HELEN HILL

A few weeks ago, you may have read about the life and death of Helen Hill in The New York Times; she was murdered in early January in New Orleans, a city she'd insisted on returning to after Katrina.

Phil Nugent, who sometimes blogs here, used to live in New Orleans and knew Helen Hill. I urge you to read what he has to say about her and New Orleans in "An American City: New Orleans, Helen Hill and Me." After reading what Phil has to say, I'm sorry I never knew her or the city -- and now they're both gone.