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Something's Bloom(ing) in downtown Marshall

Sometimes the well runs dry for a columnist. That happens every so often when I did reporting in Barstow, California. When that happened, I would take a stroll in the downtown area. Besides checking out businesses that might be closing or opening up, I’d talk to homeless people with ...

Three reasons to consider diversifying into global stocks

When it comes to daily market news, most coverage focuses on familiar U.S. benchmarks like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. That emphasis can make it easy to overlook opportunities beyond our borders — but doing so can mean missing a meaningful portion of the global investing ...

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 ...

Like a river

A while ago I read a book that has always flowed through me. The name of the book is “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean. It's a story about the author's growing up in rural Montana, and his relationship with his brother. Although different in some ways, they usually bonded over their love of fly fishing in a local river. What they learned is that life is like a river — it flows and has many different personalities. I was drawn to that image of the river. About two years ago, some of the family took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was during winter so the skiers ...