This Week's Rohnert Park Headlines

Did you miss a headline this week? Glad you clicked on our Week in Review. Here's a brief roundup on the top stories you may have missed.

Monday, we debuted with a story on a new sign proposed to replace the Spreckels sign. The media company who's in charge of managing the new sign, a Petaluma-based group called N2 Media, is working with the city on developing the final touches. The sign will stand 50 feet high, 12 feet higher than the electronic billboard that's currently there. .

Don't miss our "state of the schools" report here — it's an overview of where the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District stands in their current budget crisis, and how the district got there. Twenty-eight teachers got pink slips last week, classrooms are getting larger, and somehow the district needs to cut $5 million. . Read the from the previous week, about the pink slips.

A handful of parents, teachers and board members are pushing for more access and openness at the school board meetings. Trustees say they're working towards archiving school board meetings online, for anyone who's interested in listening in, who might not have been able to make it. But some want the meetings held at City Hall so they can be streamed live on TV or online. .

Don't miss on the efforts made by a group of Sonoma State students who are fundraising for disaster victims in Japan. The group has raised about $2,000 so far, and they're pushing for $10,000.

Remember the we ran a while back about Sonoma County Roller Derby? Well, Rohnert Park has a new derby team. .

Rohnert Park and Cotati residents can expect freight trains to start rolling through town as soon as April, rail authorities said this week. , and check out the environmental review.