The Napa Valley College holds auditions for “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” a touring production, Jan. 22 and 23 at 5 p.m. in the college theater. Ages 14-70 are encouraged to audition.

Dreamweavers Theatre will present more plays in its 2007 season, but with shorter runs.

Upcoming events at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus:

Students from Napa, Yountville, Glen Ellen, St. Helena and American Canyon will compete Saturday in the first competition round of Idol NV at the Napa Valley Opera House.

Ashland, Ore. — Bill Rauch, who takes over as artistic director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in June 2007, recently outlined his vision for the organization and the changes he will implement at the end of the 2007 season.

LONDON -- A British watchdog agency criticized Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana on Wednesday for ads that showed models aggressively brandishing knives.

Eight courageous teenagers from Napa County filled the Napa Valley Opera House with music Saturday night as they vied for the title of “Idol NV.”

LOS ANGELES — “American Idol” knows that bad can be good, but not always.

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, N.J. — Brooke Samad’s contribution to high fashion may not be as well-known as Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap dress or a Vera Wang wedding gown.

The Napa County Hispanic Network presents its annual Lifetime Achievement and Friends of the Network Awards Tuesday evening at the Opera House

More than 60 St. Apollinaris students  in fifth through eighth grades recently participated in National Geographic’s Annual Geography Bee.

Every day, passersby stop to stare at the unusual cattle at Stewart Ranch in Napa.

Education

The Oxbow Public Market, scheduled to open in the fall of 2007 in Napa’s burgeoning Oxbow District, has announced the addition of the Model Bakery, which will bake fresh artisan breads on the premises, along with morning pastries, sandwiches/panini, pizza, prepared foods and coffee drinks.

Mohammed Daftari could be an ambassador for pomegranates.

Although Mohammed Daftari can recall the time when he had to search through the East Bay looking for pomegranates, the fruit is now turning up everywhere from salads to martinis, and now has a book of its own, “Pomegranates,” by Ann Kleinberg (Tenspeed Press).

Each Tuesday The Register reviews an area restaurant, with an emphasis on establishments where a couple can dine for $30 or less. Reader suggestions are welcomed.

Texture can make a world of difference when it comes to making low-fat food appealing.

I recently had the chance to visit Porto in Portugal for the second time, as well as Jerez in Spain for the first.

To brighten our drab winter days, Mother Nature sent us brightly colored, juicy fruits called citrus. Those luscious round orbs of yellow, orange and green are reaching their peak for picking.

For The Associated Press

Americans weary of costly commutes and eager to live near essential services are increasingly interested in mixed-use developments, according to the American Institute of Architects.

We thought we'd share some of our best tips to help ring in your new year, home improvement-wise. We hope you find these tidbits as useful as we do.

NEW MARKET, Va. -- Residential lawns that need mowing in Virginia well into December. Plum trees blooming in the heart of Boston around Christmas. Michigan lakes still free of ice in January. Topsoil not yet frozen in central Maine.

One of the gardener's greatest delights is savoring homegrown fruit. There is no comparison between fruit bought at the market and fruit picked fresh from the gardener's own tree. Imagine biting into a warm, fragrant peach, the sweet juice bursting in your mouth and so abundant that it drips.

The Register is compiling a story about Napa Valley residents who've had rats, mice, raccoons, squirrels and other wild invaders in their homes. If you'd like to share your tale, please e-mail it to Sasha Paulsen, features editor, at spaulsen@napanews.com or send it to her care of the Napa Valley Register, P.O. Box 150, Napa, CA 94559. Submissions should be less than 250 words./Register

Copia's Director of Gardens Colby Eierman and Head Gardener Geoff Palla will hold a workshop on winter pruning 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 21. They'll be pouring hot mulled wine for participants to sip as they they review the fine points of pruning in the winter for health and vigor.

Bill Griffiths and Melanie Rashbaum, both of Orlando, Fla., were married on Nov. 11 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Walt and Joan (McMullen) Jinks of Napa celebrated 50 years of marriage Dec. 16. The first part of December, they were accompanied by friends on a Mexican Riviera cruise. On Dec. 16, they had a family dinner party at Don Giovanni's.

Courtney McGraw of Napa and Jourdan Carter of Vallejo announced their engagement with a wedding planned for May 12 at Napa Elks Lodge. Courtney is the daughter of Don and Kris McGraw of Napa and the granddaughter of Paul Miller and the late Marge Miller of Napa and Ron McGraw and the late Janet McGraw of Vacaville.

Emily Marie Thomson and Zachary Austin Dollar have announced their engagement with plans to marry in Boston in fall 2008. The romantic proposal took place at the Boston Common in Boston, Mass., on Dec. 27. They live in Santa Barbara.

Robyn Elizabeth Stanley and Michael James Mathison, both of Napa, were married in the late afternoon of Sept. 30 at St. Helena Catholic Church. The bride wore her grandmother's diamonds and was walked down the aisle by her brother, Ian Stanley. Her cousin, Lisa Fryer, served as the vocalist. At the beginning of the reception, which was held at a private vineyard estate, a tasting of the first vintage that the bride and groom made together was served.

Kelly Kent and Abraham Rodriguez, both of Napa, announce their engagement to be married.

Joseph Anthony Schmitz and Sara Dawn Kvidahl were married the evening of June 24, 2006, at St. Helena Catholic Church.

CARR-WHITE -- Joseph Carr, Lucina Street, 75, American Canyon, to Magdelene White, 74, Lucina Street, American Canyon.

St. Helena Hospital