Columns

Vacancy on Senior Citizen Advisory Commission

Country Roads

From family separation to arguments over border walls, matters of immigration are never far from the national spotlight these days. Many of these debates seem centered on far-away places and people. But they have serious impacts for Sonoma County families, children and schools.

Local girl makes good and keeps getting better. In 1969, when Natalee was a toddler, her family moved to Healdsburg from Ukiah because her dad had bought an old building at 212 Healdsburg Avenue for his glass business. In no time at all, both Harry and Karen Tappin were firmly entrenched in the Healdsburg community, consistently involved in numerous school and youth sports activities, while their three girls — Lauree, Natalee and Cheree — were attending school. Whatever their parents were doing, whether it be girls kickball, softball, basketball or CYO sports, Natalee and her sisters joined in too.