2013 Column Rose Godfrey Archive Stories

I just realized this morning what is fundamentally wrong with the tea party's way of thinking. This new movement of the political right is consumed by fear — fear of government, fear of your neighbor, fear of diversity. Now, our House Republicans are warning us that a government that fears its constituency is "good," and a constituency tha

Recently there has been much talk and comment about the use of cameras to monitor us citizens. SmartMeters are much more intrusive on our lives and much more a threat to our liberty than are cameras. I was dead set against the SmartMeters when they were forced on us. I did not want Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to know more about my pow

It's hard to make a decision about something you're unsure of. It's hard to create an action plan; it's hard to get something done about something you have mixed feelings about. The problems and issues connected to homelessness are like that, in our estimation. For many of us, if you want to be honest, you see homeless people out on a si

Under his brown cowboy hat, Loma Rica's Tate Crooks leaned against white table, brushed dust off his blue chaps and wolfed down a chocolate-peanut butter cupcake and waited for his turn to bust some mutton. "I've done it (mutton bustin') about like 10 times," the 7-year-old explained. "I'm pretty good." Tate competed Saturday nig

SAN JOSE — Barbara Wright, an Albany resident with a diabetic son, has been one of the lucky parents. From elementary school to high school, she has been able to count on a teacher, administrator or someone else to help her son Jonathan Mahmoud with his insulin shots when no school nurse was available — the norm in California

This week (June 1) in 1950, Margaret Chase Smith, the Republican senator from Maine and the first woman ever to serve as both a United States senator and member of the House of Representatives, gave a speech that, looking back, was a voice of moral clarity amidst a cacophony of madness and vilification. Smith's Declaration of Conscience,

Several long-term road projects are planned in Yuba-Sutter, starting with a project this week on Highway 70. Projects where motorists may face delays include: Highway 70 from Laurellen Road to Magnolia Road: Motorists can expect the right shoulder on the east and westbound lanes closed from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. starting Monday and conti

An Olivehurst man remained in custody Saturday after admitting "some lewd behavior" with a teenage relative twice over three-year period, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department reported. Charles Erwin Smith, 55, was booked into the Yuba County Jail on Friday on $100,000 bail for suspicion of sexual penetration with a foreign object, lewd a

This Week in Local History May 27 to June 2 100 years The first serious disturbance as a result of the electrical workers strike occurred on Third street between C and D streets with the result that the officers were compelled to use strenuous means to disperse the crowd and several arrests were made of the two factions.

Felony Arrests Timothy S. King, 38, of Linda, was arrested by the Sutter County Sheriff's Department at 1:20 a.m. May 25 on Franklin Road on suspicion of controlled substance possession. He was booked into the Sutter County Jail. Retha L. Sparks, 20, of Gridley, was arrested by the Sutter County Sheriff's Department at 3:30 a.m.

It's been 20 years since Michael A. Ciociola and his family sat in their living room, thinking of ways to show appreciation for those who've served in the armed forces beyond the traditional "thank you." But what started as a brainstorming session in Ciociola's home is now an intricately designed program that takes more than 200 voluntee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alleged misbehavior by the U.S. tax collection service and other federal agencies gives Republicans something else to talk about and investigate as the economy clearly, if slowly, recovers on President Barack Obama's watch and robs the opposition party of a central argument against Democrats. Amid a series of rece

Earthquakes are pretty low on the list of natural disasters that directly concern most Yuba-Sutter residents. "It's not out of the realm of possibility, but we certainly are more likely to feel an earthquake that is outside of our boundaries," says Scott Bryan, Yuba County's emergency operations manager. But when we do experience

As the United States grows warmer and extreme weather more common, the federal government's flood insurance maps are becoming increasingly important. The maps, drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, dictate the monthly premiums millions of American households pay for flood insurance. They are also designed to give homeowners a

Billy Martin has a degree from Yuba College and wants to work. "I've put out 200 or 300 applications since December. We walk everywhere," Martin said, "and still no jobs, no luck." Martin, 55, is homeless, mostly living around Simpson Lane in Linda. On Friday, Martin was one of about 300 homeless, unemployed or underemplo

Construction crews will begin working June 4 on the first stage of the state’s two-year $48 million highway reconstruction project in Marysville, Caltrans said Friday. Starting at about 6 a.m., crews will close the westbound lanes of 10th Street just north of Ninth and E streets to begin the intensive project expected to take two c

Felony Arrests Hillary L. Jones-Martinez, 20, of the 1200 block of B Street, Yuba City, was arrested by the Yuba City Police Department at 8:55 p.m. May 23 in the 500 block of Colusa Avenue on suspicion of controlled substance possession. She was booked into the Sutter County Jail. Kevin D. Duncan, 51, of the 800 block of Spiva A

Three defendants linked to a human trafficking ring in which women from Mexico were used as prostitutes in five Northern California cities, including Yuba City, received county jail sentences on Friday, Attorney General Kamala Harris said. Nery Najarro-Rodriguez, 42, Jorge Perez-Hernandez, 37, and Luis Mata, 30, pleaded no contest to con

Registered nurses at Rideout Health Group will vote Tuesday on whether to approve a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract, the association representing the nurses said Friday. The agreement, if finalized, would provide some 400 registered nurses with a 9 percent across-the-board pay increase over the four years of the agreement

I am disgusted at the District 2 Little League and its board members for deciding that my daughter's softball team, the Olivehurst Linda Heat (Minors), is not eligible to play TOC's this season. It's an outrage that adult actions are being taken out on our girls, who had nothing to do with decisions made prior to the season starting. Our

It was quality family time for hundreds of people last Saturday morning as the annual Jim Watson Youth Fishing Derby brought kids and their parents out to Ellis Lake. For some it's an annual event, for others it was their first ever and they were newly acquainted with fishing poles, hooks and worms and, hopefully, the sturdy tug of a catfish on

A Santa Maria man who claimed Fidel Castro ordered him to hijack a helicopter last year in Yuba County was returned to the Marysville courthouse on Friday to face criminal charges. Judge Julia L. Scrogin reinstated criminal proceedings against 20-year-old Zachary Hinders. Hinders was declared mentally incompetent and unfit to sta

The following businesses and agencies will be closed Monday, in observance of Memorial Day. Banks: Closed. Government offices: Closed. Schools: No classes. Post office: No service. Trash pickup: No interruption in service. Transit: No service; office closed. Appeal-Democrat: No interruption

WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. Tactics for dealing with the government's budget and debt became the