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FROM THE PULPIT: Wisdom in Purpose

Local Columns

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” “Vanity of vanities!” “Futility of futilities!” “Vapor of vapors!” Depending on which translation of the Bible you read, one of these phrases will likely confront you promptly in the book of Ecclesiastes. Some form of the Hebrew word hevel (לֶבֶה) shows up dozens of times in this book. Elsewhere in Scripture it is commonly used to describe idols. In this book we get not only hevel but “hevel havalim” - “vapor of vapors!” If I say a king is “King of Kings,” it means of all kings this one is the greatest King. If I ...

Ross Gallabrese: Early voting interesting

Local Columns

Early voting has been underway for more than a week now in Ohio. It's an easy way to cast your ballot. All you have to do is stop by the board of elections in the county you reside in, show your ID, sign in and vote — the same procedure you would follow if you went to your local precinct on Election Day. Many people prefer to wait until Nov. 3 to cast their ballots. And that's fine, too. Others have chosen to utilize the state's mail-in early voting option for many reasons. Some want to just get their obligation out of the way. Some know they won't be in the area on Election Day. ...

CUMMINGS: Political candidates all need our prayers

Local Columns

Earlham College, on the outskirts of Richmond, Ind., is run by the Society of Friends (Quakers), who are famous for their sometimes silent worship services. Years ago, however, some of the Earlham students held the exact opposite of the traditional Quaker silent meeting. Faced with examinations and attendant academic pressures they felt the need of a tension reliever. So, at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday, about 100 students met on mid-campus to hold their first “All-College Scream.” After screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs for about 15 minutes, most of the students said they ...

Registration Error Shows Why Election Safeguards Matter

Local Columns

Recent news out of New Jersey should serve as a warning for election officials across the country. A software error involving the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission resulted in as many as 6,600 people being registered to vote despite indicating they were not U.S. citizens. The mistake underscores a basic reality of election administration: errors can happen, and states need safeguards in place to prevent them when possible and catch them when they do. Ohio has done a good job of building those checks into its election system. It starts with registration. Ohio uses an opt-in system ...

Ross Gallabrese: Standing the test of time

Local Columns

October is always a busy month, with many different festivals, events and dinners planned to take advantage of good weather before things really start to cool down in November. Some of those events are first-timers, put together as a way to bring members of a community together and raise money for a church or civic organization. Others have survived for several years and have reached the point where they have become anticipated. And others have been around for decades — or more than a century — and have become important parts of the calendar. A couple of those are coming up ...

Ross Gallabrese: Election season gets serious

Local Columns

In case you haven't noticed, we are heading into the back stretch of the mid-term, election cycle. We're down to a month before Election Day, which falls on Nov. 3. There aren't many local races on this fall's ballot. The only contested race, in fact, is for the Jan. 1 Jefferson County commissioner seat between incumbent Republican Eric Timmons and Democrat Brent Nemeth. All of the other races at the county level will be uncontested. That doesn't mean area residents won't have things to vote on. There are 18 local issues on the ballot, a few of which will affect every county ...