Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! It’s amazing that we are reaching the conclusion of another year. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season spent with family and friends.

To give my mom a break from worry I moved to Oakland from Newport Beach to go to college in 1969. Well, she still worried, but at least matters were out of her hands.
The college I went to was California College of Arts and Crafts (affectionately called something like flatulence and laughter). It was very small and intimate.
I recognized a face. It was Bob Gardiner, an acquaintance from Newport. We became great friends.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
A time of caring, and giving, and goodwill towards man. And also a time where there's not really a lot happening so everybody makes lists to recap the year.
This is mine. The list of things I really liked in 2019.
Resident Evil 2

The holiday season has taken hold in Hampton and the spirit of giving has followed.
Mailboxes and doorsteps are constantly full and a steady stream of traffic has filtered in and out of area businesses for the past few weeks.
We spend countless time, money and effort on planning the perfect gift for mom and dad, husband and wife, brother and sister to make sure everyone’s Christmas comes with a smile.

A long time ago, well, 2012 to be precise, Disney did the unthinkable and bought Lucasfilm, ushering in a new era of Star Wars content to be consumed.
At the time, I questioned if Disney was capable of doing justice to the beloved franchise with a new trilogy of movies without the involvement of George Lucas.

As 2019 nears its end, it's time to look back at those we've lost along the way.
I am, of course, talking about genre television shows that have aired their last episode this year. Whether receiving a satisfactory ending or an unresolved cliffhanger, we'll see no more from these programs in 2020.

I was driving by Willie's Sports Bar and noticed a bumper sticker, “Question Authority.” It reminded me of the rest of the story to last week's column, “Thank You, Governor Bradford.”
I had continued to research the Plymouth Colony and found that it collapsed and Governor Bradford died a rich man while the colonists lived in squalor. How did this happen?

I do not need a 55" 4K smart television.
I probably do not have room for a 55" 4K smart television.
I don't have anything that outputs at 4K to properly utilize a 55" 4K smart television.
I connect my TV directly to my computer, bypassing any need for the "smart" components of a 55" 4K smart television.

Education goes beyond the text in math and English books.
A vital part of education is instilling the knowledge in students that service and caring for one another is important for not only themselves, but for the community as a whole.

Thanksgiving was declared first in 1624, after a bountiful harvest in Plymouth Colony. In present times, Thanksgiving begins The Salvation Army's campaign enabling us to help others we've never met.
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, the natives taught them how to survive in their new home. They planted corn and it did well. But their sys-tem of ownership had followed them from England.

Once upon a time, in 1998 to be specific, The United State's Congress enacted the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which does pretty much what it says. It protects the private data of children under 13 that use online services and requires that content on the internet made for children abide by strict rules and regulations.

We’ve officially entered the season of thanks and good tidings.
This week, we will pack up cars, tidy our homes and fire up the ovens to celebrate Thanksgiving and after that, the focus turns to the winter holidays.
This time of year is meant for us to celebrate what we have. Health, family, careers, wealth and possessions are all worthy of a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation.

Last week was a good week for geekdom.
Disney+ launched, giving viewers endless binging opportunities to fill their weekend once they finished watching "The Mandalorian."
High profile games like the new Pokemon entry and "Star Wars – Jedi: Fallen Order" have released to generally positive acclaim.
And we finally got a new look at the re-done CGI design for the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie.

To the editor:
I am writing this letter to inform you that I will not be running for the Auditor's position in the June Primary and the General Election in 2020.
I have many good memories working for the county for 32 years, and will miss seeing all the people and the many friends I have made throughout the years.

Several years ago we had hay and straw stored in a barn a couple of miles away. Hans and I went over there to get some straw for the pigs and found that 600 bales of hay were missing. The sheriff came out and wrote on a notepad and looked at some tire tracks and said, “Hmmm.”