Threat of identity theft makes us change our obits

A sign of the times: One of the popular features in our paper is the daily publication of obituaries on Page B2. But we have had to make a big change in what we publish with respect to one key fact: date of birth of the deceased.
As News Editor Andy Castagnola shared with me yesterday: "You may have noticed how the Obituaries are omitting the deceased's date of birth in favor of just the month and year of birth. It's not a mistake. Sharon, the new obituary clerk, said it's to thwart identity theft."
A sad fact of life in these times.

Good reading: I commend our Ticket entertainment section to your reading today. Reporter Sarah Linn has an interesting cover story on the rise of local bands who come to their music from a Christian perspective. We also profile a Mexican restaurant in Pismo Beach. And, as we do every week, there is lots and lots of other useful information in the guide, from our big weekly calendar of events to film reviews. Justin Hoeger is our Ticket editor, and he can be reached at jhoeger@thetribunenews.com if you ever want to offer a tip or constructive criticism.

_ Tad Weber