My mom, sister and I drove to Golden Gate Park - a place I hadn’t visited since childhood - to see the “Tutankhamun…

The Chico Creek Nature Center is more than a gateway to Bidwell Park. It’s a place where wild animals and their strange yet familiar homes can be experienced. It’s a place where children and their questions are encouraged. Brushing up…

The atmosphere in Las Vegas creates a feeling that anything can happen, whether you’re ready or not.

Despite my initial reservations about going to Vegas on a holiday weekend, I still had the time of my life. And if I ate…

Photographs rekindle memories.

With one of my photo albums, I can transport myself back to a cool November hiking trip around Lake Oroville.

Richard and I got up early on a Sunday to hike around the lake and the Oroville Dam. We…

Every September the community of Paradise comes together to celebrate local history. “Days of Living History” is an annual two-day festival that raises funds for the Gold Nugget Museum. It also gives people a chance to learn something about the…

This summer, I’ve explored Upper Bidwell Park and Big Chico Creek.

For this computer geek, that’s a pretty big deal. I like the outdoors, but I don’t spend much time outside. I don’t own a bike, I haven’t gone camping in…

When the cobalt waters of Lake Tahoe come into view through the mountains, I soak up the scenery and let memories flood my mind.

Those memories include lots of lazy days at the beach with picnics and barbecues, childhood summers spent…

When my mom told me a few weeks ago that her best friend, Debbi, has breast cancer, I was shocked.

This is Debbi, my mom’s high school buddy, the woman who makes the drive from Sacramento to Chico every few months…

In Chico, the middle of May feels like summer. It is at least 100 degrees outside and there isn’t much wind. I needed to find water before I melted.

My fiancé, Richard, and I opted for the 10-minute drive to the…

After weeks of nervous indecision, 14-year-old Donovan Hanley decided to sign up for Chico’s annual spring yo-yo contest.

“Just entering the contest, I feel like I’m achieving something,” he said.

The contest was organized by Bob Malowney, owner of Bird in Hand.…

In mid-March, my fiancé, Richard, and I are driving to Seattle to explore the city and to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins for a couple of…

It’s a scary time to be a young journalist working at a newspaper.

But I have hope. Not for the newspaper industry, but for myself and my fellow journalists.

I don’t know anyone my age (25) or younger who subscribes to a…

The brittle branches droop with the weight of candy canes, glass orbs and plastic snowflakes.  
I’ve always loved decorating Christmas trees, but putting away the ornaments, colored lights and decorations isn’t as enjoyable. It’s a reminder that I’m packing away holiday…

Disneyland transforms for the holidays

By Lauren Brooks

Disneyland donned its best Halloween costume to celebrate the season.

Smiling jack-o-lanterns peered out of windows on Main Street while candy corn littered Disney’s California Adventure park. The ghouls of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before…

A quick recap from my last two columns: My fiancé, Richard, and I traveled to Incheon, South Korea, in August to visit my friend, Jessica, who is spending two years teaching there.

The history

Richard, Jessica and I visited the War Memorial…

A quick recap from my last column: My fiancé, Richard, and I traveled to Incheon, South Korea, in August to visit my friend, Jessica, who is spending two years teaching there.

The fashion

While riding the subway between Incheon and Seoul, I noticed…

I recently traveled half way around the world to visit my closest friend and to explore a country I otherwise wouldn’t have planned to visit: South Korea.

It was an unforgettable experience, filled with friendly people and memorable meals.

My fiancé, Richard,…

It’s a relief to see a blue sky.

The smoke from the Butte Lightning Complex fires blanketed Butte County for weeks. Fire turned the sky in Paradise orange. Ash rained down in Paradise and Chico. Wind and dry brush fueled the…

When I saw Fish wearing a tie and tearing duct tape with his teeth, I knew this was a wedding to remember.

While standing in a shaded part of Chico’s lower Bidwell Park in late May, surrounded by friends and family,…

A blindfolded man held his hands over a row of four steak knives. Three were point-down and one stood point-up. A tense crowd in the Chico City Plaza watched. The knives were covered, and, like the blindfolded man, the crowd…