Editorial

Mothers are wise. They offer their families love, support, security and, for no additional charge, they also provide excellent medical advice. When our mothers told us, “A Stitch in time saves nine,” or “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” they weren’t just whistling in the dark. They were passing on a time-tested truth. It is always better to prevent a problem in the first place rather than wait for it to happen, then try to deal with the consequences afterwards. This wisdom certainly applies to childhood vaccines.

I am running for Healdsburg City Council and as such I am one of six people running for a total of three open positions.  There are two incumbents and four new people, such as myself.  I have no doubt that each of the candidates have the interests of Healdsburg at heart.  They have to, with a salary of $150.00 per month, with very limited medical coverage and no real retirement benefits; you sure don’t do it for the money.  You surely don’t do it for the vast prestige of the position either, as there are no corporate boards to join after your retire or speaking tours that are super lucrative.  In point of fact, you end up working something on the order of 20 hours a week for a basic salary of something less than $2.00 per hour.  This is less than minimum wage in California.  Even at that, some people feel that their representatives are overpaid.  SO WHY DO IT?????  I think you have to have some issues that you feel need to be addressed and the belief that you can materially contribute to the resolution of these issues.  In my case I am very concerned about the financial well-being of the city, given the current city government salary levels and the generous retirement benefits.  This is a CURRENT problem and not a future issue that can be addressed by simply changing the conditions for new hires only.  The work force is contracting and not expanding, so the impact of new hires on the retirement system is minimal.  The city employees are very dedicated and through salary give backs and related concessions they have materially lessened the financial impact on the city.  However, these steps may not be enough and additional difficult steps may be required to achieve financial well-being for the benefit of everyone.

When their oppressors fled, the people of Mali danced. The African women wrapped themselves in bright colors, some even bared their bellies, and they got out into the street and shimmied. How sweet, freedom. It makes you want to dance.

Last week’s rains lived up to their advanced billing. All parts of Sonoma County got a real soaking from a bona fide Pacific storm, the kind of blowing and hard downpours that have always marked our northern California winters. The average annual rainfall over...

The look could only be described as a smirk. That’s what it was, that’s what struck me to the core like a cold stabbing, sliver thin bolt of ice. The photo in the paper showed the brothers standing at the Boston Marathon. Near a place that would, in a matter of minutes, resemble more a ravaged war zone than a celebratory gathering of runners from around the world realizing their life-long, or annual, dreams.

Rollie Atkinson, Publisher of he Healdsburg Tribune, Windsor Times and Sonoma West Times and News was profiled by the California Newspaper Publishers Association in the Summer issue of their official publication "California Publisher".  The magazine covers the news and trends, the buying and selling, the technological developments and the historical events in California's diverse newspaper industry.   Decision-makers in the California newspaper industry look to California Publisher for the latest information to help them run an efficient, profitable and worthy business.  Suppliers to the trade rely upon California Publisher as their connection to all newspaper departments.

As an engineer, I have worked on projects ranging from anti-counterfeiting machines for currency to designing office furniture to a giant floating swan named Sandy. One thing is common in all these projects — I have to work well with others in order to accomplish a goal. I have had the pleasure of working with many people with many different personalities, good and bad. I realize that I may not have the best ideas myself, but as long as I have built a relationship with someone who has a good idea, we can work together and get something done.  

Plenty of us like to blame the government for all sorts of

We work hard to keep our gardens looking beautiful, so when we find our plants in distress it is hard to resist the temptation to head to the store and grab any product that promises to restore the garden’s beauty. While many people consider pesticides and fertilizers as a quick solution, they are not the safest options for our heath nor for the environment.

Red will be the dominant color for this weekend’s many red, white and blue Fourth of July celebrations, holiday picnics and weekend outdoor adventures. That is because we are now under a summer-long Red Flag fire safety alert issued by CalFire and others. Hot weather, busy humans and dumb moments are dangerous ingredients for tragedy and loss.