Good morning, Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa City Schools will launch its own special education program – leaving the county plan amid rising costs and a new funding formula.

The move, affecting about 2,600 students, is expected to net $600k instead of a $3.4M loss; Board President Nick Caston said the change addresses fiscal challenges.

At its Dec. 16 meeting, the Santa Rosa Junior College Board dismissed a classified employee and heard public calls to remove dance instructor Casandra Hillman.

The board also reviewed student basic needs data (60% face challenges and over 3,300 students were served last year).

Gabriel Albavera, former Elsie Allen principal, returned Friday to his old campus for the annual Battle of Roseland.

Now head of rival Roseland University Prep, he was warmly greeted during a 1-1 soccer match that left Elsie Allen with the trophy and stressed his goal of uniting southwest Santa Rosa.

The new Hearn Avenue overpass is now fully open in south Santa Rosa for the holiday season + it replaces a 70-year-old bridge with a modern four-lane span that eases traffic and provides protected bike lanes and pedestrian paths to the SMART trail.

A new study shows that median home insurance premiums in Sonoma County increased nearly 40% over the past decade with high-risk areas paying about $6,400 a year.

Regulators now use climate modeling to set rates — and advocates warn prices will keep rising.