Just a thought by Judith Martin-Straw

Sometimes, my generosity gets me in trouble.  I have a little free library. It’s not registered with the official organization, so I suppose it’s a rogue little free library. My neighbors enjoy it, and I …

Sometimes, the ability to look at the big picture requires panning very far out. The first Sherlock Holmes story was published in 1887. We discover that Dr. John Watson has returned to England from “the …

If anyone does not fully appreciate how difficult our civic dialogue has become, the city council meeting on the Jackson Avenue Gate was a perfect, if painful, example. The people arguing for access held some …

Now that the U.S. Census has released a fresh batch of data on who lives in America, it’s notable that the recipe changes slightly every time. Not just the people who live in this country, …

Every two years, I become a sports fan, but only for two weeks. It’s an unlikely spell cast by the Olympics, and once the  games are over, so is my interest in sports. Friends have …

Whenever we have a city council action that turns out hundreds of speakers, I think of it as a good thing. I like democracy, I love that people show up to offer their thoughts and …

Whenever we have a city meeting with more than a hundred speaker cards, I sort of brace myself. Plug in the charger, comfortable chair, refresh the tea cup, maybe open another window for a cross …

Checking back on a story that has not changed in more than a decade is only the slender hope that there is something new to report. In the case of Southern California Hospital, it’s more …

The truth has been carved into one simple sentence. You have to pass this class. The pandemic has been a mixed bag at my house. There have been advantages – no teenager needs to be …

The City Council Meeting coming up on Monday, April 26, 2021 has been inspiring strategy from all corners. The agenda item on Public Safety has had more publicity than some of the movies contending for …