• As the C-I continues to report on the Briana Rabon murder, there is a lot of speculation about how she and her accused killer, Stephen Ross Kelly, knew each other. Officials have, so far, only said that they both attended Lugoff-Elgin High School and were acquaintances, but not involved in a romantic relationship. Rumors abound, however, which we always check out but rarely get confirmation for publication. That’s fine. Frankly, it’s best that rumors stay out of the newspaper as we let the investigative and judicial processes take whatever time is needed to bring justice for Briana and her family.

• Speaking of justice, while we strive for fairness on the front page of this paper, it was gratifying to see that Ronald Lindwood Christmas, accused of inappropriate sexual relations with three young girls, including his stepdaughter, will spend a long time in jail. Christmas faced between 25 years and up to life in prison on two of the charges; another 15 on the third. A plea agreement will keep him in jail for 18 years. Some would say even that is not enough. Perhaps, but any jail time is better than continuing to hurt these and, potentially, other young girls.

• It’s no longer rare to hear about a woman leading a church, but occasionally there are still some firsts. That’s the case with Mary D. D’Alessio’s introduction to Kershaw County as Liberty Hill Presbyterian Church’s (LHPC) first female pastor. A native South Carolinian (born in Conway), D’Alessio’s support of what she says is LHPC’s inclusive nature and her own thoughts on not being judgmental are characteristics to be celebrated regardless of denomination or religious belief.

• As we write this, we haven’t seen the debut of the new version of “Cosmos” on FOX TV, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and created by Family Guy’s Seth McFarlane. The Tyson/McFarlane combination sounded far-fetched at first, but Tyson’s the real deal and McFarlane -- as reported by USA Today -- is “a science enthusiast who enjoyed the original” show. Tyson often ends up on air or online opening up our minds to the wonders not only of space, but of Earth’s own history and marvels. Will the new show live up to original “Cosmos” host and writer Carl Sagan’s? We’ll see. A nice touch is that Sagan’s own voice, along with Tyson’s, will be heard throughout the 13 episodes.