Melissa Severa, Yokoji Zen Mountain Center resident, writes about “one woman’s story of wildfire, family and the Zen of survival.” Her story, “Mountain Fire Mama,” is a deeply personal account of the center’s narrow escape from fire and the major damage it subsequently suffered from torrents of water carrying debris and mud that buried cars…

American Legion Post 800 hosted five service vets hiking the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail as part of the “Warrior Hike — Walk off the War” program. The Warrior Hike, now conducted on three long-distance national scenic trails and three shorter trails in Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona, offers returning combat veterans a chance to…