Columns

By Billy Fried I just returned home from three weeks in Florida, caring for my mom (with my daughter) while her regular caretakers got a...

Right Here - Right Now By Susan McNeal Velasquez   Have you ever wondered if you picked up the wrong nametag at the registration table of life?...

By Roger Bütow Charlene Thomas’ well-intentioned “Tips for the sewer repair crew” letter to the editor in the Dec. 29, 2023 edition of the Independent offered suggestions...

An Alpine Christmas with Our French Family Our Laguna-born and bred younger son, Todd, lives in the quaint French village of Sallanches, located about a...

By Michael Morris Many news stories in 2023 referred to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and systems such as ChatGPT learning from information taken from various sources....

By Rob Hellewell With great sadness, we announce the passing of Skip Hellewell. For the past six years, Skip has written the “Finding Meaning” column...

Flip Your Attitude Switch  John Gottman is a researcher who created a system to determine the success rate of relationships based on studying videotapes of...

By Roger Bütow The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA (pronounced SEE-QWAH) was created by the California State Legislature in 1970. Subsequent revisions over the...

Editor’s Note: The Independent is proud to continue its partnership with the Third Street Writers in publishing holiday-inspired stories by Orange County authors. By David...

By Billy Fried You know that saying about not realizing how good something is until it’s gone? I fear that could be the case with...

Home for Christmas By Ann Christoph Staying home in Laguna for Christmas has unexpected charms. One thing led to another when I went to my china cabinet...

By Rodney Hatter  It was the first Christmas after my marriage separation, and my former wife had custody of our two sons for Christmas Eve....

By Amy Capron The first Christmas you were no longer with us, our girls were all grown, the first grandbaby was born, and we celebrated...

Devoted to You My trainer, Cliff, plays music from the 50s and 60s while I follow all his commands to lift the impossible. Last week,...

By Billy Fried OK, I was more than skeptical when Rivian rode into town (silently) and bought our beloved South Coast Cinema after an interminable...