Local educators are casting a wary eye on the Obama administration’s recent offer to release states from some of the most stringent aspects of the federal No Child Left Behind law in exchange for taking on a new set of regulations. Obama’s Race to the Top initiative would make test scores a component of teacher and administrator evaluations, while imposing standards meant to better prepare students for college and careers.

Dozens of Rincon Valley residents turned out Tuesday to urge the Santa Rosa City Council not to allow a convenience store selling beer and wine to operate 24 hours in their neighborhood. The council ultimately agreed to scale back the convenience store hours to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., to the relief of many residents but the disappointment of others who wanted the Montecito Marketplace project blocked entirely.

The Windsor and Rincon Valley fire districts have joined forces to create Central Fire, a new administrative agency that will oversee both fire departments. The unified command structure is designed to save money following the retirement of longtime Windsor Chief Ron Collier, who will not be replaced.

California on Tuesday began releasing payroll data for an often-overlooked arm of local government — the hundreds of special districts that spend billions of dollars providing services ranging from fire protection to flood control. “Posting this information allows California residents to see where their public dollars are being spent and to better hold their local agencies accountable,” State Controller John Chiang said.

A continuing declining in property tax revenues is prompting the Windsor and Rincon Valley fire districts to discuss a merger. The two departments already share office headquarters, administrative functions and mutual response to many emergency calls. The toughest part may be coming up with a name, or a logo, for the new agency.