Opinion

We don’t have kings in the United States of America; yet how many of us have at one time or other wished we had ultimate authoritarian power? Remember, even the Cowardly Lion wanted to be “Not queen, not duke, not prince” but “King of...

There are so many “Help! My dog is missing” posts on Facebook these days, it makes you wonder if all the local dog owners just leave their gates open and hope that their pooch makes it home in time for dinner of an evening....

To the Editor: We much enjoyed Steve Wilson’s column about gangsters he has known — or at least, thought about (“Words From One Bad Guy to Another,” June 29). It’s exciting to review the daring exploits of these cunning reprobates and satisfying when the sheriff...

One of the first lessons one learns in any writing class is writing about experience is more natural and gets the story (or moral or lesson) across to the reader better than research writing. With that lesson in mind, I should be able to...

In my newfound practice of giving people an experience instead of a gift, it was going to be our oldest son’s birthday and he was no longer going to be receiving socks and underwears from us, or even a normally coveted plaid shirt. I...

It’s about this time of year that I look for her even more often. It is the season of the long sunny days and twinkly black-night skies. It is the season of the dragonfly. Whenever I see my first dragonfly of the year, I...

The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies over 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries, spinach and broccoli. But beyond the fertile...

Local column by Joanne Banuelos

The following words are by no means indicative of my attitude toward those readers who often, and with good cause, suggest themes for this column; I appreciate the interest and the input, but the problem of time constraints often dictate the amount of time...