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Municipal giving and receiving

For the city, this time of year means budget presentations, levy discussion and finalizing upcoming projects. This time of year also means giving and offering thanks for what has been received. What follows is a brief overview of what a city can give and receive. For the city, to appropriate or give away public funds as donations to any person, corporation, or private institution, the expenditure must further a public purpose and must be authorized by a statute or charter. There is no broad authority for donations, but some statutes allow specific support for certain organizations and ...

Lessons from a toddler

Thanksgiving is behind us, and I am thankful for that. Between the pre-meal munching, the actual feast, the gratuitous post-feast noshing, I feel as stuffed as, well, a Thanksgiving turkey. And don’t get me started on the leftovers, which somehow taste better the second time around. Black Friday sales aren’t held when they are because many folks don’t have much else to do the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday takes place when it does because on the day after Thanksgiving many people notice that their clothes have suddenly become too tight to wear. This is why many Black Friday ...

‘A lot to be thankful for’

Thanksgiving week has come and again this year, we take time to pause and reflect on the blessings in our lives that we are thankful for. Marshall Public Schools has a lot to be thankful for, including the high levels of community support that enable us to continue to connect with our community youth each day as we work to prepare each learner for success. We are thankful for the children that you share with us and for the gift each of them is to our community. There is always a lot going on in our schools; I want to share a few updates with you again this month. We’ve recently ...

Five big reasons for everyone in Marshall to be thankful

On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving, one of the world’s most underrated holidays. Almost everyone stuffed themselves with turkey, potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberries, pie and whatever other food traditions are part of the family. Hopefully everyone also took plenty of time to socialize with loved ones. We also should take at least a minute or so to think about why we’re thankful. It was a mealtime tradition for my family, one that was always taken seriously. There were many things we could say. Choices include family, friends, good health, God, and much ...

Former farmstead memories

It was a saturated summer, and large portions of the pasture on the dairy farm I was renting were inundated. Had they a mind to do so, my Holsteins could have dogpaddled right over the submerged fence and strolled onto the adjoining highway. They might have then tried to thumb for rides except that they lacked thumbs. This wouldn’t do, so I opted to construct a temporary electric fence on the shoulder of the highway. My wife, who was several months pregnant at the time, helped me string the wire. “What was that noise?” she asked in a startled voice. I replied that I hadn’t ...

Use it or lose it: A phrase that comes with the aging process

The phrase “use it or lose it” never applied to me, not until earlier this month. In October I took a hike on the lookout trail at Camden State Park. It was a hot day, but I never expected to get so tired from a half hour hike. The story didn’t end after I got home and rested. Instead I had pain the next day in my lower back on the left side. I was concerned that it might be my left hip. My right hip was replaced in 2021, which went well but which is something I didn’t want to repeat after only two years. I saw my doctor after the pain didn’t subside. I was told based ...