With our declining, aging population, it is news when someone moves here — in this case all the way from Beijing (and Hong Kong and San Francisco before that).
I’m pleased to note that Kenneth Howe, a longtime journalist, and his wife, Alexis Alrich, an accomplished classical musician and composer, are now residents of western Nevada County, CA. My wife Shannon and I have known Ken and Alexis for years, both socially and professionally.
Ken and I worked together on the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle for years. At that time, Ken wrote about BofA, Wells Fargo and the banks, and I wrote about Chevron, United Airlines, Crown Zellerbach and some other big S.F companies. We have enjoyed classical music soirees at their apartment in The City, among other gatherings.
I left The Chronicle to help with the launch of CNET, as Editor of CNET News; Ken became the Chronicle’s Business Editor, then wound up moving to Hong Kong, where he was an editor at the South China Morning Post and Wall Street Journal. Then he spent a short time in Beijing, helping to launch an English news site for Caixin Media on multiple platforms. The two love to travel — their Facebook pages shows them touring Asia, from the Great Wall to the Hong Kong ferries.
We saw them here last summer when Alexis visited Grass Valley for the Nevada County Composer’s Cooperative “Wet Ink” performance at the Peace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley. She was one of the composers/performers with a composition called “Muse of Fire.” They have gotten to know some other locals such as Mark Vance and Howard Levine, enjoying Howard and Peggy’s B&B in Grass Valley.
A few years ago, Ken emailed me about my views of the area. We exchanged some views, and he read my blog. Like many others, Ken and Alexis were attracted to the area’s natural beauty and the Yuba River. It also was more affordable than much of Northern California.
They plan to retire here and will be in a semi-retired mode. Ken said he plans to freelance, work on a book, and perhaps dip a toe into local politics! Ha!
You will find them to be a delightful couple and welcome addition to our little community.
