Opinion

It took me forever to get a college degree. Really. It was nearly 30 years and over 330 miles apart — from September of 1970 when I enrolled as a drama major at Hartnell in Salinas until March of 2000 before I got an...

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...

It is our family custom, after the passing of a loved one, that we gather together and celebrate the life of that person. Whether it be in church or not, this ceremony of sorts provides closure, for want of a better word. The breaking...

You have to admit, I haven’t glorified the actions of those that would like to see us at the bottom of the ocean. However, after the reports from Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., that are plastered all over the television channels, I’m not sure anything...

I couldn’t think what to do with myself. My baby girl was lying in a hospital bed with a broken back when she should have been enjoying the vacation of a lifetime in Montana. She was heavily drugged and monitored. She slept a lot...

Joanne's Got It: Column by Joanne Banuelos

Editor's Note: We welcome Letters to the Editor of local and general interest to our readers. Letters should be typed and include the writer’s first and last name, home address and phone number for verification. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters may be edited...

When the 2022 Monterey County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) was released, behavioral health was identified as one of the region’s top priorities—underscoring a critical shortage of mental health providers and support systems across the County. In response, Mee Memorial Healthcare System (MMHS) launched a...

This has been a good week for cleaning out the old storage bin and start throwing away things that have been sent there to molder away. Of course they don’t just go away by themselves, so the city will be having a citywide garage...

In California’s Monterey Bay region, residents face overlapping challenges that are crucial to creating an inclusive, prosperous community. Good jobs, health, education, broadband, affordable housing, accessible transportation, and climate resilience are interconnected needs that must be addressed with urgency and purpose. In the wake of...