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Now we know better. The next time we warn ourselves to be prepared for a big disaster we’d better listen to ourselves and be prepared to take it seriously, right? In late spring we warned this could be a record fire season, enabled by the multi-year drought, hotter weather and uncertain funding for sufficient firefighting forces. Editorials here and elsewhere quoted local fire officials, posting repeated warnings to clear a “defensible perimeter” and practice disaster relief drills. The big disaster the next time could be us, we warned.

MONTE RIO — Boaters and sunbathers paid little attention to a

We're now three days into these back-to-back President's Day weekend storms, with a day or two left to go of heavy rain, wind and possible thunderstorms. Local rain gauges show we've gotten at least 4 or 5 inches since Friday, with 1 or 2...

Dressing in my sweats, high-top shoes, hooded jersey and cap, I leave the house to meet the morning  cold. As my father would say, “No one is tougher than the weather!” I am going to meet an old friend— wild, steep, dense stands of redwood, oak and madrone— the forested path of the Fitch mountain fire trail. Hiking it brings understanding and awareness of life’s connectedness, of oneness with the Earth.

A very powerful military man named Thomas C. Reed, who lived in Healdsburg for many years with his wife Kay, passed away last month at age 89. He was reportedly the first U.S. Air Force veteran to become secretary of the whole force, which...