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1 month ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
PHOENIX – A half century ago, the rallying cry was “old enough to fight, old enough to vote.’’Now some Republican Arizona lawmakers are making the same arguments about smoking in opposing efforts to set the minimum age to buy or possess tobacco products in Arizona to 21. It currently is 18. That would bring the state into conformity with a 2019 federal law.
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1 month ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
The Wall Street Journal on Trump and the Houthis:One of the Biden administration’s worst failures was letting Iran’s terror proxies in Yemen shut down a crucial global shipping lane and shoot at the U.S. military with impunity. President Trump sent a better message on the weekend by ordering significant air strikes against the Houthis that are a step toward restoring deterrence in the region.
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1 month ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
The rain this past week reminded me of my first storm in Yuma. Some of you might already have heard me tell this story. It started to rain, which for me was no big deal, but then we heard in the newsroom that schools had shut down and kids were sent home early. What? I was confused. Why would schools close for rain? Coming most recently from the White Mountain in northeastern Arizona, schools only closed early or shut down for snow storms. Not just a little snow. Big snow storms.
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2 months ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
Did you catch last month’s story on the Sunshine Awards ceremony? Reading it made me feel good. I love that good customer service is being celebrated so prominently. It’s true that frontline workers are often overlooked. Who are these frontline workers? As the story noted, they’re the servers who take your order at your favorite restaurant. They’re the baristas who remember your name and favorite drink. They take your payment at gas stations.
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2 months ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
I’ve written often about how well my mother-in-law and I get along, so well that we continue to live together two years after the death of her son, my husband. We often hear that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law don’t get along, but is that just a stereotype? I wouldn’t know. Carmela is the only one I’ve ever had, and I love her dearly. As a matter of fact, I met and loved her before I met and loved her son. So when people refer to us as a modern-day Ruth and Naomi, I’m flattered.
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2 months ago | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
Eggs have become so expensive that some people are considering raising chickens in their backyards. I have a friend who has been thinking of doing this even before the bird flu sent the price of eggs soaring. Personally, I can’t eat something I have seen alive. Yes, I joke that the hamburgers I eat grow on trees. And I’m fully aware that circumstances can change so drastically that one day I will have no other choice. But until then, I can’t do it.
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Feb 4, 2025 | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
It’s happened again. COVID has invaded our home. But it’s a very subtle invasion, so subtle that we didn’t even notice initially. My mom felt like she couldn’t breathe. We thought it was an anxiety attack because that’s how they normally feel. There were no other obvious symptoms. She asked me to take her to the ER at 3 a.m. I thought we would go home soon. To my surprise, they ushered us immediately into triage and then into a room, where they immediately put the respiratory team on call.
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Feb 2, 2025 | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
I had the privilege of sitting at the “winner’s table” during Friday’s Yuma County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Gala Awards. I totally made up the “winner’s table” name, but let me brag about the honor of unexpectedly sitting between two of the award winners. Yuma Sun Publisher Lisa Reilly won the “Chamber Champion” award for her unwavering support of the chamber and its members. I know because I see it.
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Jan 28, 2025 | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
I know Yuma has been in a dry streak with hardly any rain for several months, but I haven’t lacked for water. I turn the faucet on and water comes gushing out. We take that for granted. I never thought about how dry streaks and drought can affect the wildlife around this region. I recently talked to a wildlife enthusiast about water projects in the desert, and I was surprised to hear that some big-horned sheep have died from lack of water.
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Jan 25, 2025 | 
yumasun.com | Mara Knaub |Mara Knaub Sun
Breast cancer is not a light-hearted matter – I have two close friends currently battling the disease – but I must confess that I was downright in awe of recently being able to touch breast cancer. I also got to watch E. coli grow in a petri dish. Maybe not for those with weak stomachs, but I was fascinated. I had the privilege of peeking behind the scenes of Onvida Health during White Coat Shadowing Day, accompanying physicians and healthcare providers in their work environments.
