Editorial

In the middle of another horrific news cycle, set off by the mass killings in Orlando, we look closer to home for signs of sanity, human hope and answers. We curse our crazy world while we gather and hug our loved ones ever tighter.

— Rollie Atkinson

— Rollie Atkinson

I worked at the Healdsburg Library for over 25 years before I retired last year. Something I always wanted to try with the library was to bring world class literary talent to Healdsburg.

On a day dialed up by the Point Arena Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, came, saw and listened. I attended Friday’s environmental love fest on behalf of Sonoma County Supervisor Mike McGuire who is running for the 2nd District Senate seat in which the beautiful 1,664 acre Stornetta Public Lands is being considered for a land inclusion into the California Coastal National Monument.  McGuire’s time is now limited as he is speaking to the Kiwanis, Rotarians and special interest groups times the seven counties in the district.

My wife, Susan, died from ALS in 2007 and donated her body to research. A few weeks ago, studies found that NFL players are at greater risk of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).  Papers like this one ran stories about the news and rightfully so. But with Veterans Day approaching on Sunday November 11, how many of us know that a much, much larger segment of our population — military veterans — also is at greater risk of Lou Gehrig’s Disease?

Healdsburg at a crossroads