Julie Lynem

When I read the news last week that a government task force had changed its guidelines on routine mammography screening, I did a double take.

While watching the HBO miniseries about the life of President John Adams last year, there was one scene that gave me chills.

The Morro Bay four-plex where Brad Ross lives was abuzz with activity on a recent weekday. One fellow resident needed help finding her glasses. Another stopped to show us some of his prized artwork.

When the heat of mid-June in Michigan rolled in, I often daydreamed at school about summer vacation. I looked forward to family trips, backyard barbecues and riding my bike until the street lights flickered on.

In the six years that I’ve lived in this county, I never had the pleasure of meeting or interviewing John DeVincenzo, the local orthodontist, farmer and businessman who died last weekend.

Roxanne Carr could have become another statistic.

After living in California for more than a decade, I’ve learned to take the ribbing from family and friends in other parts of the country who don’t share my enthusiasm for the place.

Whether you agree or disagree that Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates’ arrest for disorderly conduct at his home was racially motivated, this much is true: The incident has touched a raw nerve in America and once again raised the question: How will we ever come to terms with race?

At some point, it happens to us all. Maybe someone teases you for being too short, skinny, fat or tall.

Hector Torres spent two decades of his life serving his country as a soldier in the Army National Guard.