Dakota Morlan is assistant editor for Comstock’s magazine and former editor for the Calaveras Enterprise, a newsweekly in the Mother Lode region. She has won awards for her reporting on crime and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more on Medium and her website, dakotamorlan.com. On Twitter @DakotaNMorlan.
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![Laurie Watkins with her mother, Nancy, who she took care of for eight weeks while staying at her home. Watkins is part of the sandwich generation, which refers to those supporting both a child and a parent. Nancy now lives in a memory care facility. (Courtesy photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/laurie_and_mom.png?1722458633)
When the Sun Sets on the Golden Years
The hardship and high cost of caring for a loved one in decline
For eight weeks in the summer of 2023, Laurie Watkins took leave from work to be her mother’s live-in caregiver. She had joined what is often referred to as the sandwich generation — those who are caring for both their children and their aging parents.
![As executive director of the San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Phillip Merlo understands the importance of cultural narratives. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/merlo.png?1717526128)
Young Professionals: Phillip Merlo
Meet the emerging leaders who envision a bright future for the Capital Region
As executive director of the San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Phillip Merlo understands the importance of cultural narratives.
![(Photo by Glynns Thomas)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/rayne.png?1710191595)
Women in Leadership: Rayne Thompson
Our annual salute to women at the top of their field
When Thompson attended college at Notre Dame of Maryland University, she chose to pursue her interest in psychology, hoping to “help people with their problems.” But, as fate would have it, she ended up doing that through policy rather than therapy.
![Bottle and Barlow reprised its annual tradition of including mischievous gremlins among its Christmas decorations. (Photo courtesy of Bottle and Barlow)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/rs_bottle_barlow_gremlins_pic.png?1703218001)
Enjoy the Holiday Season at a Festive Pop-Up Bar
Highly decorated spots offer specialty-themed drinks and winter vibes
If you can’t get enough of the holiday season and want to surround yourself with sparkling, glittering decorations while sipping on a craft cocktail adorned with cranberries and sprigs of rosemary, a pop-up bar is just for you.
![It's all hands on deck at Sub Sea Systems. Jim Mayfield, right, is president and CEO, alongside wife Melissa, daughter Hannah de Bie, and sons Kyle, left, and Keenan Mayfield. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_996500001.png?1696439127)
Submersibles That Run Deep
Family business spotlight: World leader in marine tourism is buoyed by family values
The Mayfield siblings grew up in the charmed nautical world of their father’s imagination. At the Sub Sea Systems workshop in Diamond Springs, power tools whir as two generations work side by side to build custom submersibles that resemble something out of a Jules Verne novel.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1701405664.png?1693320430)
Journalists Face an Identity Crisis With AI
Will ChatGPT and other AI tools make reporters obsolete?
Will generative AI replace journalists? Many of those in the business think so, if preventative measures are not taken. Others say it’s a tool for brainstorming and increased productivity.
![Nathan Langley is co-founder and CEO of RxGuardian, a company that develops and manufactures abuse-deterrent devices for safer medication storage. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/langley_lead.png?1688767915)
Young Professionals: Nathan Langley
Meet the 10 young professionals who are rocking it in their careers and community
For Nathan Langley, entrepreneurship has meant integrating his drive to save lives with his passion for innovation and sales, and the synthesis has helped him succeed. “Everybody is different, and their experiences are different, but I would find it much more difficult to have overcome some of the challenges that we’ve faced over the years if it wasn’t something I believed in,” he says.
![Are robots out to steal your money? (Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0523_scams_shutterstock.png?1684968109)
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.
![The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified Sacramento as having the greatest flood disaster risk in the U.S. This photo was taken at the convergence of the Sacramento and American rivers during our series of atmospheric rivers earlier this year that brought excess rain to the region. (Photo by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/lead_sac_flooding_2023_01_11_drone_fgdji_0232.png?1683826353)
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.
![The West Sacramento City Council is all female for the first time in its history, and the only all-female council in the Capital Region and just one of six in the state. (Photo by Wes Davis)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/ck0a8199.png?1679098291)
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.
![A major seizure of fentanyl along the Sacramento-Washington state corridor by the California Department of Justice.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/yuba_fentanyl.png?1675880754)
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.
![Adam and Angela Anderson, owners of their family business WealthGuard Advisors, with their son, Blake.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1022_feat_law_fredgreaves.png?1666366898)
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.
![Paul Molinelli Jr., co-owner of ACES Waste Services, has three of his four sons working for him. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/aces1.png?1665168125)
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.
![Kevin McAllister is executive director of Meals on Wheels America, a program that supports Sacramento County seniors with nutritious meals, social connection, community resource information and other essential services. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/macallister_web.png?1657575587)
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.
![(Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/hoiska_graphic.png?1647299166)
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.
![(Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/elliot_graphic.png?1646954594)
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.”
![Esperanza Ortis, co-owner of La Esperanza food truck, says operating a food truck is a lower-stress alternative to running a restaurant. (Photo by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/esparanza2.png?1642809237)
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.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/untitled_0.png?1592245979)
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.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/tech_1221-dec-final.png?1640712101)
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.
![Second-generation partner at Rosebud’s Cafe on Jackson’s Main Street Tyx Pulskamp waits tables inside the restaurant for one of the first times since the onset of the pandemic. His restaurateur family has erred on the side of caution throughout the many changes in COVID-19 guidance and continue to wear masks inside regardless of vaccination status. (Photos by Dakota Morlan)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0721_blog_amadorcounty_lead_1.jpg?1625251306)
What Life Looks Like in One of the Capital Region’s Least-Vaccinated Counties
Amador County businesses are bouncing back, but anxieties linger.