Capt. Steve Baxman has been saving lives and fighting fires on the Russian River for the past 45 years. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)

Monte Rio Fire Captain Steve Baxman Has Seen It All

Steve Baxman makes friends the hard way. “I still have people stop me on the street and thank me for something I’ve done,” he says. As a member of the Monte Rio volunteer fire department for the past 45 years, Baxman has rescued so many people he can’t remember them all. “But I’ll say, ‘Give me […]
Photo by Kent Porter

Our Hero of the Valley Fire

Profile on Press Democrat Photographer Kent Porter When the New York Times used the word “heroic” to describe The Press Democrat’s coverage of the Valley fire in Lake County, it was talking in large part about photographer Kent Porter. The Santa Rosa newspaper’s master of disaster photography for 28 years, Porter has covered floods, mudslides, […]