The fall rains, which have caused problems in Oregon and parts of California, did little harm here, as the grapes were safely fermenting at most wineries by mid-October. Later, heat spikes shrank the grapes and reduced the tonnage but concentrated flavors and accelerated the onset of harvest. It opens up a bit hard and tannic, but give it a good airing (decant if possible) and it will soften up, adding layers of tea, tobacco and pepper. Meanwhile, new releases from the 2005 vintage are...

Locally financed children's programs are running out of money, a hoped-for increase in federal funding has not materialized, and the state is facing a $10 billion budget deficit. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared 2007 the "year of health care reform" in California, but thousands of children could actually lose insurance coverage in the coming months. While running for office four years ago, Schwarzenegger declared that as governor he would provide access to health care for the 800,000...

WHITMAN You can smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes and anything else that's legal and smokable inside the store. Brennan said it costs about $75,000 to open a full-stocked tobacco store n including a walk-in humidor insulated with imported Spanish cedar n and that he's happy to invest in downtown Whitman. in downtown Whitman is a breath of fresh air for smokers and for the local economy, said David Brennan, the store's owner. Brennan said his store would comply with all applicable rules and...

It comes from Amendment 4, which requires the state to spend 15 percent of annual tobacco settlement payments on youth anti-smoking programs. Note to Article Comment users pnj.com and its related sites are pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. Since pnj.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our Web site. In addition,...

In a year when Republicans face tough challengers for every other statewide office, the agriculture commissioner's race is the only one in which the GOP enjoys a comfortable lead. Using tobacco settlement money to pay for agriculture improvements ("If the money is coming to the private, let the private sector do it") And Democratic party officials would be happy to see them hold on to it, rather than hand the office to a candidate not of their choosing. The Kentucky Department of...