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Wow!

Local Columns

In case you haven't noticed it, life is a bundle of “Wows!” It hardly seems necessary to remind us of these Wows!, but we sometimes get so caught up in everyday happenings that we don't respond in someway to these special times. Early on, one of those Wows! for me was seeing a flax field in full bloom. I don't think there are too many of those fields around anymore, but once seen, the field is never forgotten. The blazing blue flowers only last for about a day or so, however, they plant a lasting memory. Wow! A recent wine gave me a Wow! The wine was Apothic Crush Soft Red ...

Miles to go

Local Columns

The uptick on my miles walked and ran in my fitness tracker app spikes every May. Right around Memorial Day weekend, the number of minutes for exercise jumps accordingly too and stays high straight through the balance of summer and into fall. While lamenting the purchase of a new pair of ...

DIY distress

Community Voices

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing their nose — there are some undertakings that should be relegated to professionals. Brain surgery is a good example of something that should never be a DIY project. But just because a thing is beyond a person’s skill level and would likely tax his patience doesn’t mean that some guys won’t ...

Ask a Trooper

Local Columns

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

Community Voices

“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

Community Voices

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 ...