The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency halt to new vineyards and orchards on forested slopes and hilltops. The four-month freeze was prompted by a wave of new vineyard projects and a need to update 12-year-old farming regulations that don’t deal with tree removal. What, if any, changes would you like to see?

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday formally dissolved its redevelopment agency to meet a state-ordered shutdown effective today. The deadline affects about 400 redevelopment agencies statewide. “This is a very, very sad day,” Supervisor Shirlee Zane, chairwoman of the board, said before the vote.

More people are coming to the realization that marijuana growing is no longer something that concerns remote areas of Mendocino County. It’s something that has moved into the neighborhoods. And it’s not going away.

Sonoma County officials are set to take their first formal step this week in a bid to assume operation of Annadel State Park. The move is meant to avoid the planned closure of the popular Santa Rosa destination, one of five state parks in the county slated to be shuttered July 1 as part of the state’s budget-cutting efforts. “There’s tremendous support in the community for us to keep this park open and operate it,” county Supervisor Shirlee Zane said.

Sonoma County officials announced Wednesday an agreement with a Southern California renewable energy company to provide clean power for seven county buildings, part of a push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tap greener electricity sources for county operations.

Sonoma County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously endorsed an $84 million project to expand Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport to enable more daily commercial flights.

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane this morning took over as chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, receiving the gavel from Supervisor Efren Carrillo. She called 2011 the most challenging year of her life.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District on Thursday revealed that its initial 37-mile route will be extended 1½ miles north to a station on Guerneville Road in northwest Santa Rosa, as well as a station in Novato. Meanwhile, SMART said that critics must gather 39,000 signatures to place a measure on the ballot to overturn its funding – a threshold that RepealSMART organizers say will be difficult to clear.

On Monday, a proposal to lift the Petaluma’s 4-year-old ban on marijuana dispensaries stalled in a 3-3 deadlock. Mayor David Glass said he might have supported the proposal three months ago, but the recent federal crackdown has tempered his views on medical marijuana. “I just don’t think at this time, in this environment, it’s the right thing to do because of the risks that are there,” he said. Do you agree with the council’s decision?

Agencies across Sonoma County were scrambling Tuesday to determine the impact of the $1 billion in statewide cuts Gov. Jerry Brown announced as part of his latest bid to balance the state’s budget. The range of public services affected includes programs for the ailing and developmentally disabled, fees charged to the county for housing violent juvenile offenders and support for higher education.