The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Q: Did the Atlanta police officers get their health care services reinstated?

— Robert Pittman,
Carrollton

A: The city has approved the workers’ compensation claims filed by the five officers who complained earlier this year of not receiving medical care or payments from the city after on-the-job injuries, said Sgt. Scott Kreher, leader of Atlanta’s police union. Kreher, who said at a May meeting that he wanted to beat Mayor Shirley Franklin in the head with a baseball bat due to her lack of response, apologized and returned to work in July.

Q: I always remember spelling Hallowe’en because it was an abbreviation for “all hallows eve.” Am I correct about the apostrophe?

— Celeste Wallace,
Lawrenceville

A: Both Halloween and Hallowe’en are current, said William Kretzschmar, a University of Georgia professor. The Oxford English Dictionary uses an apostrophe; the American Heritage Dictionary does not. All Hallows (or All Saints) refers to a holiday, Nov. 1, that celebrates all the saints together, he said. Oct. 31 is All Hallows Eve. The “n” at the end of Halloween is a historical remnant from All Hallows Even, where “even” is an older shortening of “evening,” just as “eve” is the modern short form, he said. The apostrophe replaces the “v” in the older short form “even.” Americans usually leave out the apostrophe, he said.

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).