Bill Morem

What’s to be made of a guy who owns a bookstore that has a sign inside the door that reads: “Don’t tell my mother I own a bookstore; she thinks I’m in prison”?

It’s one of life’s little ironies that as we’ve found more ways to stay in touch with each other — Blackberrys, tweeting and cell phones that can do pretty much everything but open a can of creamed corn (for now) — we’ve become less communicative with each other.

There was a time when professional golf tournaments were sponsored by the likes of Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch.

Let’s file this one under “Unclear on the Concept.”

As we immerse ourselves in that most joyous of seasons, tax time, here are a few examples of how well the government is spending our hard-earned bucks. Pencils ready?

Whether you love him or hate him, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, there’s one thing almost everyone can agree on when it comes to state Sen. Abel Maldonado: The guy’s at the head of the class of ambition.

As noted in a column last week, I would like to have chatted with former state District 2 Appellate Judge Donald N. Gates before he died, such was the scope of his interesting life.

Like many folks of a certain age who still read a newspaper, I immediately check the obituary page each morning when I open The Tribune.

They were beat, standing there in frayed jackets and thin ponchos, their faces fatigued from having slept in the cold rain of the previous night.

The Rev. Cynthia Rae Eastman has experienced more hard knocks than should be borne by any one person: A teen runaway, homelessness, multiple surgeries and poverty have all shaped her life.