Opinion

Monterey County Third District Supervisor Chris Lopez and I crossed byways here awhile back when neither of us had anything to do; well, I didn’t really have anything to do, anyway. Chris was only stopping to catch his breath during a busy schedule because...

One of the best things about writing for this periodical is the trip I often take as I try to find a subject that might peak your interest. Take last week, when I wrote the column, I was just trying to remember some of...

More than three decades ago, Cesar Chavez, founder of the first successful union for farmworkers, predicted a future in which the cities of California would be run by people who looked like him. “History and inevitability are on our side,” he said in one of his best-known...

When a person is in the hospital, their relationship with food takes on a new significance. It becomes a source of nourishment not just for the body but also for the spirit. A thoughtfully prepared meal can offer solace and provide a sense of...

As I get older, I find myself forgetting even the simplest of things. Do you ever have that problem? I guess it is like everything else. I just have to get used to the idea that I am not Superman. Oh! There was a...

I am the first to admit last week’s offering under this byline exists as anemic example of writing, so henceforth I’ll try to be more careful with the space so generously available to me. That said, or read, let us on to a couple...

In a rare case of a column running too long, I offer this story as a two-parter… One day I came home from school, it was 1964 and I was in the sixth grade in Greenfield Elementary School, and my father handed me a book...

The holiday season brings excitement, but it can also disrupt our routines and make it easy to let healthy habits slip. With travel, parties and shopping, it’s common for our usual health practices to take a backseat. One of the biggest challenges in December is...

Greetings and congratulations to those of you who have completed the prescribed course of academia and have now, or soon will be, granted a diploma from your respective Salinas Valley schools. As has been pointed out to you all, your graduation is an important...

It has been a long time since we had a pig in the family. You read that correctly. Back in 2011, when my daughter was young, she raised an award-winning pig for the Salinas Valley Fair through the high school 4-H Club. For rookies...