Forget about kicking back and enjoying an American beer; a massive wave of consolidation is transforming the industry. According to a recent report by the Marin Institute, a California-based alcohol industry watchdog, a rush of…
Posts published in “Essays”
Some impulse purchases are more gratifying than others. This Thanksgiving was to be a small get-together; for our expansive family, an unusually restrained event. As such, we decided to keep our celebratory dinner to the…
The economic viability of Ukiah’s historic downtown is going to be shaped not by warring development factions but by a pending state decision on where to build a new Mendocino County Courthouse. The state Department…
It's one of the career changes some of Mendo's unemployed fishermen are pondering these days, according to a story about California's non-existent commercial salmon industry--and what local fishermen are up to--in the LA Times today.
There's an excellent new gallery in town with an open house this Friday (December 4). The gallery, Odd Hours, is perfect for the kids--by which I mean anyone whose brain hasn't turned to Gerber from years…
This is not the Pillsbury Doughboy. His name is Glen McGourty and he'sMendo's UC Extension Farm Advisor. (I use the term "farm" loosely.) Taxpayers pay Mr. McGourty to give free technical advice to grape growers/booze…
I first heard Clarence Carter a couple weeks back, while at the Gee-dub, as that fine Fort Bragg drinking establishment is known.
Welcome to Flypaper--a blog of observations.
Here's what you can expect in the coming months: a mix of reflections on culture and politics—both local and elsewhere—and reporter's-notebook style pieces derived from larger projects I'm reporting for the newspaper.