To the Editor: I really enjoyed the article in the August Senior News regarding the “PETS Program [Ashley Gouthier, “PETS Keeps Seniors and Their Beloved Pets Together,” page 11]. It really touched me.

To the Editor: Dr. Jennifer Heidmann noted in her July column (“The Last Straw,” page 5) that pollution from factories and cars was estimated to cause about 42 million excess deaths worldwide in 2019. She then stated, “Here in Humboldt County, we have some of the cleanest air in the world, scrubbed by the Pac...

To the Editor: In 1983, psychiatrist M. Scott Peck published a book titled “People of the Lie,” a psychological examination of human evil. Peck’s central premise is that evil comes from deep-seated narcissism, which is a refusal to take accountability, and a chronic state of self-deception.

To the Editor: Thank you so much for the wonderful stories and photos in the August 2026 edition, “Animals Are People, Too!” Senior News is always a treat.

From the Editor: The August issue of Senior News, “Animals Are People, Too,” included a listing of Humboldt County animal rescues and shelters (“Help for Humboldt Animals,” page 21), reminding us that most of our local animal support organizations are honest and caring. Because of space limitations, the follo...

To the Editor: The influence that personal experiences have on public opinion, public policy and allocation of public resources cannot be overemphasized. Voices of courageous individuals and media describing personal challenges, struggles and suffering are what form the foundation on which progressive legisla...

To the Editor: I read the article on Parental Stress, kids, etc. [Brenda Cooper, “Parental Stress, Kids & the Rolling Stones,” June Senior News, page 1] and thought to myself, “I see so many stories centered on mostly loving parents and their offspring. Nobody talks about those of us who grew up with abusive,...

To the Editor: John Heckel invites other elders to join him in apologizing to young and future generations for allowing continued degradation of our planet and ruinous changes to our climate. Here’s my confession: In 1970, when I first saw a call to mass participation in teach-ins and other actions to challen...

To the Editor: I always get something good from Senior News, but thank you especially for the expansive examination of health care in the May issue [“Health in Humbioldt 2026”]. It is such an important topic, and I commend all your writers. Then I came across this quote from Groucho Marx that I wanted to shar...

To the Editor: Many of us seniors, especially in this rural area that is so prone to power outages, depend on our landlines. In some areas that is the only reliable form of telephonic communication. As you probably remember, AT& T made an effort a couple of years ago to get rid of its landlines, but had to pu...

To the Editor: “Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide/In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side/Some great cause, some great desires, off’ing each the bloom or blight,/and the choice goes by forever, twixt that darkness and that light.” So wrote James Russell Lowell in...

To the Editor: Joan Rainwater-Gish wrote in the May Senior News about a friend who realized he needed to downsize as he ages from his home he has lived in for years [“Extraordinary 80s: Planning for the Rest of Your Life,” page 8]. I commend her friend’s efforts in planning ahead. Joan lists his options as mo...

To the Editor: I’ve been on vacation and arrived home in NW Arkansas last night. I delighted to find the June Senior News issue [“Mothers & Fathers”] in my stack of mail. Here I sit, eating my third bowl of bean/veggie soup and drinking boxed white wine while I lavishly read the “Sr. News.” It’s so wonderful ...

To the Editor: I really appreciate Brenda Cooper’s article in the June Senior News [“Parental Stress, Kids & the Rolling Stones,” page 1]. Maybe because it was real life as it is — gritty. Not that my experience was hers, but something came through her article that I felt was mine, too. For the “Mothers and F...

To the Editor: Were you perplexed as I was over the May “Health in Humboldt 2026” issue of Senior News? As in this issue, recent local forums have addressed the current defective state of healthcare availability in Humboldt County. While pertinent questions have been asked along with recognition that our curr...

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, a...

To the Editor: Thank you, Senior News, for sharing information about and keeping us updated on local efforts to improve access to medical care here in Humboldt County [“Health in Humboldt 2026,” May Senior News]. I was especially glad to learn about the local businesses and public organization leaders coming ...

To the Editor: We’ve left Humboldt County, our home for 50 years. It wasn’t our choice, but we chose to. We moved to New York City because of age, because our children and grandchildren are here and for access to medical care. It’s a mixed bag. We don’t own a car, which is fine. We live in an apartment. We ha...

To the Editor: As a Board member of Tri-County Independent Living, I agree with Tim Haskett that there are many barriers for the disabled community to navigate in our area [“Challenges of Accessibility,” May Senior News, page 6]. I believe that improvements to accessibility have taken place in Humboldt County...

To the Editor: As elders, our mission is to set the table for the upcoming generations — our biological family and planetary family. As such, we’ve not only got the forks on the wrong side of the plates, but the plates are currently upside down and the napkins besmirched. We’ve got some work to do! One of the...