Columns

Sitting at a table with wine, food, family and friends was where Kathleen Kelley Young was truly happy. I think of the last project into which she poured herself collaborating with her husband and daughter establishing their Cloverdale Kelley & Young Wine Garden Inn. Early on she described the endeavor as sustainably farmed, passionately prepared, gratefully shared. It is the ‘gratefully shared’ part I hold on to now, as I remember Kathleen who died early last week.

If we didn’t know it before, it should be painfully obvious by now that our future fire protection services, energy utility bills and many local special taxes will all cost us more in our immediate future — and forever.

The diverse community of faith in Windsor has been broadened with the arrival of the Hallel Fellowship in early December. Hallel is part of the modern Messianic Judaism religious movement that combines the fundamentals of Christianity—belief and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, creator, savior and the only way to eternal life—with elements of Judaism.  

Holiday Closures. Please note that the Senior Center and Town of Windsor offices and facilities will be closed for business during the week of Dec. 25 - 31, 2016. All phone messages and email correspondence will be returned after the closure. Thank you.

It’s another work week here at the newspaper, and then next week we will work some more. For almost all of us, our lives get defined by the kind of work we do. When we have steady jobs our daily habits, travel patterns, alarm clocks, meal times and relaxing moments are all fit in around what we do to get paid.

Aug. 5 was an amazing day marked by rebirth and unity among Christians as the NEWSONG Church celebrated its first 10 a.m. Sunday morning celebration at 167 Arata Lane, former home of the Vineyard of Faith (VOF) Lutheran Church. The VOF congregation is now part of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Healdsburg.

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, nationally known Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Lowell Bergman came to the Raven Theater in Healdsburg for an evening of conversation about The state of journalism today. The event was sponsored by Northern California Public Media, Camellia Inn, and Sonoma West Publishers, which brings us this newspaper. Steve Mencher, news director at KRCB and Sonoma West Publisher Rollie Atkinson joined Bergman at the table on the stage. Their discussion, one has to say, was less than hopeful.  Still, the good-sized audience appeared to find it terrifically interesting, and everyone I talked to said they were glad they were there.

This is my last week at the newspaper. I’ve been hired by the Sonoma County Library, where I plan to advocate for free public libraries as ardently as I have for a free press.