: This story was reported by KTVU's sister station, FOX LA, with information from the California Lottery.

The first Bay Area outpost of celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurants will open Thursday, Dec. 12, in American Canyon in Napa County.

The 2,800-square-foot, 42-seat fast-casual restaurant is part of an exclusive 10-restaurant deal with Santa Rosa-based Chandi Hospitality Group to open the popular chicken tender restaurants across the San Francisco Bay Area and in Sacramento.

“We are immensely proud to open our first Chicken Guy! location, marking the beginning of our 10-unit partnership with this exciting, growing brand,” said Sonu Chandi, owner of Chandi Hospitality Group. “Chicken Guy! offers a flavor-packed dining experience that we know will resonate with Napa County locals and visitors alike, and we are confident it will quickly become a community staple as we expand the brand throughout Northern California.”

The chicken-centric menu — created by founders Fieri and Robert Earl, the CEO of Planet Hollywood — centers around battered and brined fried chicken tenders that are pressure-cooked and served with a selection of 10 sauces, including Fieri’s famous Donkey Sauce as well as bourbon brown sugar barbecue, buttermilk ranch, garlic Parmesan and Nashville hot honey sauce.

Sandwiches will include the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ with grilled or fried chicken tenders, pepper jack cheese, special sauce, slaw, pickles and barbecue kettle chips all stuffed under a bun; the Buffalo Mac ‘N’ Cheese with tenders, smoked bacon, buffalo mac and cheese and garlic Parmesan sauce; and the Pepperoni Chicken Parm.

The restaurant also features hand-spun shakes, loaded fries, pickle chips and fried chicken dumplings with smoked bacon drizzled with Donkey Sauce.

Chandi Hospitality Group currently owns seven Mountain Mike’s Pizza restaurants and oversees an additional 12 locations throughout Northern California. The group also owns Beer Baron Bar & Kitchen in downtown Santa Rosa, where it previously operated several additional restaurants, including Bollywood Bar & Clay Oven, which closed in 2020.

The first Chicken Guy! opened in 2018 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The chain now has additional locations in Florida, as well as in New York City, Atlantic City and at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. There is also a Chicken Guy! at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, but that location is not considered a full restaurant since it has a limited menu and no kitchen.

The new Chicken Guy! restaurant at 200 American Canyon Road will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. chickenguy.com

Stay tuned for more details on additional Chicken Guy! locations in the Bay Area.

You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.

Just 9 minutes ago, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA. The tremor was recorded in the morning on Thursday, December 5th, 2024, at 10:47 am local time, at a very shallow depth of 0.6 miles below the surface.The event was filed by the United States Geological Survey, the first seismological agency to report it.A second report was later issued by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), which listed it as a magnitude 5.8 earthquake as well.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage. Moderate shaking probably occurred in Cloverdale (pop. 8,800) located 11 miles from the epicenter, Clearlake (pop. 15,200) 13 miles away, and Windsor (pop. 27,500) 21 miles away.In Santa Rosa (pop. 175,000) located 29 miles from the epicenter, Ukiah (pop. 15,900) 29 miles away, Rohnert Park (pop. 42,400) 36 miles away, Petaluma (pop. 60,400) 44 miles away, and Napa (pop. 80,400) 48 miles away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Weak shaking might have been felt in San Francisco (pop. 864,800) located 77 miles from the epicenter.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

If you felt it, report it through our site or app right now!

Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic alerts online:Android | IOS

Earthquake data:

I felt this quake

Date & time: Dec 5, 2024 10:47 am (Los Angeles time) local time (5 Dec 2024 18:47 GMT)Magnitude: 5.8Depth: 1.0 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 38.84°N / 122.83°W (Sonoma, California, United States)Primary data source: USGS

More info

Thu, 5 Dec 2024, 18:52

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred in the morning on Thursday, December 5th, 2024, at 11:45 am local time near Milford, Beaver County, Utah, USA, as reported by the United States Geological Survey. ... Read all

Thu, 5 Dec 2024, 18:49

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Eureka, Humboldt County, California, USA, was reported only 4 minutes ago by the United States Geological Survey, considered the key international and national agency that monitors seismic activity in the US. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 5.6 miles beneath the epicenter in the morning on Thursday, December 5th, 2024, at 10:44 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. ... Read all

Show more

APPLETON, Wis. (November 13, 2024) – Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) business, is pleased to announce the Santa Rosa Fire Department, serving the city of Santa Rosa, California, has placed an order for a custom-built Pierce Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Tiller Aerial Ladder. This new addition, purchased through Pierce dealer Golden State Fire Apparatus, reinforces the department’s ongoing commitment to providing exceptional fire protection for its community of nearly 200,000 residents. Santa Rosa Fire Department’s long-standing relationship with Pierce and Golden State Fire Apparatus began in 2016 and has included the purchase of three tillers, among other Pierce fire apparatus, with seven additional units currently on order.

“We’ve been extremely satisfied with the quality and performance of Pierce fire apparatus, and this order reflects our trust in their equipment and our confidence in the team at Golden State Fire Apparatus,” said Gunnar Dean, Fire Captain at the Santa Rosa Fire Department. “The Ascendant Tiller provides unmatched maneuverability and reach, which are critical for accessing high-density residential and commercial properties throughout downtown Santa Rosa, an area that has seen rapid growth and development.”

The Santa Rosa Fire Department currently operates ten stations and provides protection for a broader area of over 200,000 people through various mutual aid agreements. The addition of the Ascendant 107’ Heavy-Duty Tiller Aerial Ladder comes as part of the city’s ongoing fleet modernization plan, aimed at enhancing its ability to respond to the increasing volume and complexity of emergency calls. The department ran over 34,000 calls in 2023, and this year is on pace to exceed 35,000.

“This tiller fire apparatus is a game-changer for our operations,” added Captain Dean. “It will be stationed at Fire Station 1 in downtown Santa Rosa—the busiest station in the region. Its advanced features are designed to navigate tight urban streets, provide exceptional ladder reach for high-density developments, and house a full complement of tools and equipment for fire suppression and rescue operations. We are grateful to the Santa Rosa City Fleet Services department and the Santa Rosa City Council for approving the purchase of this much needed fire apparatus.”

The Santa Rosa Fire Department’s new Ascendant 107’ Heavy-Duty Tiller Aerial Ladder includes:

The truck’s design reflects the Santa Rosa Fire Department’s specific operational requirements, allowing crews to confidently address the city’s diverse emergency needs while adapting to new development patterns. With the department’s recent funding approval for additional stations and units, the Pierce Ascendant Tiller will further enhance the department’s capacity to protect life and property in the growing community.

“The Santa Rosa Fire Department has been a valued partner for many years,” said Ryan Wright, President and Owner of Golden State Fire Apparatus. “This order, which builds upon our existing relationship, is a testament to the quality of Pierce products and our commitment to supporting the department’s evolving needs.”

For more information on Pierce's Ascendant aerial ladders and other innovative fire apparatus, visit www.piercemfg.com for specs, videos, and images.

Sonoma County’s Community First Credit Union and Vocality Community Credit Union say the merger is intended to cut costs and expand their reach.

THE NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

November 7, 2024

1 minute read

Community First Credit Union announced Wednesday it intends to join forces with Garberville-based Vocality Community Credit Union in a merger valued at $965 million.

Under one name, the Santa Rosa-based credit union will fold in the member-based cooperative. Vocality is named after the Northern California county’s “vocal” culture filled with activism, President and CEO Patricia Neighbors explained.

It brings with it $145 million in assets, two locations in Garberville and Ukiah, along with more than 9,000 members spanning Humboldt, Lake, Trinity, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The two financial institutions will blend their branches, bringing the total to 12.

All 32 Vocality employees will be absorbed into the Community First organization, the credit unions’ management noted. This includes Neighbors. She will take on the role of chief strategy officer.

“In today’s marketplace, the cost of trying to reduce expenses is a big deal,” Neighbors told the Business Journal. “The membership has been struggling since COVID.”

The credit union chief points out Vocality is about a sixth of the size of Community First, which has 60,000 members and $818 million in assets.

Neighbors said Vocality, founded in 1980, has cut back on some products, curtailing mortgage lending that Community First provides.

“We’re very excited about this merger. Now, our members get more choices,” she said. “It was important we found a partner we’d think we’d like, one that goes along with our cooperative spirit. They’re community minded too.”

Neighbors also commended Community First Credit Union’s digital platform and the employee benefits her staff will have access to.

Scott Johnson, president and CEO of Community First Credit Union, shared Neighbors’ enthusiasm.

“With this merger, we’re bringing together our strengths to build a more robust financial partner for our members and local communities,” Johnson said in a statement.

The merger, which is expected to close next year, is contingent on approvals by the National Credit Union Administration and the California Department of Finance, according to Community First.

Spokesperson Andy Dickhut said Community First Credit Union is looking forward to geographically extending its reach into the farther corners of Northern California. It will add members from Humboldt and Trinity counties.

Founded in 1959, Community First Credit Union seeks to also gain a greater presence into the cannabis market, since Humboldt County represents Ground Zero of the industry’s roots.

“This is a new opportunity for us,” Dickhut said. “Now, we’ll serve seven different counties.”