Columns

Undergraduate enrollment in American colleges and universities is down for the sixth straight year. There are many reasons for this decline.

First and foremost, many states are seeing very limited growth in the number of high school students, and some states and specific regions of states are experiencing a decline in high school population.

A second reason for the decline pertains to the economy. Unemployment is very low in most of America right now, and it is well known that when it is easy to get a job, college attendance rates go down.

Many of us have probably seen a Facebook video about a woman unhappy over the potential danger in a semi-rural neighborhood.

Here’s what happened:

By her house is a highway that contains signs warning motorists of deer that often populate and congest that area. And close to those signs is a school-crossing zone.

Beth Speaks for Herself — by Beth Urech

For the March 2 Rotary of Las Vegas Mardi Gras benefit, I wore a mask which garnered several comments and queries, especially on the dance floor. Before I elaborate, let me exclaim that the event was a rip-roaring success.

NEWS ITEM: The United Methodist Church voted on Feb. 26 to reinforce its ban on openly gay clergy and same-sex marriages, leaving in place a longstanding policy that states, “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

The United Methodist Church is built on a connectional structure that ties all its leaders and congregations together. Local churches share their ministers and their money in such a way that ties people together in meaningful ways.