Opinion

One late afternoon some years ago I stood among rows of uniformly sized brass markers placed with military precision in the grass at the Riverside National Cemetery. At my feet was my father’s marker, and this was my annual pilgrimage to his final resting...

California’s investment in education has created one of the most impressive higher education systems in the U.S. with the California State University, University of California and California Community Colleges. Together, California’s colleges and universities make up 12% of full-time equivalent enrollment in higher education...

To the Editor: May 4, 2025, will be 21 years that we found our son, Ricky, had been murdered. Those monsters took away a wonderful young man who loved his two sons but never had the chance to raise them. Ricky never had the chance...

To the Editor: Last week I wrote a guest column on the Western Flyer, the legendary boat that took John Steinbeck and Doc Ricketts to the sea of Cortez in 1940. A reader pointed out it wasn’t all about community, that Carol Steinbeck helped a great...

After my most recent ranch accident when I smashed up my knee, forgot I was old and then started the long process of trying to heal several months later as I came to realize that my healing was going the unsuccessful way of old...

I received an email from a fellow who lives out Jolon way, in which I was asked about a situation I had never really considered and I found that I was probably too close to the subject to have ever had the notion enter...

It is our family custom, after the passing of a loved one, that we gather together and celebrate the life of that person. Whether it be in church or not, this ceremony of sorts provides closure, for want of a better word. The breaking...

So, another Fair has rolled into town and out again. And it was a good one, at least for me. It is the reason this column may fall well short of the usual 1,000 words. I have enough notes and ideas that if combined...

“From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli; we will fight out country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Many will recognize that refrain as the opening words of the Marines’ Hymn; I became aware of the song and the...

Hello, Neighbors. A couple of things have happened the past couple of weeks that boggles the mind or at least in my mind anyway. Powerful things that snuck up on me and filled me with hope that our little town as well as our...