Here we are, only a few days removed from what is being hailed by nearly everybody as one of the biggest and best Lakefests in memory — thank you, Mother Nature! — when cold, harsh reality sets in: The conclusion of the big celebration by the lake means the dog days of summer are officially upon us.

I never had the occasion to meet Heather Anne Tucker, the Bluestone 15-year-old who passed away this week, even though her battles with brain cancer, waged very openly and bravely, became a prominent part of life in the community and a recurring story in the pages of this newspaper. One couldn’t help but to feel for this beautiful young girl and her family as they confronted her terrible odds of survival. Yet while I may not know Heather or the Tuckers personally, I’ve kept up with their story from afar. There’s a reason for this: the disease that claimed Heather Anne’s life took my father, too.

It has come to my attention that soccer-bashing has become a sport unto itself in certain precincts of the Internet.

This latest incident reveals a larger truth about the Tobacco Commission: It’s become a corrupt organization...