2013 Columns Archive Stories

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2563 in Yuba City had 850 members in 1991 when Richard Lawson was commander. Today, it has none. It closed late last year. It's a story that's playing out across America as the biggest generation of veterans — those who served in World War II — fade into history. "We had so many t

Mark Carson was shot in the face because he's gay. His alleged killer, 33-year old Elliot Morales, is said to have confronted Carson, 32, and a companion, in New York's Greenwich Village last Friday night, yelling antigay slurs. When Carson walked away, Morales reportedly followed and shot him. Morales was arrested by police after a foot

We have once again entered the college commencement season, which means we'll soon be reading about uplifting graduation speeches delivered by prominent Americans. Or at least by prominent liberal Americans. It's becoming increasingly apparent that conservative speakers aren't welcome on college and university campuses. Last mont

Do you ever feel sorry for that Indian tribe in Butte County? You know who they are, the Enterprise Rancheria. They had big dreams a decade ago when they arrived on the scene with promises of thousands of jobs and millions of dollars for the downtrodden governments in Yuba County. That was then, and now it's just a mess.

The tornado warnings came just as school was ending on Monday at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, Okla. Some teachers hustled children to a nearby shelter at a church. Others moved young students to hallways, the designated safe spaces within the school, and had them assume the duck-and-cover position — precisely as they had been

Hello, my name is Brittany Gorham. I am telling you about my time in Oklahoma City as I partially witnessed the devastating tornado disaster in Moore, Okla. To start off, we drove here from Yuba City in hopes of bettering our lives. We just packed our things and decided Oklahoma was the place we would go, although it wasn't spontaneous,.

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 on suspicion of sexual penetration with a foreign object, lewd an

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