News-Record.com

Tomorrow, Lorraine Ahearn reports on the whereabouts of Mark Hoffmann, the homeless man who hung out on a bench near Friendly Center before he suddenly disappeared in May. The response we got from people who had seen Hoffmann over the years on that bench or walking the bike trail along Bryan Boulevard was overwhelming. I think he has more friends than I do.

It gets better. A Pennsylvania woman, who hadn't seen her father since 1989 and had lost track of him, saw the column and connected the dots. Hoffmann is her father.

Now a News & Record reader visiting Maryland recognizes Hoffmann in church. Some calls are made. His daughter drives to meet him. Lorraine tells the story better so I won't steal any more thunder.

I'm only doing it now because there's a little debate out there about whether newspapers should build community. Over at Newspaper Death Watch, the post is titled "The Fallacy of 'Community.'" Steve Yelvington calls BS. I'm with Steve.

I don't know if Lorraine's tracking of Hoffmann from disconnection to reconnection is building community, but it feels like it to me.