Opinion

Having lived in and around Monterey County for decades — including Prunedale, Castroville and Salinas (north and south) — I learned to drive on and have spent a fair number of hours traveling on Highway 101. Not to mention numerous trips north to San...

As we celebrate National Nonprofit Day, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the organizations driving positive change in our communities. The Arts Council for Monterey County (Arts4MC) is an independent nonprofit organization. While we are grateful for support from the County of Monterey and...

In a rural community, the value of a local healthcare system is measured, in part, by two things: minutes saved and miles avoided. For South Monterey County residents, Mee Memorial Healthcare System provides a vital local service, reducing the need to drive long distances...

When your granddaughter is coming to visit you from the congested summer heats of Sacramento and she hasn’t had much of a summer vacation, you feel the need to right the wrongs and set her world a bit straighter than it was — at...

After a fun summer, it’s Back to School and Monterey County Free Libraries is ready to support students academically and with leisure activities. 1. Learn: To assist students with schoolwork, MCFL subscribes to Brainfuse HelpNow, an online service offering academic support in most subjects. HelpNow...

For some of the planet’s inhabitants, there is a deep connection between humankind and florakind; florakind being a word I just made up, my definition including all the earth’s forests consisting of all species of trees in the world. An individual who, according to...

Having completed my bloods a month before, I boldly stroll into my primary doc’s office, waiting to hear the good news. I had been exercising, watching my carbs, exercising my good attitude (even more important than the body!) and watching the blood pressure. What...

Last weekend the venerable Stage Hands theater troupe delighted audiences with the opening of their summer production of “I Hate Hamlet.” The show is a serio-comic romp through the relationships and emotions of five very alive people and one ghost. Written by Paul Rudnick and...

I gave up on a book last week. I have set aside other books in my day, but those occasions have been rare and usually because I felt the story did not justify the sheer volume of pages; Joyce’s “Ulysses” and Tolstoy’s “War and...

I’m going to blame it on the moon. She was cool and shimmery in her slim golden gown like a bygone Hollywood actress, as I watched her crescent shape light up her golden hue just a little, as if smiling directly at me. I...