This blog post summarizes and contextualizes an Associated Press item published on September 11, 2025. The item combined a community obituary section with a nationally topical online poll.
The original coverage, accompanied by photography credit to Mukhtar Khan, listed several local deaths. It also invited readers to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s proposal to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
Local obituaries documented alongside a national debate
The AP’s brief bulletin juxtaposed personal loss and civic conversation. This highlights how local newsrooms continue to serve both community remembrance and public discourse.
In a single page, readers encountered the names of neighbors who passed away. They were also asked to respond to a question with national policy implications.
Who was remembered
The obituary section recorded the passing of multiple community members in early September 2025. These notices are concise but important: they create a public record and give families and local communities information on those they lost.
- Susan Ferguson — born Aug. 20, 1947; died Sept. 6, 2025
- Lydia Miller — born Jan. 7, 1943; died Sept. 10, 2025
- Katie Miller — born Dec. 15, 1932; died Sept. 9, 2025
- Marsha Waite — born Apr. 28, 1940; died Sept. 6, 2025
- Shaun Gingerich — born Dec. 28, 1979; died Sept. 6, 2025
- Ora Miller — born May 3, 1939; died Sept. 8, 2025
- Wilma Bontrager — listed in the obituary section (dates not specified in the summary)
National poll on renaming the Department of Defense
Alongside community obituaries, the same page hosted an online poll. Readers were asked to react to President Trump’s announcement to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The AP presented the question with four straightforward choices to capture immediate public sentiment.
Poll options and implications
The poll invited readers to choose between “Department of Defense,” “Department of War,” “Neither,” or “Unsure.” Though a simple multiple-choice poll cannot substitute for rigorous, representative polling, it does provide a snapshot of reader engagement and contention on a symbolic but consequential policy proposal.
- Department of Defense — the status quo framing emphasizing deterrence and defense posture.
- Department of War — an explicit rebranding that would foreground offensive and kinetic language.
- Neither — a rejection of both options, implying respondents seek an alternative or reject the framing.
- Unsure — showing ambivalence or lack of sufficient information to decide.
From a policy and communications standpoint, names matter: they shape public perception, bureaucratic culture, and international signaling.
Symbolic changes like renaming federal institutions often produce outsized attention relative to immediate substantive change.
They also have measurable effects on discourse and priorities over time.
Here is the source article for this story: India Kashmir Extreme Weather