2013 Columns Archive Stories

Efforts to “cut the head off the snake” of a Yuba City street gang coalesced Tuesday when police stormed 11 Yuba-Sutter houses looking for gang members who advertised their membership in rap videos they posted online. Members of a Yuba City Norteno street gang posted three rap videos on YouTube earlier this year that showed t

Housing prices in Yuba and Sutter counties continued on an upward climb last month with a low inventory of available homes driving up year-to-year prices more than 30 percent. Last-month prices for new homes and resales climbed 35.3 percent in Sutter County and 31.8 percent in Yuba County from May 2012, according to statewide real estate

Now it's official: Despite happy talk about doing what's best for America, Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the cadre of other Silicon Valley titans helping with his new lobbying organization FWD.us are looking out for their own self-interest, just like every previous political action committee or billionaires' club. Zuckerberg t

SAN FRANCISCO — Major League Baseball is dragging its feet on having team owners vote on the Oakland Athletics' proposed move to a new ballpark 40 miles south in San Jose, San Jose city officials said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit — filed in federal court in San Jose — is disputing MLB's exemption to federal a

WASHINGTON — A key committee in the Republican-led House of Representatives moved Tuesday toward approving a tough enforcement-focused US immigration bill, over objections from Democrats and disruptions from protesters shouting "Shame, shame, shame!" Meanwhile in the Senate, a Republican lawmaker floated a compromise border securit

From those amped-up TV ads, you have to wonder how humanity survived before collapsible garden hoses and earwax vacuums. Akron Beacon Journal consumer reporter Betty Lin-Fisher, food writer Lisa Abraham and I have been reporting on our testing of some often-touted products, many of which are pitched on TV. Today we concentrate on five pr

If the question "When can I retire?" ties your stomach in knots, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Millions of your peers are in the same boat with little, if any, savings that will one day supplement their Social Security benefits during retirement. Waiting until age 50 or 60 to start saving for retirement is not ideal. It's late, but no

We join other news organizations and the Newspaper Association of America in urging Congress to pass a federal shield law. On a local level, we don't like anonymity, and in the vast majority of cases, we won't allow it. But it's a truth that from time to time the news will be told only if anonymity is granted a source. In those rare case

Area Assemblyman Dan Logue said Monday he plans to introduce a bill to reverse a potential new law that would lift time limits for responding to public records requests. While city and county officials said they don't think the new law will affect the way they do business, Logue, R-Loma Rica, said he believes it is a threat to government

Two U.S. congressmen have championed faster flood protection efforts in the Central Valley to prevent more deaths stemming from ineffective levees. The critically damaged levee at Shanghai Bend in Sutter County, one that protects more than 40,000 lives, has already failed twice, resulting in 38 deaths in decades past, according to U.S. R

SAN RAFAEL — Serial murder suspect Joseph Naso delivered an hours-long personal history on Monday replete with childhood photos, as he launched his defense, denied the decades-old slayings of four women and claimed he is not the "monster" prosecutors have made him out to be. The 79-year-old defendant's opening statement came after

When she is not busy drawing pictures of caterpillars, singing Taylor Swift songs or dancing with other princesses, Payton Tomassetti can be seen riding her blue bicycle. Or at least that is her goal by week's end. The 10-year-old, who has Down syndrome, is one of 40 people ages 8 to 52 participating in a five-day camp at River V

North State farmers were told Monday night in Yuba City they need to be involved in the politics of statewide farming issues if they want to hold off increasing regulations and the high costs they bring. Area Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, told a gathering of about 60 North State growers they are the "heartbeat of the state." But he

SAN JOSE (MCT) —Orchard Supply Hardware, a locally operated business since 1931, said Monday it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but will keep operating its iconic name while turning over most of its stores to hardware rival Lowe's. Under the transaction, which is expected to be completed in 90 days, Lowe's will acqui

FELONY ARRESTS Rafael P. Ponce, 37, of the 1600 block of Segull Drive, Yuba City, was arrested by the Yuba City Police Department at 5:45 a.m. June 17 on Bridge Street east of Cooper Avenue on suspicion of illegal entry. He was booked into the Sutter County Jail.

Yuba City Summer Stroll set for Saturday The 2013 Summer Stroll is set from 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday on Plumas Street in downtown Yuba City. Previously held on Friday nights, the annual event's move to Saturday allows for a more spread-out event, said organizers in a statement, allowing visitors to enjoy the

SAN RAFAEL – Jurors in the trial of a 79-year-old man charged with the decades-old slayings of four women – two found in Yuba County – wiped tears from their eyes on Monday, as a prosecutor showed graphic images of the victims' bodies and described how they were discovered. Marin County prosecutor Rosemary Slote showed

It's that time of the year! Temperatures rise and it gets really hot here in California. Time to remember not to shut your pets in a car or truck, with very little ventilation and no water. I saw that the other day and no owner around. A barking dog is no fun in a hot car. Would you want that for yourself and no one to help you?

These listed gun laws were passed by the state Senate and now go to the state House for voting: SB683 — Requires a firearms safety certificate to purchase any firearm. SB53 — Must obtain a purchase permit to buy any ammunition after Jan. 1, 2014. There will be a fee, possibly $50, to obtain a permit and must apply eve

There are many of us who enjoy the beautiful Ellis Lake and the wonderful wildlife living around it. Lately, we have noticed there are not as many ducks, and some of our favorite ducks/geese are missing — no longer greeting us as we walk the lake. We also see more and more ducks and geese with one wing left, or a broken wing. After

I read with much interest the article on Joe Arpaio in the May 31 edition. As a former resident of Arizona for 10 years, I still follow Arizona politics. Sheriff Joe as he is called is a controversial figure. He was elected the Sheriff of Maricopa County in 1992. He has been re-elected five times. One can only conclude he must be doing something

On May 25, me and my wife, Maureen, visited the Museum of the Forgotten Warriors and Library Center in Linda just outside of the Beale Air Force Base gate with one of our sons and three of our grandchildren. We would just like to let everyone in our community know about this museum, how wonderful it is and encourage them to visit it when

SAN FRANCISCO — An attorney representing inmates at two California state prisons told a federal judge on Monday that an airborne fungus occurring in the San Joaquin Valley presents the deadly threat of valley fever and that thousands should be transferred immediately. Warren George, of the Prison Law Office, said 18 inmates died in