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This particular emergency room is all too familiar to me. I know the room numbers and their location almost by memory now, having been called upon to pray here more times than I care to recall.

But every situation is a bit different; this one caught me by the throat.

I had known Colin since he was a pup, baptized him, watched him grow to young adulthood, and prayed over him when he left home on the way to fulfilling his dream of a military career.

Politics aren't for everyone, I know.

But politics impact all of us, and Taylor County residents have a chance to be the change they want to see in the local political scene.

Next May, Taylor Countians will go to the polls and select the candidates they want to face off in the November primary election.

Next year, we will select a mayor and judge/executive, our sheriff and jailer, magistrates and city council members, our district and circuit court judges and state representative and senator, among other officials.

It won't happen again until the year 79811. That's 77,798 years from now. So if you're Jewish, enjoy the moment.

I'm referring to the concurrence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. Some American Jews are calling it Thanksgivukkah.

Actually Hanukkah begins on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, which this year falls on Nov. 28. It's a rare occasion for Jews to celebrate two holidays at once, one uniquely American - Thanksgiving - and the other singularly Jewish.

At the risk of sounding like a grouchy old person who just doesn't understand the younger generation, I'm going to share an issue with you that has finally bubbled over, and I can no longer quietly tolerate it.

I'm not sure when it started, but somewhere in the last few years, perhaps even farther back, I've noticed that younger people have been using the word "like" way too often, and they're also using it incorrectly.