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Editorials | Kankakee County










<p>With the election less than two weeks away, let’s stipulate the futility of any attempt by my humble column — or anyone else’s — to accomplish much in the way of changing voters’ minds. So-called independents and uncommitteds might waver until the moment they step into the voting booth, but most voters have made up their minds, and at this point few are likely to be changed by mere reasoning.</p>




<p>This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that had struck down a Pennsylvania law barring people under 21 from carrying firearms openly during declared states of emergency. It’s hard to really celebrate this as a victory given how basic common sense it is — that judges had found it proper to allow 18-year-olds to walk around with drawn firearms during emergencies strains understanding.</p>




<p>It used to be common to see “Let’s Make a Deal” contestants leave the TV game show smiling after winning $100 for every coin they could pull out of their purse or pocket. But as America moves ever closer to becoming a cashless society, it’s just as likely to see contestants who couldn’t scrape up a dime.</p>


<p>An underwater arts district. Health-care workers and patients stranded on hospital rooftops. Isolated residents pointing mirrors at the sky to catch rescue helicopters’ attention. The tragic scenes from Hurricane Helene’s path of destruction are nothing short of heartbreaking. In the two weeks since it made landfall, subjecting coastlines across the Southeast to storm surges and downpours, the tempest struck forcefully where few expect such events: inland, high in the Blue Ridge mountains. Consequently, even “ climate haven ” cities such as Asheville, N.C., felt the impact.</p>