Once a park or trail is abandoned by families and children, it begins to become marginalized and eventually can become dangerous.

A coordinated effort to address some of St. James Park’s problems took place this summer. The process was a little convoluted and had some fits and starts, but the early results have been encouraging.

August 26 marks a turning point in the history of the struggle for equal treatment of women and women’s rights, and it’s appropriate to ask this week: How far have we really come?

There has been considerable speculation about the possibility of putting a Levitt Pavilion in St. James Park. I am going to provide some basic information and dispel some myths about the project, which should then inform any and all discussions.

Members of San Jose’s Levitt Pavilion Exploratory Committee recently had the opportunity to visit two sites in Southern California: Pasadena’s Memorial Park and Los Angeles’ Macarthur Park.

Considering the national obesity rate and the health benefits of playing outdoors, parents have every incentive to encourage their children to get off the couch and under the sun.

“What went wrong?” It’s a question I have been asked repeatedly regarding the demise of San Jose Rep, which filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier this summer.

The San Jose Rep began as an idea in my 27-year-old brain in 1979. For more than three decades, it was a home to top-notch professional theatre. I was then saddened and shocked to find out last month that the Rep board was declaring bankruptcy and ending the company’s existence.

Looking at St. James Park here in San Jose, many people forget that it is not simply a matter of cleaning out undesirable elements to make everything alright.

Influential voices on urban planning from the 1970s should be used for context when we talk about reshaping San Jose's parks—especially St. James Park.

The San Jose City Council has finally realized that staff keeps bringing back the same old thing on medical marijuana: a ban in the guise of regulations. Here's a sensible plan that will actually work.

There are currently at least three efforts to change the landscape and ambiance of St. James Park.

I am going to deviate from my usual writing to pay tribute to two people whose lives had a positive impact on our community: Janet Gray Hayes and Carl Cookson. Their accomplishments are many and great.

President Obama delivered a passionate, if not brief, speech about energy efficiency Friday at a Walmart in Mountain View.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to volunteer leaders and a few hundred citizens who have been cleaning our creeks, clearing our trails and preserving our parks while the City Council debates how to allocate its limited resources.

Two new initiatives we’re working on at the Santa Clara County Office of Education have the potential to be a model for how public agencies cooperate together to streamline and improve the delivery of important services to students.