The scent of pumpkin pie caramelizing in the oven is wafting in the air, potatoes are steaming in the pot as they await mashing, and cranberry relish is glistening in a pretty glass bowl. ’Tis the season for holiday cooking!

So many of our beloved holiday celebrations center on food traditions. As you gather your family and friends around your festive holiday table this year, you’ll likely find at least a few people on your guest list who avoid animal foods to some degree. Read moreVegan Holiday Eats

Ben Kuroki peered from the plexiglass top turret of his B-24 Liberator and sensed this would be the biggest moment of his life.

It was Aug. 1, 1943, and Operation Tidal Wave was underway, the daring, low-level surprise air raid on Hitler’s critically important oil fields in Ploiesti, Romania.

Many thought it would be a suicide mission.

For Ben, the mission was terrifying, but it was a long time coming.  Read more‘Most Honorable Son’

Two Meiners Oaks, Ojai Valley, residents are planning to return to the West Bank this winter after spending two weeks in the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani, in the Masafer Yatta region. In April, Naimah Holmes and Cyrus Mayer traveled to the West Bank as volunteer human-rights observers with the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement. Read moreWest Bank Witness

Isha Ferraz’s determination has created an abundance of dance opportunities in the Ojai Valley through the nonprofit Dance Ojai, which operates out of Ojai Art Center. Isha teaches the art of movement in a way that is both affordable and accessible — people in the dance classes range in age from teenagers to septuagenarians. Read moreOjai World Dance Festival

Suzy Cadham, one of the 12 original “Golddiggers” on The Dean Martin Show, has hobnobbed with many heavyweights of Hollywood’s Golden Age on TV sets and stages across the globe. After many years of performing with the best of the best, Suzy now calls the Ojai Valley home; Read moreA Life as Good as Gold

‘You and I have a dead man’s switch.’

“I have been notified of very specific, and very direct and detailed threats against my life, as well as against anybody who may have information, assets, or contact with additional whistleblowers or individuals who are aware of this program, so much so that I’m taking action through law enforcement to make sure that they are aware.  Read moreJeremy Corbell takes Congress to The Outer Limits

How Casa Barranca set the standard for style, community, and the art-focused ethos of the Ojai Valley

Whether you’re walking through downtown on a Sunday morning or peeking out the car window while passing through, the echoes of Ojai’s past call out from landmarks we sometimes take for granted: Read moreOjai's House

‘If we don’t awaken our communities to what’s going on, this plant could very easily literally become extinct.’

— Elena Rios, certified nature and forest therapy guide and cultural specialist with the Chumash Fire Department, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

  Read moreTending Sage

In the more than 20 years since my daughter was born in Ojai, I have made hundreds of trips on Highway 33 between Ojai and Ventura. Not long into that time frame, I noticed a sandwich board by the driveway of a property in the heart of Casitas Springs. It said, “Henry Segura, Pinstriping.” Read morePinstriper, Henry Segura

I fell in love with Ojai during a visit when my son was 2. I observed the peaceful pace, the beauty of the valley, the kindness of the people, and knew immediately that this is where I wanted to raise my son. I instantly felt passionate about the community and made it a goal to give back in some way. Read moreOjai Family Photo