A Good Prescription

To the Editor:

I want to thank Dr. Heidmann for her March column “What is Good Health?” As a participant of Redwood Coast PACE, I was encouraged by her words and insights.

I live daily with chronic illness and pain, and her last paragraph has become a great way for me to focus on my health: “Good health is, at its simplest, the ability to do things that bring you joy.” What a great way to define it, and what a great way to live each day with a healthy mindset and a reminder to do those things which bring me joy!

Thank you for your insight and for your work with PACE.

Vicki Stevens, Fortuna

EXTRA!

Lucy and the Movable Rock

By Rich Jordan

September 4, 2026

Lucy was a Cornish game hen, and she was brilliant. She came into my family's life in 1982, joining a long line of other non-traditional pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs, assorted birds, and even a tarantula. We always had a cat or three around, and a dog from time to time. I unabashedly admit that I was mo...

EXTRA!

Follow the Dog

By Michele Francesconi

August 28, 2026

The game had no rules except one: follow Duke wherever he led. Each day with Duke, my half-collie and half-German shepherd companion, was a celebration as he led me across the mountain to hidden creeks where I drank icy water with my hands. One morning, the sky turned white — no trail, no tree line, no sense ...

News, September 2026 - Artificial Intelligence

‘Saving Radiance’ or ‘Unbearable Disturbance’?

By Ted Pease

August 26, 2026

Science fiction, Hollywood and pop culture have long speculated — sometimes with fright, sometimes with eager anticipation — on the impacts of technology on human life. Back in 1936, Charlie Chaplin’s “little tramp” viewed industrialization as the dehumanization of society, with humans reduced to cogs on conv...

Columnists, Jennifer Heidmann's Column

ASK THE DOCTOR: Dr. Google

BY JENNIFER HEIDMANN, M.D.

August 26, 2026

If you have taken part in medical care in the last year, it is likely you have encountered artificial intelligence (AI). It is increasingly used to write medical provider notes, sometimes by directly listening in on visits. It is also widely available to lay people and doctors alike to answer questions about ...