Rents are up; vacancies down. So how should the resulting homeless camps in Sonoma County be managed?

With rents rising and vacancy rates at historic lows, homeless encampments are growing in many areas of Sonoma County. One consequence has been increased pollution in local waterways. Another may be more controlled placements for the camps.

There was a showing of the documentary “Tent City” and a discussion of the Realities of Homelessness in Sonoma County at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa. We have details about this, and the community meetings next week, posted at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

California's public universities have a new plan for tracking the spread of climate change.

Scientists at UC Santa Cruz are creating a “statewide climate change observatory” for researchers to track the impacts of global warming through a network of preserved lands. KRCB reporter Danielle Venton has more.

For more news online visit the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Sonoma County’s scenic back roads need protection and some maintenance - but not improvements.

The rural two-lane roads that wind through Sonoma County’s landscapes are a resource worth protecting. Designating them “heritage roads” is one way to do that.

See pictures of some of these roads on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Providing better treatment choices for serial inebriates could save Sonoma County big money.

Frequent substance abusers are costing Sonoma County millions of dollars every year. So a coalition of service providers is examining alternatives to get better results through alternative programs.

Hear more about San Diego’s serial inebriates program on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Wine makers are joining forces to raise money for Santa Rosa Junior College scholarships.

Tourism is booming in Sonoma County - annually visitors spend more than a billion dollars in restaurants and at hotels and wineries. That means good job prospects for hundreds of local students. Yesterday SRJC held its first “Wine Classic” – an event to raise scholarship money for local food and wine programs. KRCB’s Danielle Venton was on hand to hear the buzz.

See pictures from the first annual SRJC Wine Classic by going to our webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

New FCC support for net neutrality is good news for consumers fed up with manipulative moves by telecom giants.

In an industry dominated by a very few big corporations, the FCC’s new move to support net neutrality may restore some balance, and reflects widespread public demand that their interests be protected.

We have more on this story on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

California has launched an ambitious new experiment to study where our rain comes from and what makes it fall.

You may have heard the news … there’s a STORM coming this week. That means that government scientists will be in the air and on the sea, in a bit to understand how exactly California receives its annual rainfall. KRCB science reporter Danielle Venton has more.

You can find this and other news stories on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

A climate change march in the rain? It’s heading for Oakland Saturday, with Sonoma County folks included.

Thousands of people from all over California are preparing to converge in Oakland Saturday to show their support for more aggressive measures to combat global warming. And Sonoma County will be well represented among them.

The buses are full, but carpools are still being organized online. We have the links you need for that on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Your facial features hold clues to your personality. Now there’s an app to reveal them.

Even more than your handwriting, the geometry of your facial features can reveal aspects of your personality. A Santa Rosa start-up is digitizing that analysis, for fun and profit.

Check it all out on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.

Environmental groups are suing to block the state’s bid for a free hand in pesticide use.

A sweeping plan to give the California Department of Food Agriculture free rein in applying pesticides statewide is being contested by a broad coalition of food and environmental groups. They contend it violates the state’s Environmental Quality Act.

We have more on this story, including links to the actual documents, on the North Bay Report webpage at radio.krcb.org/news. You can comment, share and like us there. Follow the North Bay Report on Twitter @KRCBNews.