Today is a day when I want to change careers.
The index.php file at the main level has the following line:
require('./wp-blog-header.php');
Based on some inserted text, I discerned that the wp-blog-header.php file was not being found. So, on a whim, I took out the "./" and the site started working again.
My strong feeling is that this is an issue with the environment in which wordpress is installed. Does anyone else agree?
One thing to note, is that we're dealing with a Windows web server running IIS 6.
In any event, this issue is closed. If someone can definitively tell me how to fix this issue (so that the provided path to the file will work), I will be indebted to you. Otherwise, this thread is ended.