Opinion

I cannot deny that the last several months have been a bit special for the small traveling public of which I was a member. Empty airports, reminiscent of the Tom Hanks movie, four seats per person in coach class and check-in desks where you...

If I thought that it happened to be just the occasion and just the right type of youthful Big Sur denizens (that’s where the bulk of them were from) that made Buddy such a hit, I was dispelled of that thought when we moved...

You know I have had a few folks ask me why I live in Gonzales. Let’s see… it couldn’t be the night life. Oh sure, we have mariachi bands trying to get the snare drum to match the bass they play so well. Have...

The end of life is a funny old time, isn’t it. Not that we really know when that is. But, as your muzzle gets greyer and your eyes a tad more cloudy, there becomes a time when you can no longer be considered “middle...

To the Editor: On Cesar Chavez Day, March 31, during National Farmworker Awareness Week, I pause to appreciate his commitment and historical accomplishments. Meanwhile, many questions remain.  Why are there no mandates regarding public notification of intent to use toxic pesticides, fungicides and fumigants? Why can’t...

In a rare case of a column running too long, I offer this story as a two-parter… One day I came home from school, it was 1964 and I was in the sixth grade in Greenfield Elementary School, and my father handed me a book...

I want to write today to speak to you about what I have been thinking as this old world of ours starts spinning out of control. We can all hold hands and pray, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but let’s try to trust...

He became quite the character of sorts, a fixture on the rather rough and tumble Nestles Road in Soledad, surrounded by rough ground and abandoned buildings. If you happened to pass by during the latter part of an afternoon, you might see him sitting...

To the Editor: Last week’s paper contained a letter detailing one way in which government agencies have failed (“No Happy Ending for Bridge Plaque,” March 23). I’d like to share a story that balances that experience with this letter about how they are succeeding. Last Thursday...

By my reckoning 140 years, give or take, of my family’s timeline was spent in prisons; the years accumulated by my parents, a brother and his wife, a niece and myself. And it seems the family occupation within the California Department of Corrections (CDC;...