Collin Gaston

Past the politics, what I’ll remember most about our 41st president is he could get past the political agendas and be about humanity. Sure, he could – like anyone – lose his temper from time to time, but President Bush had friends on both sides of the aisle. He could take a joke and give some back. On Saturday Night Live, Dana Carvey’s portrayal of President Bush wasn’t always the most complimentary, but that didn’t stop him from appearing on the show to rib Carvey back.

No way around it, the shootings at a local Birmingham mall have rocked our area to the core. Hoover, Alabama will be the epicenter for an officer-involved shooting for the foreseeable future, as the facts of Thanksgiving night come together. Three people shot, one of them dead at the hands of local law enforcement, with a “shooter” still at large, will continue to breed national attention and interest in a most unwelcome and unfortunate situation.

Stronger than hate. That’s the message thousands are sharing on social media following the horrific shooting at a Jewish synagogue over the weekend that killed 11 people. These three words, even more profound, when used in context with the seemingly endless acts of hate this year. Even as I was writing this editorial on Monday, I received a breaking news alert about a North Carolina High School student dying after being shot and killed by another student.