![A rural road in Penryn. (Photo by Vince Migliore via <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en">Wikimedia Commons</a>)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/rural_road_penryn_california_sierra_college_blvd._-_panoramio.jpeg?1577874531)
Insurance Carriers May Be Making Rural Health Care Worse
Living in rural America certainly comes with a number of benefits, including less crime and a lower cost of living. But rural Americans also face disparity in health care, exacerbated in part by insurance carriers and the networks they put together for their consumers.
![(Photo by Matthew Keys via Flickr Creative Commons)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/25069002066_266cbe9ed3_o.jpg?1577874530)
Growth in Data Breaches Shows Need for Government Regulations
Data breaches continue to grow in size, frequency and intensity. Company responses are typically inadequate, so now it’s time for government regulators to step in.
![A water fountain at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Sacramento. Research shows access to urban water features like fountains could yield psychological benefits similar to those provided by green nature. (Photo by Matthew Keys)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/img_5320.jpeg?1577874531)
Access to Water Features Can Boost City Dwellers’ Mental Health
Research shows being close to so-called “blue space” like river trails, a lake or even urban fountains can have certain psychological benefits similar to those associated with green nature.
![(Photo via Pexels)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/forest-trees-fog-foggy-5049.jpg?1577874530)
How Climate Change Is Making Christmas Tree Shopping Harder
Droughts in 2012 and 2014 and spring floods in 2019 have taken a toll on plantings, particularly young saplings.
If you’re shopping for a live Christmas tree this year, you may have to search harder than in the past. Over the last five years Christmas tree shortages have been reported in many parts of the U.S.
![The designs for the new I Street Bridge provide plentiful space for pedestrians to take advantage of the views of the two cities and the Sacramento River. (Design renderings by T.Y. Lin International Group)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/people_walking-thru-v1.jpg?1577874531)
New I Street Bridge Is Innovative — and Can Become a Tourist Draw
The neighboring cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento have the opportunity to create an iconic and innovative bridge crossing the Sacramento River.
![Restauranteur Lina Fat appears on an episode of Capital Public Radio's "Insight with Beth Ruyak." (Photo by Beth Ruyak, courtesy of Capital Public Radio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1119_blog_food_fatobit.png?1577874530)
Lina Fat Was the Matriarch of Prominent Sacramento Restaurant Business
She was the woman who helped keep Frank Fat’s a vital component of regional political life while expanding the brand and solidifying the Fat family as one of the most prominent names in the Sacramento hospitality scene.
![(Shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1119_blog_leadership_shutterstock.jpg?1577874530)
What Being a Leader Means to Me
We learn through life and career experiences — whether through our own experiences in a leadership role, or by watching others lead or watching them fail.
![(Pixabay via Pexels/Creative Commons)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/cash-coins-money-pattern-259165.jpg?1577874530)
Why Donors Should Stop Pressuring Nonprofits to Pinch Pennies
Rewarding charities that scrimp is less strategic than it sounds.
The end of the year is a popular time to give to charity, but no matter what time of year it is, donors want help deciding which charity to support.
![(Photo by Kaboompics via Pexels/Creative Commons)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/man-reading-newspaper-6053.jpg?1577874531)
Five Things Schools Can Do to Help Students Spot Fake News
News literacy involves understanding how news filters into the public domain.
When it comes to news literacy, schools often emphasize fact-checking and hoax-spotting. But they must go deeper with how they teach the subject if they want to help students thrive in a democracy.
![(Photo by Matthew Keys)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/express-yourself-quick-opinion-newspaper-collection.jpg?1577874530)
If the Public Pays, Local News Can Repair Fractured Trust in Journalism
The appetite for smart local news is there. The challenge is figuring out how to make it sustainable.
With the polarization of America’s media and politics reaching a fever pitch, many news consumers – “worn out by a fog of political news,” as a recent New York Times feature put it – are respondin