Columns

The TV was on, my laptop computer was running and my cell phone was receiving dozens of text messages by the hour. These forms of communication, along with a few others, have been employed heavily in recent days as I’ve immersed myself in the news coverage of Osama bin Laden’s death.
I was at home surfing the Internet the night of May 1 when a few Facebook friends said President Barack Obama would soon be addressing the nation regarding a “national-security issue.”

Veterans Remembered is the fifth in a series written in support of the Veterans Monument being built for the veterans of Lancaster County in hopes it will stimulate readers to remember those veterans who touched their lives and provide support of the Veterans Monument project.
A salute to the news media for continued support of the Veterans Monument Project and for publishing Veterans Remembered. We continue to receive a steady response of name registrations and purchase of pavers.

You probably have a favorite tree-lined street in your community. Or a tree-filled neighborhood you’ve always admired. Or a favorite forest where you like to bask in the beauty of the trees.
 It’s important to remember that those beautiful spaces aren’t here by accident. The forests we enjoy today – which give us both pleasure and environmental benefits – are here because of the vision, courage and hard work of generations past.

As I sit here thinking about how to write this column, what strikes me is the difficulty of putting into words the sheer sense of dread and helplessness I felt upon learning that my hometown of Dunn, N.C., was among those hard hit by Saturday’s tornadoes.
The news came around 7 p.m. in an uncertain phone call from my mother. Calling from our family’s vacation home in Virginia, all she had to go on was a hasty, unclear voice message left by a neighbor back home.