Columns

A couple of heavy rainfalls this month at Stratford Ecological Center on Liberty Road resulted in standing water in the Vernal Pool for the first time in six months. Vernal pools, as their name implies, fill up in the spring and empty out during the summer months. However, our own pool often retains some water year-round. This year’s phenomenon is another indicator of how dry the year has been since early May.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is the title of a song that seems to have been running through my mind since the year 1945, when it was first sung by Bing Crosby. I first heard it when our oldest sister had a phone call from her husband, who happened to be in the Navy and was stationed in California.

People often tell me they’re interested in stargazing but don’t want to spend much on expensive equipment. They can perhaps learn a lesson from the first astronomical telescope owner, Galileo Galilei.

This week we called on the EPA to reject three proposed rules that would hurt Ohio steelworkers and steel manufacturers.

A Sept. 30 Delaware Gazette story about the Community Development Block Grant program has been brought to my attention. The program has granted $495,000 to the city. The money will be used, with other funds, toward the Noble Street Neighborhood Street Improvement Project, which will improve nearly 7,000 feet of pavement between Bernard Road and London Road. This is good news.

The Symphony continued its 45th season on November 18 with three intriguing works by Gala Flagello, Francis Poulenc, and Howard Hanson. Once again, Jaime Morales-Matos, now in his 21st year, served as music director and conductor of the orchestra. He is as vibrant and energetic as ever, undiminished in his ability to rally the orchestra to soaring heights.

“The right to an attorney, although paramount, is sometimes in conflict with the right to have a timely resolution of a case. We’re really walking a tightrope between both needs.”

Once again, the White House was trying to push through a trade agreement behind closed doors with no enforceable labor standards. The good news is, this time we put a stop to it.

When you’re driving in your car on the way to work or the grocery store, how often do you think about the road you’re driving on? Or the traffic signal at the next intersection? While these might blend into the background to the average person, a team of skilled engineers pored over their design and placement to optimize the infrastructure that makes our daily lives run smoothly.

Last week, I wrote that Jupiter is the third-brightest object in the nighttime sky after the moon and Venus. However, such matters are often more complex than simple pronouncements would suggest.