It’s not easy, being an elected official. May look like it is from the outside, as community members generally get worked up only about a single issue, one which looks to them both urgent and simple. But few issues are simple any longer, as one... Continue
Editorials
We posed that question several years ago, after a local Catholic priest abused his position of authority over children, and it’s sad news again this week to learn of the arrest of a former soccer coach in Sonoma Valley who, if the allegations be true,... Continue
What is it about Sonoma? It seems that in whichever direction we turn, we see young people working hard and achieving. From fifth-grader Gage Osbourne winning the county spelling bee to high school senior Michael Lee having his work accepted into the professional segment of... Continue
Advice is cheap, it’s said, and we acknowledge that we’re not the ones making tough decisions in front of vocal crowds. But the Sonoma City Council is pondering a new measure on which we’d like to offer a little advice. It is the proposal to... Continue
Yes, we know it’s a sappy movie, and Richard Gere simply plays himself, but we still enjoy re-runs of “Pretty Woman.” One of our favorite parts is the upbeat voiceover: Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream? ... This is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams... Continue
It’s said that in every storm cloud, one can find a silver lining. Perhaps that’s true. A storm cloud is how one might describe what has settled over school finances this year. On Tuesday night, the school board approved layoff notices to more than 20... Continue
We title our column today in contrast to the “Goodbye, Colorado” headline in the Rocky Mountain News, which ceased publication last week after 150 years of service to its community. That such a venerable newspaper should decide to close its doors is yet another reminder... Continue
That’s generally not what you want to hear from your doctor. Yet that was one of the professional opinions expressed at the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Strategic Planning Committee meeting last week, in an exchange that featured frank assessments of the prospects for health... Continue
We understand that one of our columnists, James Berry, who has covered local music events for us for several years, will start writing this week for the other newspaper here in Sonoma. We are sorry to see James go, but he has our best wishes... Continue
These are fluid times economically, and the media business is a fluid one, anyway, where our stock in trade is a pencil and notepad. (Okay, we’re thoroughly computerized and digitized, though we resist being homogenized.) We say farewell this week to our friend Daedalus Howell,... Continue