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Ask a Trooper

Question: I see a lot of people not wearing their seat belt correctly. Several of them, have the shoulder belt worn underneath the shoulder/arm. Can you provide some education on this? Answer: Seat belt use is required with a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt, including both the shoulder and lap belt when the vehicle is so equipped. You are more likely to survive a car crash if you use both the lap and shoulder belts together. • Lap belt: Adjust the lap belt to fit snugly across your hipbones or upper thighs. It should never be positioned across your abdomen or the soft part ...

Choosing progress over perfection in city projects

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” has been a phrase stated in government as a reminder that progress over perfection is important to the greater good of the community. In practice this mindset can help us as a city focus on our goals and ensure long-term success, whether it be for a planning tool, policy or a significant capital project. In particular, public construction projects are by far the most complex and challenging and often where we receive the most disagreement on whether the project is taking the right path forward. Some of the reasons we have extra scrutiny ...

Educators should take steps to ensure honesty in academics

The back to school season is always an adjustment; as students adjust to classrooms, a bell system, lunch lines and homework. Teachers are facing an adjustment in 2026. Artificial Intelligence technology has advanced to a point that it can complete homework assignments for students. They might be tempted to take shortcuts by using AI. There are good ways to counteract the AI factor. One is to have students write essays in class right away, in order to gauge their writing ability. If a homework assignment would far exceed their writing level, it would be obvious that they had AI ...

Country School Kids – Larry Van Moer – Beginning school at District 64

We have been learning about Larry Van Moer, the second of five children born to Marie (Marcotte) and Herbert Van Moer. Larry and his siblings grew up on their family farm north of Amiret. Larry began his education in 1946 in the 1st grade at the nearby, District 64 country school. He ...

On the Porch

The social news or gossip columns in the old newspapers are always fascinating to read. A special section in the newspaper was devoted to the social media of the day. The whereabouts of local people and events were often featured in these columns. Here are a few from The News Messenger of Lyon ...

Your turn at new Marshall retail store

As a kid, I played board games all the time. Of course, Monopoly was a favorite, but I wasn’t into games like Scrabble or chess. But when Trivial Pursuit came out, I thought that game was pretty cool. I also took on my neighborhood buddies in board games that simulated football and baseball ...