Today's Opinions

When I first came to Williston and found out that graduation was in Gainesville, I was a bit surprised. Chiefland, Cedar Key and Bronson all hold their commencements at the schools. Then last year I went to graduation for the first time, and it was pretty good. I was still wondering how I would like traveling out of town for a Williston ceremony. This week, I went again, and I've come to the conclusion that my first impression was wrong. Going to the University of Florida's Center for the Performing Arts is a great thing, and I applaud whoever thought of it originally.

Editor's Note: This is a column published annually, with some minor changes, by the editor.

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I never knew my Uncle Joe.

Somewhere there's a slide or a picture of him holding me on his lap shortly after I was born, but soon after that photo in early 1944, the sergeant shipped out.

He was not only my uncle, he was my Godfather.

He died in Normandy just one month after D-Day. I found his name on the Web, complete with the plot number in the cemetery in which he is buried.

There were some items in the news from this area recently that deserve comment.

BOY DIES ON HIGHWAY: In neighboring Ocala, a 7-year-old boy was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while he was crossing Interstate 75 on foot.

Take the time to digest a couple of things from that sentence: 7-year-old, and crossing the highway on foot.

There are a number of blogs going on about this incident, and they are divided into two camps. First, they feel sorry for the parents and want to help them, and second, where were the parents when this was happening.