Every so often in this space, I enjoy touching on a variety of subjects. If you read the USA Today newspaper in the early days, you’ll remember that Larry King, the former television talk show host, wrote a column consisting entirely of one-sentence thoughts. I enjoyed reading that column, but my thoughts will be a little more than one sentence.

• What an awesome sight we saw Tuesday at the base of the Calhoun Street Bridge, as the funeral procession of former BPS officer Collin Hastey passed under a 30-foot American flag held by two fire trucks. While I have never experienced it personally, law enforcement officers, firemen, and first responders hold a special bond with their peers and it was truly heartwarming to witness such a display. Just a few days earlier, former BPS Captain Willie King was laid to rest, also led by a procession of his fellow officers. Both of these officers left us too soon, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families.

• This past week, we lost two giants in the music and entertainment business. Dick Clark died Wednesday of a heart attack at the age of 82 and Levon Helm died Thursday of cancer at the age of 71. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone that didn’t enjoy some aspect of Clark’s vast and varied career. From American Bandstand to TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes to The $10,000 Pyramid to Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, Clark could very well be considered among television’s most loved personalities. Often known as “The World’s Oldest Teenager,” Clark, along with many of his creations that still exist, will be sorely missed.

• Levon Helm, while not nearly as well known as Clark, was also a huge influence in American music. Helm was a vocalist, drummer, and composer with The Band, the musical group from the 1960s and 70s that combined folk, rock, country and blues music. The Band was best known for the songs “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

• Congratulations to the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County and its executive director, Rick McCaskill, on being honored with a Partnershipping Award from CSX Railroad.  By building such a strong and positive relationship with a crucial cog in the economic development effort, McCaskill has positioned our community to take advantage of every opportunity to that might come our way.

• As you well know, we have county-wide elections coming up soon. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about possibly holding a discussion forum involving the candidates. Is this something that you would be interested in? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to hear the candidates’ views on important subjects in our community? Depending upon the number of contested races, I am considering sponsoring a candidate’s forum. Would such a forum interest you, and would such a forum help the decision-making process leading up to the vote? Shoot me an email at jeff.findley@thepostsearchight.com. I welcome your thoughts.

Jeff Findley is the publisher of The Post-Searchlight. You can email him at jeff.findley@thepostsearchlight.com.