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Linda Barufaldi and Joyce Marieb already have set a date: Aug. 30. That's when the couple – together for 35 years – plan to, at long last, marry.
“I'm delirious, I'm stunned,” Barufaldi said after learning of yesterday's California Supreme Court decision declaring the state's ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.
Other longtime gay couples in San Diego County expressed the same sense of exhilaration, saying they couldn't wait to exchange vows in front of friends and family. It's a moment many felt was long robbed from them.
“I didn't think we'd see this day in our lifetime,” said Barufaldi, who lives with Marieb in La Mesa.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who reversed his opposition to same-sex marriage last year after disclosing one of his daughters is a lesbian, declined to share his personal reaction to the ruling but said “the court has spoken.”
“We follow a rule of law, and that's what we'll do,” Sanders said. “I made my comments last September, I believe, and I don't really have anything else to say about them.”
Reaction among the religious community was generally divided along theological lines, with conservatives condemning the decision and liberals praising it.
“I'm very disappointed,” said Jim Garlow, pastor of the Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego. He called the ruling an example of “judicial activism,” and said it would inspire more people to join the effort to make such marriages illegal.
“This battle is not over,” he said, pointing to the push to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would only permit marriage between a man and a woman.
If that bid to change the state constitution reaches the ballot, it would be the second time in eight years California voters have been asked their opinion on same-sex marriage. In 2000, 61 percent of voters supported a ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man and woman.

signonsandiego.com

The problem is compounded in Sussex County by lack of affordable housing, high land prices and transportation issues that keep new businesses from moving to Delaware.
Then consider Delaware’s changing demographics. More than 134,000 Delawareans are over the age of 65. The fastest growing population in the state is older than 70. Delaware has a higher percentage of seniors over 80 than any other state, including Florida.
Most of that senior influx is occurring in Sussex County, and with that will come economic and social challenges. The graying of Delmarva — and of the country — will require hundreds of thousands of jobs in medicine and health care. Already the country faces daunting shortages in elder care, physical therapy, nurses, nuclear technicians and pharmacists. Insuring all Americans won’t matter much if we don’t have the medical facilities and personnel to care for the aging population.
So how do we educate young people and give them skills that serve the future needs of Delaware?
One idea might be to transform Delaware Technical & Community College from a two-year commuter institution into a four-year university focusing on health and medicine.
A university with dormitories and affordable housing for teachers, administrators and graduates could be a blueprint for the state’s long-term economic growth while addressing a booming senior population and an educated work force.
Throughout the United States over the next 20 years, more than one million nurses will be needed, along with more than 100,000 pharmacists, nearly 250,000 physical therapists and approximately 153,000 nuclear technicians to fill the void as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement.
That’s a lot of jobs and a lot of educating. So how do we pay for a new university?
With the real estate market in shambles, the state’s share of transfer tax dollars has slowed. Income tax revenue is declining. Taxes are never popular. And that was before the recession.

delawareonline.com

Rock band Daughtry led by former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry is coming to the Allegan County Fair at 7 p.m. Sept. 11.
Rock band Daughtry led by former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry is coming to the Allegan County Fair at 7 p.m. Sept. 11.
Daughtry is touring to promote its self-titled debut album, which has sold more than 3.2 million copies.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday.
All tickets are $39. Those who purchase tickets by Aug. 15 receive free fair admission, parking excluded.
Tickets are available at the Allegan County Fair box office or by phone at (888) 673-6501.
Tickets are also available through Star Tickets Plus at(800) 585-3737, StarTickets Plus outlets inside Meijer Stores or at www.starticketsplus.com.
Police looking for stabbing suspect
A female was stabbed in her left arm Friday afternoon near the corner of 15th Street and Pine Avenue in the parking lot of the Midtown Center building.
Sgt. Scott Weiss of the Holland Police Department said officers were searching for the suspect, who fled the scene on foot.
The suspect is believed to be a boyfriend or acquaintance of the female, Weiss said.
The female was transported to Holland Hospital by AMR ambulance for treatment.
No information was available about her identification or the weapon involved in the stabbing.
Center offering class on running
The Fennville Community Athletic Center is offering a class designed to transform you from a couch potato to a runner in seven weeks.
The class is 6:15 to 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays April 14 through June 5 at the athletic center on the campus of the Fennville Public Schools, 515 North Maple St.
Each session is 30 to 45 minutes.
One of the objectives of the class is to get the participants in condition to run the Fennville Fun Five K Run/Walk June 6.

hollandsentinel.com