Opinion

My good friend Marvin Byers has left this world. His unexpected passing, on Dec. 17, is a day now stamped into my memory. It is a day, that, if I were a city official, would be spelled out in brass and marble in the...

Memo from Pastor Erickson This week’s Gospel lesson is about the Baptism of our Lord. In it, you may find the geographical references quite interesting. Mark tells us that John the baptizer appears in the wilderness along the Jordan River and that folk from the Judean...

It is widely accepted that our dependency on automobiles is a potent contributor to the climate crisis. What is not so well understood is how auto dependency initiated a new phenomenon: transportation poverty.  Prior to the automobile revolution, walking was how both rich and poor...

Once when I was a youth pastor, a sixth-grade boy came up to me and asked, “Robby, where’s the rules part in the Bible?” Not sure exactly what he meant, I asked if he was looking for the Ten Commandments. “No, the rules part!”...

As you might imagine, I’ve met a lot of people on this job — bankers, drifters, teachers, painters, priests, janitors, surgeons, pilots and other reporters.

By Casey Clark Hi neighbor! We may have already met. Yes, it is election season. Yes, I am running unopposed, but believe me, I would never dream of taking your vote for granted. Let me tell you of the dreams I do have. I have a dream...

Summer is here and just in time. We are coming out of a pandemic that has affected our lives for more than a year. So many of us were confined to our houses as we continued to live our daily lives. In-person engagement was...

When I first heard that the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds would be hosting its first-ever drive-thru Christmas lights event, I was both excited and surprised.  Considering the limited budget and resources the Fairgrounds is currently dealing with after not being able to hold its premiere...