Hilary Campbell is a New Yorker magazine cartoonist who just happened to grow up in Sonoma. Her work now appears regularly in the Sonoma Valley Sun. Continue
Columnist
I grew up at the feet of a fabulous cook. My mother was a natural, able to make something delicious out of almost nothing. She was not recipe dependent, although she had taken classes in French cooking and had a thick notebook of recipes. Accordingly,... Continue
I used to think I was a born pessimist, but that's not really accurate. My schooling in becoming a pessimist came about when I was six or seven at a boarding school outside Tucson, Arizona where we young ones weren't treated so well. And thus ... Continue
Once in a while I take a walk along the road to Wingo at the south end of Sonoma Valley. Starting from the end of Millerick Road at Larson Family Winery, the old public access road is bordered by the tangled riparian corridor of Sonoma... Continue
Dead People: “Oma, there’s dead people under those rocks, you know.” I glance over my shoulder to see what Satchel is talking about. My four-year-old grandson is commenting from his car seat about the small cemetery to our left on East Napa Street. “I know,... Continue
Both before and after all the votes were counted, this year's presidential election season put an unprecedented strain on the nation's ability to fully articulate its outrage. These past many months have left more than a few readers of all political stripes exhausted from trying... Continue
I took down our shiny, new, pristine, “Cats for Kamala" and "Harris/Walz” yard signs. Still in the yard are two, very old, ragged signs. One says, “In this house we believe: Black lives matter, woman’s rights are human rights, no human is illegal, science is... Continue
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the opportunity to gather with loved ones to celebrate family ties. But sometimes, visits with elderly relatives can reveal troubling signs that point to elder financial abuse. Widespread, expensive, and under-reported, elder financial abuse is... Continue
The list of reasons Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential campaign seems endless: Fox News and right-wing media. The rise of Christian Nationalism. Twitter (OK, X) tilting heavily toward Trump. The power of the Big Lie. ... Continue
The power of ideas is, well, powerful. Ideas can literally change the world and alter the course of history. With the rise of social media, more and more people are trying to become influencers, some to make money, others to become famous, and yet others... Continue