Two accidents and a senseless act of violence, and this community is without three bright lights that once walked among us.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of James Karpinos, Jake Billings and Irina Yarmolenko, who grew up here and, just as they were taking wing, are now gone. Each had left for college and was just preparing to show the world what they were made of. Their deaths, coming in rapid succession over the past couple of weeks, have left many of us with a profound sense of loss.