We all wear masks. It’s human nature. We smile and “put on a happy face,” as the saying goes. We project an image of ourselves that we want others to see. Insecure? Smile harder. Vulnerable? Don’t let it show. Starved for attention? Lots of ways... Continue

Dreams do come true The boys water polo team at Sonoma Valley High School has arrived. For the first time in five years, the team has won a league game. Matched up Wednesday afternoon against perennial powerhouse and defending league champion Cardinal Newman, the Dragon... Continue

Readers will recognize this topic as one the Editorial Board addressed recently. We received the letter below from Gary De Smet, one of the five trustees elected to lead the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. In light of the coming public meeting and the importance... Continue

“If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.” Who can argue with the logic of that? Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln spoke those words in 1858 in his... Continue

Labor day is among our favorite holidays, though we admit it’s tough to choose. The summer vacations are already a memory, so a day off is nice. The days are getting shorter but still warm into the evenings. The frenzy of July 4 seems to... Continue

Only half of Sonoma Valley’s students can read, write and reason at their own grade level. Half. By federal mandate, we have had consistent testing for almost a decade, and the results are available for review through the state’s Web site, cde.ca.gov. The Obama administration... Continue

The buzz about “ObamaCare” continues, as the public grumbles and the administration mumbles. The President, addressing the AFL-CIO in 2003, has made clear his goal: “I [am] a proponent of a single payer universal health care program ... and that’s what I’d like to see.... Continue

We recently accompanied some of our delivery drivers on their weekly routes, and we were surprised how hard it was to locate some residences during the evening or early morning hours when the deliveries take place. Many newer houses have street numbers that are backlit... Continue

SHO ’nuff Is this what we need? A “social host ordinance”? A number of cities are adopting such laws, including Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Rohnert Park in Sonoma County. Some laws even call for criminal penalties – jail time – but all assign liability to... Continue