Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Rich In Thought - Sit Down, These Ain’t The Cheap Seats

I recently had the pleasure – and luxury given their cost – of some excellent seats for games of both local major league baseball teams as they pursued the post season.

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - Transitions And Adjustments

Well, after much planning and talking about doing it, I've finally managed to make good on my plans to cut back. I've successfully cut back to 15 hours a week with a solid plan to make my graceful exit from the newspaper staff by January.

Marg-Ins – Back Down The Road

One of the interesting things I have discovered about being a parent is that opportunity to re-live certain moments, certain aspects of your own life when your children get to that same place.

Tight Lines – Hounding The Hunters

Last week, California Governor, Edmund "Jerry" Brown signed Senate Bill 1221 to outlaw the traditional hunting of bears and bobcats with hounds. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the new law will ban any hunting of bears or bobcats by using hounds. The Bill was authored by Senator Ted Lieu of Torrance, California, at the request of The Humane Society of the United States. Supporting groups include the ASPCA, Sierra Club, and numerous anti-hunting groups. Opponents of ...

Kimberly’s Book Reviews

Grading system: 1 star - wallbanger, don't waste your time 2 stars - mildly interesting but still flawed 3 stars - average 4 stars - good read 5 stars - excellent Thief of Shadows Publisher: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN: 1455508322 5 stars Maybe it's because when ...

Marg-Ins - Rising To The Challenge

The only thing that was disappointing about the recent 'Rachel's Challenge' community presentation in Oakdale was how few members of the community turned out.

Ike’s Sights - I’d like To Solve The Puzzle: Justin Martin Sandoval

"It ain't easy to walk to the top of a mountain. It's a long, hard walk. It's a rocky road. But I plan on walking. Oh I'm gonna walk…hard. I will walk hard."

Editor’s Notebook - Finding Inspiration

As awe-inspiring and patriotically thrilling as the 2012 Summer Olympics were, the London Games are now history, the medal totals in the books, many of the U.S. athletes already lining up endorsement deals or looking ahead to 2016 for another shot at gold.

Community Corner - What’s Growin’ On …

For many people, Labor Day was the last chance to head to the lake for a little water-skiing and boating – a last blast of summer. In the old days, it used to mean the start of the school year.

Rich In Thought - Not Every Olympian Gets A Medal

With the closing of the London Olympics earlier this month, I was impressed with the United States team's 104 medal count leading the way over other countries, with some competitors even receiving multiple medals. While I stress that making the US Olympic team is quite an honor in itself, I also accept that not all of the competing 539 US athletes received a medal – and rightfully so since the games are a highly competitive event.

Still Matters – The New Girl

Hello, Escalon, Oakdale, and Riverbank. I am the new girl at the Oakdale Leader office. You may have seen my name on a few different articles, pictures, or both in various issues. Or by now, you may have even met me in person.

Community Corner – What’s Growin’ On …

Happy New Year! We all survived the Mayan calendar apocalypse and the "Fiscal Cliff" – kind of started to remind me of the Y2K phenomenon 13 years ago.

Stuff ‘N Nonsense - A Graceful Exit

I have an issue with finality. At the end of every year, as everyone is celebrating the ball drop on a New Year, I'm lamenting the fact that I'll never be in that moment again - another year lost to time, never to experience again. In that second before the big calendar change, I panic just a little knowing that it's over. I'm happy to report that the panic doesn't last but ...

RICH IN THOUGHT - Be Prepared, Do Something, Denial Kills

Ramblings – This Scribbler Calls It Quits

Resigning from any job is bound to quicken the heartbeat but retiring from a career is downright frightening. I did just that at the end of November although I've been on medical leave since August.

Marg-Ins - Keeping The Perspective

When you start adding it up, a column a month for 19-plus years working for The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News, I've probably covered about all there is – and some topics, more than once.

Community Corner – Sending Out Holiday Wishes

Happy Holidays to our wonderful community! MOPS/MOMSNext would like to extend a warm wish for love, peace and togetherness during this holiday season. We here at MOPS/MOMSNext have been having a great time crafting, cooking, sharing meals and also listening to some amazing speakers. We recently went out into the community and attended our very first community block party put on by our local Center for Human Services. What a great and fun family outing! ...

Editor’s Notebook – Holiday Season: Opportunity Knocks

Elections are over, the political ads are gone from television, radio and the print media, and now people can turn their attention to everyday life and getting back into the routine.

Marg-Ins - Reaching Out

What a difference a month can make. Our columns here give us a chance to put down our 'reporter' or 'editor' labels and just be real people for a change. It provides us with an opportunity to offer an opinion, talk about something personal as opposed to writing a story about a football game or a council meeting.