Columns

As schools in many neighboring counties gradually reopen and offer a model of instruction where small cohorts of students can return to the classroom, Sonoma County families may understandably wonder why that’s not yet the case here.

I was 32 years old the first time I donated blood. It wasn’t like the chance hadn’t come up. You’d be hard pressed to live in a community that doesn’t host a blood drive within driving distance at least once a month.

For months I’ve been thinking about community-powered journalism, even more now since Rollie’s announcement last week describing the newspaper’s direct public offer. Grateful for local journalists, I’ve depended upon them as my partners for many decades, weaving story after story about the wine business.

Women (and a few men) in the weed industry

It is now post-Nov. 3 and we are witnessing what it will take to complete a free, fair and secure election. Most headlines and attention will be focused on the acrimonious presidential contest and we will under-appreciate how much of the rest of the voting is happening without rancor, dispute or distrust.

Among our community’s more silent and less-discussed problems is childhood obesity.

A not-so-funny thing happened last week that detoured our whole nation away from what was supposed to be “Infrastructure Week,” where the president was to unveil a set of plans to fix our ailing roads, rail, aviation, water pipes and electric grid.

One way or another, the current arguments in Congress over our national health care policy will bring new costs, changed services and more uncertainty to our local families, work places and medical institutions. In Washington, D.C. it’s all about politics; here, in our Sonoma County homes, it’s all about coverage, cost and care.

In response to President Trump’s unprecedented refusal to share basic information with American public, new bill will require that all presidential candidates release tax returns in order to appear on California ballot