The police found 4-year-old Sammy and her baby sister crying hysterically in a blood-spattered motel room; a disheveled stranger lay on the floor. The baby was filthy and hungry, with no food--just a bottle of spoiled, moldy formula. Mom was incoherent. That night,...

There’s something amazing about taking a lump of clay in the morning and, by the end of the day, having a beautiful creation. Born in 1961, Kenny Standhardt grew up on a Pennsylvania Dutch farm near Boyertown, forty miles northwest of Philadelphia. “My family was the...

For most folks, the experience of underage drinking could not be construed as a positive career choice, but there are exceptions to every rule. It’s been a busy season for Aaron Bergh, founder of Calwise Spirits in Paso Robles, near the Tin City development. On June...

After a 34-year career with the Los Angeles Times that eventually landed her in London as managing director for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Maryann Grau swapped her business suits for fitness wear. But Grau hung on to one thing from her years in...

With three marathons to his name, Grover Beach City Manager Matt Bronson believes there’s an analogy that can be made between the workings of local government and what takes place when an individual sets out on a 26.2-mile foot race. “Running 26 miles is quite a...

Imagine this is your timeline: You finish high school in 1943 … you work at a few jobs locally around Arroyo Grande … you listen, watch, and read about the USA entering World War II because it is the right thing to do … you decide to join the Marine Corps because you...

She wasn’t expected to live more than 20 minutes. That’s what the doctors told Tara Olson’s frantic parents when they arrived at the hospital shortly after the car crash. But against all the odds, and with a defiance no one expected, this month, Tara and her family...

Like bees near the nest, boys buzz around the Cambria Bike Kitchen. On rugged bikes built for mountain trails, one boy pops wheelies, while another takes to the air over dirt mounds, then pedals his bike to where his buddy is about to practice balance while navigating...

The Wellness Kitchen, 1255 Las Table Road in Templeton, has been helping people treat illness through food. The nonprofit not only provided gluten-free and dairy-free therapeutic foods, but also provides education for prevention and continued wellness. Since its...

Every man, woman and child on the planet Earth—and the handful of humans currently aboard the International Space Station—has a story to tell. Trundling along down here on highways and byways, in towns large and small, it’s customary for us to exchange them from time...