Category: John Spevak

Another rural newspaper has recently shut down– the Del Norte Triplicate, after 146 years of serving the community of Crescent City. It’s another case of an American newspaper biting the dust in a disturbing trend. Over...

The Los Banos Community Center (645 Seventh St.) is the hub today for many community activities and events. People old and young use it often, ever since it opened in 2010. But most people who use the center don’t know the...

The road to wellness often takes many twists and turns. Such was the case for the road to Complete Body Wellness. Another way to put it is this: How does a young woman who grew up on a buffalo ranch in North Dakota find her way...

Over the years in this column, I have often talked about the pleasures of reading. I will do that again today – in particular, the pleasure of reading a book that unexpectedly delighted me. I wouldn’t have thought a short novel...

If you are a veteran, listen up. If you know a veteran, help! Be a part of the Los Banos Stand Down coming soon — on Thursday, Aug. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’re a veteran, make it a point to come. If you’re a family...

It seems these days that there is a war on education, especially on college education. One national commentator wrote that college is an “overpriced scam.” Another stated that “many college degrees are useless.” I could cite...

Today I’m recommending a book written by a Spivack. That’s not a misspelling. It’s the way Miranda Spivack, the author of “Backroom Deals in Our Backyards,” spells her last name, although it’s pronounced the same as mine....

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from readers of column, so today we’ll read some of their responses to this columnist’s musings. Today’s responses come from individuals who read my columns online. The most frequent and...

The Westside Express has survived now for three years. The first TWE issue was published on May 25, 2021. Many people thought it wouldn’t survive one year, let alone three. Many other people have asked publisher Gene Lieb and me...

I have hope in a pope—in fact, in two popes. I have hope in Pope Francis — because “Hope” is the title of his autobiography published earlier this year, a book I purchased and recently read. I have hope in Pope Leo XIV...

What is the task you dread most? And what is the place, above all, you want to avoid? For some people, it’s going to a doctor or a dentist. For others it might be going to work for a supervisor who treats you like dirt. Or it...