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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 ...

The remarkable power of healing and forgiveness

I recently got to watch something up close that is remarkable. Healing. If you saw me a few weeks ago and noticed my heavily bandaged left thumb, I joked, “Oh that? I was trying cut my thumb off.” It wasn’t intentional, but I did slice it pretty good. It occurred while I was performing ...

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 ...