For the fifth year running, the Charitable Fund of Galloway Ridge has awarded grants to Chatham County community nonprofits, public schools and governmental units. This year the fund awarded a total of almost $44,000.

The programs and projects receiving support were: Bonlee Elementary School, Bynum Front Porch, Chatham Soccer League, Chatham County Arts Council, Central Carolina Community College, Chatham County Schools, CORA Food Pantry, Chatham County Council on Aging, Family Promise of Chatham County, North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Pittsboro Elementary School, Pittsboro Elementary School PTA, Sage Academy, Sisters' Voices Inc., St. Julia's Catholic Church and West Chatham Food Pantry.

Roses to Shannon Thomas and Jenny Shultz, who swore their wedding vows to each other this month at the United Church of Chapel Hill. The state of North Carolina won't recognize their union as a legal marriage - state law limits marriages to those between a man and a woman - but that does nothing to diminish their love and commitment to each other.

People get married all the time, so why take note of this particular wedding? Because it's a tribute to the power of love to stand up to discrimination. That's especially important now, as we move toward the statewide ballot referendum this spring that would degrade the state constitution by writing that discrimination into it.

Thomas and Shultz, an associate pastor at United Church, surely understand the social and political ramifications of their union. But they're on their honeymoon, and we hope those sorts of issues are far from their minds.

So it's more than enough just to say that their vows stand above all for love. Congratulations, Shannon and Jenny. May you have a long and very happy life together.

Roses to Diamond Tyson, a Carrboro High basketball player who reached a rare milestone on Jan. 6. In the first quarter of a game against the N.C. School of Science and Math, Tyson scored from short range. It was a basket like any other, except that it was the 1,000th point in her high school career.

She's the first Carrboro High basketball player ever to reach the 1,000-point mark. Chances are, she's going to leave it far behind; she's just a junior, and has the remainder of this season and all of next to add to her school-record total. She scores at a nearly 20 points-per-game clip, so that 1,000-point line is going to fade in her rear-view mirror in a hurry.

In spite of her impressive scoring numbers, Tyson puts her team first. Coach Sheremy Dillard-Clanton pointed out that she's among the Jaguars' assist leaders and said she works hard to involve her teammates. All of that will be important down the stretch: Carrboro is in the hunt for a conference title and playoff spot.