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Be aware colorectal cancer preventable and treatable

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the time of year when you’ll see lots of reminders about colon health and the importance of getting screened for this type of cancer – screenings that can prevent the second leading cause of cancer deaths. In fact, new data now reveals colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women under 50 years of age. Colorectal cancer is common with more than 150,000 new cases found each year. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening because physicians can not only identify cancer in its early ...

Key city services accomplished by core city departments

This past year was a major one for city services, with City Council and staff leadership focusing on infrastructure, park improvements, continued focus on housing, and investment in capital equipment and services. To ensure this work is completed efficiently and effectively, cities have various departments each responsible for specifics functions in a city. In the city of Marshall, four major divisions carry out those functions: public works, public safety, community services and administration: • Public Works Division — Comprised of public works staff that include engineers, ...

Dairy questions answered

A reader recently emailed me, saying that they were distressed about how modern dairies operate. I replied with some insights gleaned from my six decades’ worth of dairy experience. The majority of America’s dairy cows live in confinement facilities. The cows remain indoors from time they give birth to their first calf. Many dairies milk their cows three times per day. When I dairy farmed I could only milk twice a day. My higher producing cows would often be leaving white puddles on the ground by the time they were milked. A stressed cow produces less milk. As such, confinement ...

Fast forward to fun

Nearly 7 inches of snow this weekend couldn’t dampen my spirits as the colors came together on my vise. Looking back through old journals and previous columns with the turn of the calendar to March brought the slightest sense of urgency as I sat at my lure making desk watching the drift form outside my office window. While real spring fishing is likely two months away, images of slab crappies with my favorite krystal flash jigs for light tackle and bucktail streamers on the fly in the corners of their paper mouths had me thinking of spring — and the early start that a local ...

I just don’t know

Excuse me for being so short, but my mind seems empty. For those of you who know me, that opening statement might cause you to roll your eyes, and say: “Duh!”. For those of you who don't know me, consider yourself fortunate! There are just some days when I don't know what's happening or why. Allow me to explain... There are times I thoroughly enjoy being with other folks, and thee are times when I need to sit in silence. Maybe that's nothing new to you either. Maybe that's life. Wine is like that. There are lots of red wines that call for a gathering. It wants to be shared at a ...

School budget cuts should be equitable

Reading the Feb.19 Marshall Independent article about the final Marshall gymnastics meet was heartbreaking. Not just as a parent, but as someone who has watched these girls work tirelessly to build something meaningful. Gymnastics was not a failing program. It was not declining. It was not stagnant. It was growing. This was a young team — mostly seventh and eighth graders. A program that was clearly rebuilding from the ground up. And what did they do? They improved every single meet. Their top four scores came in the final four competitions of the season. They posted a season-best ...