As a lifelong Central Valley resident, when the meteorologist mentions "inclement weather," my mind immediately turns to fog.
More people across the nation than ever before have some idea where Turlock is located thanks to the national media attention our town and the surrounding area received in 2010.
A tropical vacation is typically filled with snorkeling, jungle excursions and hours of laying on sandy beaches. And while my recent trip to the Caribbean Sea was filled with all of those things and much more, I couldn't help but bring back something extra - a more grateful and appreciative attitude.
In the spirit of Christmas I've decided to blatantly steal some seasonal inspiration from my favorite television shows.
"Merry Christmas!" What an odd combination of words to get so much attention. First, I want to begin with a statement that this is not a rant on the Christmas season and how it is being taken out of our society. It is an observation of a complex world where offense is the first reaction and best intentions are misinterpreted.
By the time you read this, it won't be my birthday anymore. Thankfully. But it is right now, and birthdays don't get easier as you get older.
As a strong proponent of parental responsibility, it both amuses and angers me to see some parents lining up behind an initiative to sue McDonald's over the inclusion of toys in their Happy Meals.
In the last decade, the symbol for profligate federal spending was the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" - a huge proposed span that would link the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, population 7,500, to an airport on Gravina Island. Powerful Alaska Republican lawmakers tried to stick American taxpayers with a huge chunk of the tab for this dubious project.
I have created a new award in honor of comedian Jon Stewart - the Swiftee. This coveted honor goes to the person who most personifies the king of satire, Jonathon Swift. Stewart and "The Daily Show" writers were channeling the renowned Anglo-Irish essayist when they shined a light during their Monday night Comedy Central program on the U.S. Senate Republicans and their hypocritical nonsupport of health aid to ...
I don't care what they said about her in "Game Change." Bitchy? Who wouldn't be? Difficult? She had a right to be.
No matter how commercial the Christmas season gets, there is one pure thing the holidays always bring - hope.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates released a long-awaited Pentagon working-group report on the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy enacted under President Bill Clinton. Most troops, the review found, would not object to a repeal.
I am usually not a fan of celebrity news. In fact, I cringe whenever someone in the office asks "Did you hear what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (or any other famous people) are doing?"
An interesting news story circulating on the Web this week really caught my attention. The headline read "1000 rats rescued from California Home." The basic story is that the reality TV show "Hoarders" found over 1,000 of the critters in a man's California home during filming. The rat colony was a result of one pregnant pet rat being brought home by a child who lived in the house. ...
I used to enjoy flying. I really did.
Casey Anthony killed her daughter. She may not have meant to, and she may have been much more interested in her own social life than in her daughter's well-being, but I have absolutely no doubt that she was responsible for her daughter's death.
With recent rains filling the State reservoirs and the above average snowpack in the Sierra, Governor Jerry Brown declared California's three-year drought officially over on March 31 of this year. While the "state of emergency" may be over, the problem is not going away. Anyone who has lived in the Valley for the last decade knows that next year could see a return to below normal rainfalls and snow. ...
I just wanted to extend a tip of the cap to the Turlock Unified Board of Trustees for their proactive approach to forming new trustee districts. I feel they did a fine job of doing it.
I'm not sure why legislators in California think they need to take on the role of parents to the state's millions of children.
Noelia could always make a teacher's day, so I was glad to do the same for her. A 17-year-old who moved to the country just recently, she told me she felt badly about her command of English.
If the City of Turlock opted to develop an affordable housing complex fewer than 500 feet from your home, would you expect to be notified?
You and I have our challenges and some real worries, too. There are bills to pay and doctors to visit, to say nothing of mulling over those strange sounds coming from the rear of the car.
Dead man eating. That's how the public health advocacy organization known as the Environmental Working Group would probably describe me.
Global food security – making sure that everyone in the world has enough to eat each day – is one of the most serious issues facing the international community today.
California is known as a car-culture state. Driving down Highway 1 with the wind blowing through your hair and the ocean at your side is practically a required activity to be called a true Californian.
Later this month the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees will decide on a trustee district map which will forever change the makeup of the board. Whichever map they choose, it will undoubtedly lead to a more diverse board of trustees.
Former tennis star Andre Agassi deserves enormous credit for recognizing that nothing is more important than ensuring every child gets the kind of quality education that is their best chance for success in a rapidly changing world. I know, there are high school dropouts who make it to the top. But all the ones I know were blessed with gifts that enabled them to do what the other 99 percent of high school dropouts don't.
Very often, it is in moments in which you least expect it that you can be encountered with the grimmest pain.
I love the Fourth of July. As holidays go, it is pretty laid back. You spend the day barbecuing with family and friends, hopefully next to a lake or a pool, and celebrate being an American.
It is time to end the farce.