Opinion

You know, living in the Salinas Valley is a pretty cool place to live. Except for the rain we have been enjoying lately, it is very much like the valley I grew up in. Well, maybe not as cool. In the summer we could...

We have been living through some perilous times. I have heard from my relatives, my friends and even some neighbors. Things are not as they should be. Maybe this election will change us for the better. Maybe they will have a vaccine for this...

Hospitals and local governments play a critical role in supporting the health and well-being of their local communities. But how do they determine which services, programs, or initiatives are most needed? Every three years, a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is conducted to determine the...

“Come on, Honey, I promise you will like it. You know how you love swimming.” Her tones were soft and inviting. I had been listening to her try and get me out of the house by going to the city swimming pool. It seems that the...

Well, hello! It seems as though I missed another week. I have a very good reason to have missed roll call. I told you I wouldn’t write of wars anymore, and I tried. Really tried! Alas, I received correspondence via electronic media asking me...

I won’t ask you about how your New Year is or will be. Shoot, I don’t think anyone is enjoying our holidays when you think about how many of our loved ones have been lost to the pandemic. I have told you that I came...

Any opinion columnist, or letter writer, whose words appear in public is aware that there could be repercussions either laudatory in nature or quite the opposite with slings and arrows; such responses are met and dealt with either by response or with silence. A...

“I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way!” My eye surgery is over and I’m a happy patient. Yes, it was done by a Veterans Administration doctor who looked suspiciously like a college student, but he...

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...

I woke up this morning wondering who was going to get up and turn on the furnace. I had a secret card with me as I had put our dog Ranger on my side of the bed before we went to sleep. So all...