Columns

W hen Christy French was honored as Atascadero Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year last year, her achievement was notable for several reasons: her excellence in teaching, which advanced placement statistics, her love for her students and possibly her greatest strength, her grace and humility.

Since my family moved to Arroyo Grande two years ago, we have been pleased by our decision to put down roots in the quaint, historic town.

Here’s a question for all you voters.

The issue of whether state hospital police officers should be allowed to carry guns comes up every so often. I have addressed it a couple of times over the past 35 years as a reporter and an editor. As an editor, I opined that hospital police should carry guns just like their counterparts in the state prisons.

I got good news this week, and so did everybody else who drives in Paso Robles. Our City Council voted Tuesday to award a contract for “refreshing” the striping on some streets.

On Aug. 4, 1944, Cayucan Karl Haeuser was a staff sergeant based in England with the U.S. Army Air Corps when he was shot down over Normandy, France.

Invitations have all been sent. Toasters and Cuisinarts are starting to arrive. But you’ve got a sinking feeling. You want to call off the wedding.

Ella Thorp Ellis recently visited her “old stomping grounds” in Oceano and Halcyon, giving a presentation in Arroyo Grande to discuss her recent book, “Dune Child.”

On Monday, the Camp Roberts Historical Museum will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Memorial Day. Admission is free.

Compelling photos can tell a story — and move us emotionally — in powerful ways. After Tribune copy editor Jennifer Robillard noticed Thursday that the Associated Press had distributed some of the most disturbing wildlife images to date from the Gulf Coast, we knew we should play them large so readers could clearly see the impact of the thick brown oil along the Louisiana shoreline.

Just what are those perky yellow flowers that blanket our meadow in spring and summer?

We have had some beautiful weather here on the Central Coast. As summer approaches, I thought I would share some tips from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on how to keep your pets safe during the warm days of summer.

Unlike the vigorous storms that march across the Pacific Ocean and slam into California with all their might, stargazing sometimes can seem a little uneventful for many of us without a telescope. However, that’s about to change.

My husband and I acquired a travel trailer a few months back — that is to say we paid through the nose for it — and we like to call it Lance. I’ve never really been into naming vehicles, but this trailer just demanded a handle.