Vigil at BYU, Va. Tech on Minds of Columbine Parents

Newspapers from across the nation are writing local stories in connection to the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech which claimed 32 lives.
"The Austin Statesman" is reporting that local Korean residents are coping with the after-effects of having a person of their heritage committing this heinous crime. It is unfortunate that people have already forgotten that one of the victims, Mary Karen Read, 19, of Anandale, Va., was of Korean heritage.
"The Deseret News" out of Salt Lake City is reporting that hundreds gathered for a vigil at Brigham Young University. Kaye Nelson reported that Marisa Kelly, a BYU junior from Woodbridge, Va., organized the event:
"I was devastated when I heard what happened," Kelly said. "I found out a friend of mine was killed and I felt like we weren't paying enough attention to them."
Another vigil was held at the University of Utah, according to the paper.
And, "The Rocky Mountain News" out of Denver reported that Virginia Tech was on the minds of Columbine High School survivors who held a ceremony recognizing the eighth anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 13 lives in Littleton, Co.
Charley Able reported that there was a somber mood at the ceremony. One resident summed up the connection between the two tragedies eloquently:
"Especially this year, this is very important because of what happened at Virginia Tech," said Todd Ponton of Aurora, Co. "School violence is still an important issue in this country and around the world."
"The Roanoke Times" reported that there were a surprising number of absences in the class taught by Liviu Librescu, the 76-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was killed by the campus shooter. In a class of 25, only 16 attended Monday. The weather was unusually cold in Blacksburg, which many believe contributed to the low attendance figure which helped save some lives.
I made an error in an earlier entry regarding shooting victim Reema Samaha, a Lebanese-American wtih an interest in dance who won a critic's choice award for her performance in a high school production of "Fiddler in the Roof." I said her age was 19. She was actually just 18.

Useful links:

http:/www.deseretnews.com

http://www.rockymountainnews.com

http://www.roanoke.com