Columns

The most puzzling astronomical event associated with Christmas is undoubtedly the star the Magi followed to Bethlehem in the Biblical book of Matthew.

December comes with many fabulous lists. There is the 2023 Ohio Holiday Lights Trail, a list of 70 locations all over Ohio that have some of the best light displays you can find. Head to ohio.org to see the ones that you can experience right here in Central Ohio. Retailers will promote their “Best Toys of the Season” lists. (I can already attest that the flying orb ball will cause more frustration than fun. Save yourself.) And you can always bet on the annual New York Times best books of the year list. The editors’ choices aren’t always the most popular, but they do leave an impression on the reader. Read through to the end to catch a few of the titles chosen.

“I am resolved to take Trenton.”

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.”