Opinion

He became quite the character of sorts, a fixture on the rather rough and tumble Nestles Road in Soledad, surrounded by rough ground and abandoned buildings. If you happened to pass by during the latter part of an afternoon, you might see him sitting...

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a difficult year. By all standards, our world seems to have been turned upside down. From the small things that we took for granted, to larger, more important things, like our relationships with...

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...

Have you ever heard of a guy named Edsel Murphy? He was not a politician or a doctor or any of the professions that are common. You may have heard the name, but perhaps you don’t know why it sounds so familiar. But whether...

“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.” I don’t recall whose words those are, if I...

With the world starting to reopen, we were hoping to have a bit of a newsie reunion. Several of us from the newspaper industry had remained friends over the years, enabled by the easiness of social media and genuine friendships that survived the test...

Since Memorial Day is coming soon, I thought perhaps we might write a few words about why we have Memorial Day and who benefits from the holiday. It isn’t just the military that stands tall on this day. I know lots of folks that have...

I first met Lori Tuttle by chance — is anything actually by chance — at a craft vendor fair on Highway 68. She had a lovely stall of repurposed goods with a cowboy touch that she had lovingly restored. I was selling my books....

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...

I have given myself over to the theory that the Feds have in the interest of brevity or clarity or something meddled in our affairs regarding the city’s street names. This theory is based upon both the musings of a knowledgeable citizen and a...