Dreamers and screamers at old “Woodsboro High”

By Cat Smith -- In December 1996, I attended a matinee of Scream during opening weekend. Living in San Diego at the time, I had heard it was filmed in Sonoma. The Sonoma Community Center graced the big screen as Woodsboro High. I was excited... Continue

The inspirational impact of arts education

Why do you teach the arts, I asked the visual and performing arts teachers in SVUSD recently. Their answers revealed the transformational role of creativity and the arts in education. It’s every TK-12 child’s right to be taught by qualified arts educators, on a regular... Continue

Altar Building Kit at Art Escape

Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a festive and colorful holiday to celebrate our loved ones who have passed on. Making an altar (or ofrenda as it’s called in Spanish) for the occasion is a way for you to honor the... Continue

Mother was gone a short while

Chapter 63: 1950 • Sonora, California Note: My brother’s daily entries in the months of March and April were typical of those in the past dealing with school, sports, band, and work; I only posted excerpts from part of April, where they took on a... Continue

Connecting the dots

When people ask me what’s on my mind I sometimes say, “death…” but I don’t like to talk about it because it’s a downer. It's the absolute oddest "thing" – death, I mean. It's hard to talk about, to "get on top of..." to embrace,... Continue

Beavers are an ecosystem

The beaver dam is back on Sonoma Creek in Maxwell Farms Regional Park. It was washed away during last season’s storms. Last time I looked, the intertwined limbs and branches were holding back the low water flows as summer turned to fall. I also found... Continue

Update on the SDC lawsuit

The environmental attorney leading the lawsuit to halt the Sonoma Developmental Center project, Janis Watkins, is among the panelists who will discuss the issue in a Zoom meeting on Monday, October 23. Hosted at 8pm by the Sonoma Valley Democrats, the panel will be moderated... Continue

Keep the homeless safe

Prior to my retirement from the Sonoma City Council, I served on the Continuum of Care board for approximately two years. While there were a variety of dedicated people involved, there were two glaring issues that led to my decision to leave that board. That... Continue

A thought challenge

Big Pharma is required to test new potions and concoctions to assure their safety and effectiveness before releasing them on an unsuspecting public. If they don’t, they could be heavily fined, get sued, and/or their executives put at a small risk of being tossed in... Continue

On hating haters

I find the behavior of Matt Gaetz, Marjory Taylor Greene, Lauren Bobert and Kevin McCarthy reprehensible; I hate it. These four MAGATS and many other so-called republicans are pursuing policies and positions that damage our democracy; the only reason I can see for how they... Continue