Visions of hope amid pandemic

Sept. 26—Larry Williams/Jefferson City, Mo.

The little girl on the cover of your Hope Awards issue makes me smile every time I see her.

Signs of trouble

Sept. 26—Tom Plowden/North Augusta, S.C.

Question about QAnon

Sept. 12—Teresa Mahlstedt/Houston, Texas

QAnon is one of the greatest distractions Satan has thrown at the Church in my lifetime. Many Christians have decided to “do their own research” and in their naïveté have fallen down the rabbit hole. The only cure: Love God with all your mind.

James Brewster/Pomfret, Md.

Nowhere and back again

“This is not the year you want to roll the dice.”

Dr. Jennifer Vines, health officer of Multnomah County, Ore., encouraging people to get a flu shot this year. Health experts worry a double outbreak of seasonal flu and COVID-19 could overwhelm health systems. 

Died

Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose dizzying solos made rock ’n’ roll fun again, died of cancer on Oct. 7. He was 65. His band, Van Halen, formed in 1974 with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen; singer David Lee Roth; and bassist Michael Anthony. They released their first album in 1978 and dominated the rock scene for more than a decade, first with lead singer Roth and then Sammy Hagar. Van Halen’s best-known work includes the songs “Jump,” “Right Now,” and “Panama.” He also played the famous guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s 1982 single “Beat It.”

14.8%

The increase in the number of murders and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses nationwide during the first six months of 2020, compared with the first six months of 2019, according to the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report. However, the rates of some other types of violent crimes fell: The report, released in September, found that violent crime overall had fallen 4.8 percent in the Northeast, 1.8 percent in the Midwest, and 1.1 percent in the West, with only the South seeing an increase (2.5 percent).

Public school uncertainties

Aug. 29—Dave Exley/West Melbourne, Fla.

The phrase “police their children” during virtual education is misleading for parents. To train up a child, I suggest “supervising” and “mentoring” offer a better mindset.

Rescue teams needed

Aug. 29—Barry Bertram/Campbellsville, Ky.