The second Monday in October, falling in 2025 on October 13, has been one of the most inconsistently celebrated U.S. holidays. Originally commemorated as Columbus Day and now as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in many jurisdictions, it can be a paid day off, an unpaid commemorative day, another holiday entirely, or simply a regular Monday, depending on where a person works or attends school.  The day continues to be an official federal holiday, which means federal

The October 1 episode of Visions of BVA is now live and accessible on all major platforms, most notably Spotify, and YouTube. Featured this month is the audio version of the Summer 2025 BVA Bulletin, the most recent issue of the publication. Host and producer Steve Baskis has converted a written script of the Bulletin content, complete with descriptions of photos and graphics, into a high-quality, professional audio program that can be heard all at

A new Braille U.S. flag now hangs permanently at the East Regional Library in Destrehan, Louisiana (St. Charles Parish), at a height at which children and the wheelchair-bound can reach and touch it, thanks to the latest presentation of a flag by the Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group earlier this week. The donated display features a Braille version of the Pledge of Allegiance as well as the flag. The stars and stripes on the flag are raised,

The U.S. Navy turns 250 years old this Monday! Looking back to the birth of this branch of the Armed Forces, the Continental Congress established the Continental Navy which later, on October 13, 1775, became the United States Navy. Its principal purpose with just two armed vessels was to disrupt munition ships supplying the British Army in America. From there, and during two and one-half centuries, the Navy has grown to become the largest, most