By Craig Smith Christmas Tree Lighting • Veterans Park • Wed. Nov. 26th 6 p.m. Napa Christmas Parade • Sat. Dec. 6th 5 p.m. Picking the theme for this year’s holiday activities in Downtown Napa was easy. “The Downtown Napa Association (DNA) board members chose ‘Joy to the World and Peace on Earth,’” said Bill La Liberte, Executive Director of the DNA, the organization that organizes the events. “It’s a great time of year to reflect on how we can all support each o

Melodie Hilton |  Chuck Peckinpaugh  |  Cynthia Kirk By Craig Smith Melodie Hilton Melodie Hilton It’s been a long time ago, and Melodie Hilton can’t remember exactly how many grade schools she attended. “I lost track, but I’m pretty sure it was just under thirty for my first 10 grades,” she said. Her gypsy-like mother had the family on the move all the time, from Pennsylvania to Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona. Looking to put down roots, Melodie lef

Education for Workers and Their Families By Kathleen Reynolds “Driven to become the best farmer he could be, Roberto Juarez began taking viticulture classes offered by the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation. He soon realized that achieving this goal required learning English, so he enrolled in the Foundation’s English Literacy Program, which he completed in 2017. Now fluent, Roberto embraced ongoing education, taking every course available through the Foundation in areas like

Quake Mosaic By Kathleen Reynolds “There’s something satisfying about taking broken things and putting them in some sort of order after a...

Charlie Toledo By Craig Smith Charlie Toledo re-organized the Suscol Intertribal Council as its Executive Director in 1992. In her early...

Sarah Anne Risk |  Derek Moore |  Amy Pyles By Craig Smith Sarah Anne Risk had an idyllic childhood near Greensboro, North Carolina. She...