Press "Enter" to skip to content

Resolute in 2025

Either by closing shop completely or being gobbled up by publishing conglomerates, independent small city papers are going extinct all across America. A local community newspaper is an endangered species. Either a workable business model must emerge, or printed papers are going to continue to... Continue

Low carbon foods

Eating low-carbon foods helps reduce emissions, but some foods actually suck up carbon from the atmosphere, leaving the climate in a better place. Continue

Larry Barnett: The Joys of a Kitchen Garden

Some years ago I removed a stand of bamboo and replaced it with two 3’ x 8’ livestock troughs that I converted to raised garden beds. I’ve always been a gardening enthusiast, a self-confessed hortisexual who loves plants, but our home is shaded by big... Continue

Homelessness Jumps to Record Highs, But Not in Sonoma County

Accordingly to recently released federal data, every Bay Area county except Sonoma and Marin has seen homelessness increase since 2015. Homelessness in California overall rose 3% to more than 187,000. The U.S. homeless population spiked 18% to more than 770,000 from 2023 to 2024, record... Continue

Alcohol Cancer

A new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Friday, outlines the evidence that drinking can contribute to around 100,000 cases of cancer each year and 200,000 cancer deaths Continue

The Valley’s Beavers Are Happy and Hard At Work at Night

According to Sonoma County Regional Parks, "beavers are nocturnal and delightfully uncoordinated ecosystem engineers who may not win any dance competitions, but they have an important role to play." Once viewed as nuisance animals, beavers are now recognized as a vitally important part of a... Continue

New California Laws In 2025 Affecting Landlords and Tenants

A number of new California laws covering landlords and tenants go into effect this year, ranging from fees that can be charged to tenants, tightened security deposit rules, and tenant applications. AB 2493 – Tightens Rules for Application Fee Screening This new law authorizes a... Continue

Friendships

We only have so much “social capacity” to commit to friendships, so it’s natural that less rewarding or more labor-intensive friendships may lose their value over time. Continue