BY EILEEN BRADY
THE NEWS JOURNAL OF WILMINGTON, OHIO ​

A few days before we celebrate the Fourth of July, the Senate will vote on a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the “power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.”
The amendment is referred to as the flag-burning amendment, although purists would say that desecration comes in many forms. 
One quick drive around Wilmington proves that even the most well-intentioned patriotic Americans are already ignoring the current U.S. Code regarding the flag. The code doesn’t actually impose penalties, leaving that up to the states, but it still provides federal guidelines for flag treatment. 

BY EILEEN BRADY
THE NEWS JOURNAL OF WILMINGTON, OHIO ​

My daughter is only 3, so I don’t yet worry about her emulating Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. That doesn’t mean there aren’t celebrities influencing her all the time. Along with favorite cousins and aunts and uncles, my daughter, Pearl, is thrilled when she gets a glimpse of other idols around town.
At the YMCA there’s Miss Pam, who always keeps an eye on her while I’m on the treadmill. There’s Mr. Tony at the post office, generous with both lollipops and kind words. And then there’s pretty much any checker who offers an “I’ve been Krogering” sticker or two.
But the biggest A-list celebrity in Pearl’s world is Miss Heidi, who is in charge of children’s programming at the Wilmington Public Library.

At least now I don’t have to remember whether it’s Thursday or Every Other Thursday. 
The city recently changed recycling pickup to become weekly, but it was just one reason that it’s not surprising that Wilmington’s curbside recycling rate is an abysmal 2.7 percent. 
It’s possible for communities to have successful curbside recycling programs. Ann Arbor, Mich. (population 22,000), has a 90 percent participation rate. Of course, people in Ann Arbor started getting serious about recycling in 1970, and Wilmington’s curbside program came along 35 years later. But in those 35 years, recycling has gone from obscurity to household word, so it’s not as if “curbside recycling” is a brand-new concept to Wilmington residents.
I love to recycle — not just for the altruistic benefit, but because it seriously reduces what’s in my trash can. 
I have lived in communities with successful curbside services and some without. When we moved back to Wilmington a couple of years ago, I was surprised not to receive the familiar plastic recycling bin when I signed up for garbage pickup.