Opinion

“After five decades in the publishing business, one thing remains true: no two days are ever the same. Covering the news is inherently unpredictable, making each workday unique. Journalism isn’t a nine-to-five job — whether you’re at the New York Times or the Claremont Courier. And one has to be prepared to handle anything thrown your way. Sometimes literally.”

“I gotta hand it to the Trump administration: they’re getting results. We’re overwhelmed. The ‘flood the zone’ ‘muzzle velocity’ upending of American institutions, traditions, and norms outlined clearly in their dystopian playbook, Project 2025 — which candidate Trump repeatedly distanced himself from — has by design left us in a dizzying state of churning anxiety.”

“In the old story, God was not in the fierce wind, nor the crushing earthquake, nor the fire. God was the gentle whisper, the still, small voice. Life, lately, has felt like a tornado. An earthquake appears to have split this country into two completely separate, unrecognizable halves. This split runs right through my family.” Photo/by David Zawila

“This production was a great example of the power of live performance. For years, I went into Los Angeles to see high-quality live theater. But these past years I’ve grown tired of sitting in traffic, and I’ve come to appreciate that there are plenty of opportunities to experience the power of live performance in and around Claremont.”

by Nan Cooney | Special to the Courier     I was recently assaulted with a deadly weapon. No, not physically, but I think the word assault also applies to crimes perpetrated by hackers and scammer against person’s finances, emotions, self-confidence, and faith. We all know someone who has been scammed. In my case, I logged in […]

by Peter Weinberger | pweinberger@claremont-courier.com There are moments when issues that affect the well-being of all of us must be brought to light. This is one of those times. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican — our rights are under siege as President Trump and his administration systematically dismantle key government […]

“I’m a big fan of democracy, and as such, tuned to President Trump’s 13-hour address to a joint session of Congress. As expected, it was rife with chest pounding, game show pizazz (“You’ve been accepted to West Point!” “You’re a Secret Service agent!” “You get a car!”), racist asides, and outright lies. Y’know, the usual.”

By Pamela Casey Nagler and Marcella Zita | Special to the Courier Despite chaos and disruption in our federal government, circumstances have recently improved in some areas for many California public school teachers — including in Claremont — along with some other government workers. On January 5 then President Biden signed into law the Social […]

“Do you recall the saying, ‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun’? With apologies to Noel Coward, I would like to revise that to say, ‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen and RAGBRAI cyclists go out in the midday sun.’” Photo/by John Watts

“If ever there were a state best positioned to resist the Trump administration, it’s California. Famously, we are the fifth largest economy in the world. With that kind of outsized productivity and economic firepower, perhaps we ought consider that recent $1 trillion purchase offer from kindly Denmark.”

“Important changes are happening at the Claremont Courier: coming soon we will select about six stories for premium access — exclusive for subscribers. We resisted implementing a paywall for years, but the post-pandemic decline in online subscriptions has made it necessary.”

by Daniel Han Tae Choi | Special to the Courier The clock hits six o’clock and the line is Disneyland-esque. I’m working as efficiently as possible to scan items and I’m only midway through my shift. A customer — let’s call him Chad — slams his groceries on the conveyor belt like he’s preparing for […]

“My Facebook account was hacked last week. It felt like I’d been digitally burglarized, a strange reaction coming from a vocal critic of what social media is doing to us, how its poisoned our discourse and made us into reactionary outrage monkeys.”