Breaking News and Community Reporter

Anna Armstrong

Anna Armstrong is a breaking news and community reporter at The Press Democrat. She covers a wide range of topics, including crime and criminal justice, fire and weather, and even the occasional city council meeting. Prior to joining The Press Democrat, she served as a reporting intern at The Minnesota Star Tribune, covering business news in the Twin Cities. In college, she held a newsroom internship at The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Anna is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she studied legal studies and journalism and served as managing editor of The Daily Californian, the university's independent, student-run paper.

Lauren Valdovinos, 11, takes a closer look at a redwood tree which was blown apart by a lightning strike in the front yard of her family’s home in Sebastopol, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)

Second night of wind, rain knocks down trees, power lines and closes North Bay roads

December 26, 2025 at 7:49 a.m.

Downed powerlines, road closures and widespread power outages across Sonoma County disrupted Christmas morning plans for thousands of residents.

Zoe Rosenberg reads a statement during her sentencing hearing at Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

‘More determined than ever before’: Activist Zoe Rosenberg released from Sonoma County jail

December 26, 2025 at 5:51 a.m.

Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg was released from the Sonoma County jail Wednesday and will serve the rest of her felony sentence on house arrest, according to Berkeley-based Direct Action...

A boat makes its way along the marked lane through the center of Bodega Harbor, past Westside Regional Park, in Bodega Bay, California on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

Bay Area couple pleads guilty to illegally selling fish out of their home

December 24, 2025 at 9:42 a.m.

The husband-wife duo harvested and sold fish caught along the Northern and Central California coast dating as far back as 2014. They did not have licenses to operate as commercial...

Zoe Rosenberg reads a statement during her sentencing hearing at Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

Berkeley resident gets early release from jail in Sonoma County poultry case

December 23, 2025 at 9:42 a.m.

The Berkeley resident, who was sentenced Dec. 3 for a felony conspiracy conviction stemming from 2023 incursions at Petaluma Poultry, is being released early under California’s half-time credit for good...

A surfer suffered minor injuries after being bitten by a shark at North Salmon Creek on Friday Dec. 12, 2025. Bite marks were also found on the surfboard (Contributed by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office).

Surfer hospitalized following Sonoma Coast shark attack

December 24, 2025 at 7:24 a.m.

Authorities were called to North Salmon Creek Beach in Bodega Bay shortly after 9 a.m.

Petaluma resident and youth basketball coach William Bullard works with a young athlete. Bullard reported that his SUV was vandalized with racial slurs and hate symbols, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (William Bullard)

‘Enough is enough’: Former Harlem Globetrotter says his car was vandalized with racist slurs in Petaluma

December 13, 2025 at 12:03 p.m.

A local youth coach and former Harlem Globetrotter said his SUV was vandalized with racist slurs and hate symbols near his downtown Petaluma apartment, prompting a police investigation.

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Bay Area man arrested after undercover sting targeting alleged sex-for-‘auditions’ scheme

December 10, 2025 at 7:51 a.m.

A Santa Rosa man was arrested after investigators say he posed as a talent recruiter to solicit women for recorded sex acts and later arranged to meet what he believed...

Why Sonoma County is still a flashpoint for animal rights activists

December 10, 2025 at 8:04 a.m.

Sonoma County officials and local farms are facing renewed pressure from Direct Action Everywhere as new jail sentences, restitution orders and protests intensify a conflict now stretching into its seventh...

Santa Rosa police investigate the scene where Mark Calcagni, a 60-year-old Santa Rosa resident and manager of San Francisco’s Condor Club, was found fatally shot along Brookwood Avenue on Oct. 3, 2025. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)

Woman charged as accessory in Santa Rosa killing of Condor Club manager pleads no contest

December 5, 2025 at 10:13 a.m.

One of the two suspects charged in the killing of Mark Calcagni, the manager of San Francisco’s historic Condor Club outside his Santa Rosa home, pleaded no contest in a...

Zoe Rosenberg reads a statement during her sentencing hearing at Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

Activist sentenced to 90 days in Sonoma County farm break-in case

December 9, 2025 at 10:28 a.m.

The sentencing concludes a nearly two-year court battle over Zoe Rosenberg’s actions at Petaluma Poultry and the broader debate over DxE’s tactics in Sonoma County.