Dec 28, 2025
Officials responded with extraordinary speed when the pandemic struck in 2020. Schools shut down. Businesses closed. Church services were banned.
The goal was to reduce viral transmission and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. People were dying, especially older ones.
Now studies show many of the measures designed to limit virus spread had serious negative outcomes for health, education and the economy.
In the years since 2020, much public framing has followed a familiar path: “We didn’t know what to do.” At the time, professional voices who advocated for less radical reactions were censored or defamed.
Nov 28, 2025
A unique partnership between Jesuit High School and the nonprofit Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center takes place this month. It’s called Operation Cratchit.
For three days—Dec. 16–18—students deliver and unload truckloads of canned goods to help create holiday baskets. Residents sign up in advance to receive deliveries. Volunteers assemble the baskets.
The program is Stanford Settlement’s annual Christmas Basket and food-distribution project.
Jesuit students and families play a big role with campus collections of canned food and non-perishables. The donated items serve Stanford Settlement’s service area.
Oct 28, 2025
Look close at any neighborhood and you’ll see it. A neighbor delivers a meal to a friend recovering from surgery. A teenager rakes leaves for an elderly couple. Volunteers stack crates at the food bank or help with park cleanups.
We know these acts strengthen our community fabric. What’s new—and encouraging—is evidence that they strengthen our minds too.
A recent study by the University of Texas and University of Massachusetts in the journal Social Science & Medicine finds frequent helping—whether through volunteering or support to neighbors, friends or family—slows cognitive decline by as much as 20%.
Sep 28, 2025
Homelessness continues to escalate with 187,000 people living on California streets or in shelters in January 2024, a 55% surge since 2016.
Despite $24 billion spent from 2019 to 2023, the state accounts for 24% of U.S. homeless and 45% of unsheltered individuals, far exceeding its 11.6% population share.
Within this crisis sits Sacramento. Dangerous encampments, junk-filled streets, violence and public drug use are daily experiences for people living in desperation.
Aug 28, 2025
Midtown is alive with creativity and wonder with Midtown Association’s newest, most ambitious initiative yet, the Urban Dreams Art Experience.
The immersive art installation features 16 remarkable large-scale sculptures and art pieces. They transform rooftops, patios and public spaces into an open-air gallery.
Running through Sept. 14, the exhibition celebrates local talent with an eye toward whimsy and surprise. The project is monumental, with artworks ranging from 6 to 20 feet in height.
Jul 26, 2025
I love art openings. But I rarely write a column saying an exhibition can’t be missed.
This one can’t be missed.
It’s a new exhibition at Sacramento State’s Library Gallery, a powerful presentation called “Lost Childhoods.” The collection explores the lives of foster youth in our community.
“Lost Childhoods” features the voices of foster youngsters who share stories of loss, resilience and achievement within the foster care system.
Artifacts, photos and video portraits are displayed. The opening event was sponsored by the Foster Youth Education Fund, which provides financial support to local college students raised in foster care.
