Spencer Daily Reporter: Column: By Paula Buenger, Publisher: Proms bring excitement to rainy weekend

Area schools hosted their annual proms this past weekend and, while the weather outside may not have cooperated, the scenes inside were spectacular.

I made the trip to Everly for the Clay Central-Everly prom and was so impressed with the beautifully decorated space and the even more beautifully decorated young ladies and gentlemen. Liz Kardell and her crew of students, staff and parents did an incredible job bringing the city lights to the CCE gym.

Prom is a coming of age rite as old as, well, even older than I. It's so great to see the young men and women we're accustomed to seeing in T-shirts and jeans so wonderfully cleaned up and polished. The excitement, the flashbulbs, the smiles, can make even the oldest publisher feel young again.

It was a safe prom weekend. And that's the most important thing. I was so disappointed I wasn't able to go to Everly on Thursday to watch the "Every 15 Minutes," presentation. I heard so much positive feedback on how much of an impact the program had - on parents and students alike.

At 17 or 18, it's easy to feel invincible. This program showed how making the wrong decision can have a devastating impact on so many lives.

Here in Spencer we just had the measles scare.

Now comes the swine flu.

Experts are throwing around words like "pandemic."

The news is full of reports of states of emergency and travel restrictions. The case numbers in the U.S. doubled from 20 to 40 overnight, and deaths from the disease in Mexico have topped 100.

It shows just how small our world is these days and how quickly these diseases spread.

The war in Iraq has claimed another fallen hero from our region.

This time, the fighting struck pretty close to home.

Army Sgt. Leroy Webster of Hartley was killed Saturday while on patrol in Iraq.

He leaves behind a young wife and three beautiful daughters.

Leroy is the son-in-law of friends of ours, and while he was the 4,278th young soldier to die in the conflicts there, he will forever be for me the "face" that represents so many.

Please keep his family in your prayers through the days and months ahead.