Local Opinion

I attended the Interfaith Day of Prayer event earlier this month. I wasn’t sure what to expect and found myself pleasantly surprised by the wonderful feeling that permeated the gathering. Nine different religions were represented. All the prayers were encouraging, and I thought several were quite beautiful. The overall atmosphere was one of community and cooperation. No one was claiming to be the only way to worship.

One of the things I enjoyed most throughout my political career was the opportunity to meet with young people. Almost without exception, they were curious, thoughtful and eager to face the world’s problems. I especially liked their optimism, their hope for the future.

Dear Amy: Several years back, my sister was in a pretty bad place. She was in her early 30s, still living at home, and didn’t have viable career plans. She desperately wanted to get married and have children, and none of this was working out for her, as she had very little self-confidence.

Dear Amy: My father died 20 years ago after a long battle with alcoholism. At the time, he was separated from my mother and estranged from my younger brother.

Dear Amy: In 1964, I met my wife “Laura” and her infant baby “Beth.” (Laura had gotten pregnant with a married man.)

Words like “giant,” “legend” and “icon” sometimes tend to get overused, but by the same token, they seem hardly adequate to describe longtime radio broadcaster Sam Simmermaker’s standing in the local and Indiana sports scene.

Today’s editorial cartoon.

I had been brooding about this for some time now and, in a particularly dark moment, determined to never vote again.

Dear Amy: My son “Jack” is 26 years old. Five years ago, he came out to me as gay. While this didn’t fully surprise me, it saddened me. I wanted Jack to have a traditional life. I wanted to have grandchildren.

When occupants of nearly 100 low-income senior households at The Villas in Columbus recently learned they soon will lose their homes, some wondered — and still wonder — where they will go.