A fire above Highway 12 climbed to 16.5 acres and then, to everyone's relief, stopped—which is roughly the level of drama we aspire to. Elsewhere this week: the Supervisors turn their attention to the valley, six modest emergencies on the roads, a full accounting of what buyers actually paid, and the vexed question of what a swimming pool is truly worth. We also count 28 wild sightings and reach back to 1886, on the theory that the past is at least reliably finished.
The Ledson fire: 16.5 acres above Highway 12, fully contained
A 16.5-acre fire at Highway 12 and North Pythian Road – the foot of Hood Mountain – is fully contained, CAL FIRE says.
Fire, weather & water — week of July 23, 2026
No weather alerts. No active Sonoma County fires. AQI 24. The week’s forecast, air, fire and ground report for Kenwood, Glen Ellen and Oakmont.
County watch — the valley before the Supervisors, week of July 22, 2026
What the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is taking up for Kenwood, Glen Ellen, Oakmont and the valley.
The Blotter — week of July 23, 2026
This week on the valley’s roads: 6 of the smaller emergencies.
What buyers paid — a year of recorded sales, to February 2026
Price per square foot, price by bedroom count, the market’s price-band mix, and what a pool is really worth – from every home sale recorded in Sonoma County over the past year.
Wild things: spotted in the valley this week — July 23
28 wild sightings logged across Sonoma Valley this week, from Annadel to Glen Ellen — in pictures.
This week in history: the valley in 1925, 1905 & 1886
The Sonoma Index-Tribune of 1925, 1905 & 1886, read and retold — arrests, harvests, and the social notes of the week.
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