Dakota Morlan is assistant editor for Comstock’s magazine and a freelance contributor to other online publications, as well as former editor at the Calaveras Enterprise, a newsweekly in the Mother Lode region. She has won awards for her investigative reporting on local crime and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more on Medium and her website, dakotamorlan.com. On Twitter @DakotaNMorlan.
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Scammers Are Using AI to Steal Your Wealth
Here’s how to detect them and protect your assets
Using AI, criminals can be craftier, more convincing, and nearly impossible to detect — even for the otherwise tech-savvy.
Drought and Deluge
Experts are racing to protect the Central Valley from a catastrophic flood
Unlike “The Big One” earthquake that is overdue along the San Andreas Fault, experts don’t have an ominous name for a flood of biblical proportions that is likely to inundate the Central Valley within the next 500 years.
Women Who Represent
More women are running for office and getting elected
The most recent election for West Sacramento City Council has marked a move toward equity — particularly when it comes to female representation. For the first time in history, West Sacramento has an all-female city council and mayor, who are also all women of color.
Yuba County Struggles to Deal With High Opioid Rate
Resources are strapped when a smaller county gets hit by the fentanyl crisis
First responders and law enforcement in the semi-rural county are working with limited resources to respond to the multi-layered drug problem.
Pay Parity: Game Changer or Employer Problem?
What happens if a proposed new law forces employers to reveal everyone’s salaries?
New legislation may change how businesses, big and small, draft
job postings and how they report pay data to the state — and
their employees.
Keeping Amador County Clean and Green
Showcasing four-generation family businesses in the Capital Region
ACES Waste Services’ roots are in San Francisco, where the
co-owners’ ancestor started a waste collection company called the
Scavengers Protective Association. Today, the Amador County-based
company gives back to the community.
On the Fast Track: Kevin McAllister
Meet 13 young professionals who are on the fast track, bringing new ideas and innovations to the Capital Region
Before most people had fully realized the gravity of COVID-19,
Kevin McAllister, executive director of Meals on Wheels, was
already stocking up on supplies for the program. His preparedness
paid off.
Women in Leadership: Amber Hoiska
Our annual salute to extraordinary women breaking barriers and rising to the top
Amber Hoiska is breaking the glass ceiling of the male-dominated
roofing industry, and she wants more women to seize
the opportunities with her.
Women in Leadership: Nicole Elliott
Our annual salute to extraordinary women breaking barriers and rising to the top
As director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, Nicole Elliot leads 400 employees through what is essentially a testing ground for future legislation. She describes her regulatory work in the new industry as “a massive social experiment.”
Tasting To-Go
Mobile eateries find natural home in Amador County’s wine country
Amador County food trucks are expanding the meaning of fast
food by combining seasonality, convenience and relationships
with wineries.
Comstock’s Talks: Final Frontiers
PODCAST: As remote work continues to be normalized within the technology industry, techies are migrating to the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California.
Final Frontiers
How the obstacles and allure of small-town startups impact rural innovation
As remote work continues to be normalized within the technology industry, techies are migrating to the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California. Several local tech entrepreneurs share their successes and hurdles.
What Life Looks Like in One of the Capital Region’s Least-Vaccinated Counties
Amador County businesses are bouncing back, but anxieties linger.