At a family reunion, my Aunt Abby and Uncle Glen got into a squabble over the best way to get their Medicare benefits. Uncle Glen is an Original Medicare man, and has been for a decade or so.

The topic of sexual abuse surfaced in a major way more than a year ago. We have been made aware of abuse to children in churches and to people in the performing arts. Many famous names surfaced as both perpetrators and victims. People accused of abuse lost their work positions. 

Sadly, the monarch butterfly population is declining. One of the primary reasons is the loss of open space where the monarchs’ host plants, milkweeds, grow. Alameda gardeners can help increase the monarchs’ numbers by building habitats in even the smallest of yards.

Seeking professional help is not for everyone. When a client comes to my office, I ask them to fill out a couple of forms. One asks for basic data. The other is a consent form. A client, or parent, must sign that they are agreeing to therapy and are there of their own choosing. 

On Jan. 26 City Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance requiring of tobacco retailers be licensed. The ordinance would also include a ban on the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco. Licensed tobacco dealers will need to pay an annual fee.

The last two weeks, I have heard many people tell me they have stopped watching the news. They say they feel overwhelmed, scared, depressed and helpless. I have asserted for many months that I believed the political agenda is affecting people more than they are aware. 

Though colorectal cancer cases have been steadily decreasing for the past two decades, it remains the third-most-common cancer in both men and women — with 90 percent of cases in people age 50 or older.