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Editorial

Effort is needed to address abandoned buildings, homelessness

When a June 24 fire sent flames blasting out some third floor windows on the south side of the old Fair Oaks Middle School, it caught the attention of anyone going by on nearby Fifth Avenue South. It should have caught the attention of everyone else in the community also. The fire was bad, gutting an estimated 3,000 square feet of a building that sustained a serious fire on Memorial Day. But beyond the immediate fire damage, the blaze was emblematic of some bigger issues in the community that need to be addressed. One of those problems is the presence of vacant buildings and the ...

It’s a day to celebrate America

Whether you spend this Fourth of July picnicking, enjoying a parade, attending a community celebration, watching a fireworks display or just plain loafing, there should be at least a brief time to pause and reflect on this country’s enduring experiment in constitutional democracy. And that reflection should prompt everyone to realize how lucky they are to be living in the United States of America. Certainly on this anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans are troubled by anxiety over pressing problems at home and abroad. Our relations with Russia and China are ...

Enjoy Fourth of July fireworks safely

When Americans enjoy fireworks on every Fourth of July, they have John Adams to thank for the colorful displays. Adams, one of the Founding Fathers who became the country’s second president, wrote to his wife, Abigail, when the Declaration of Independence was approved in July 1776 in Philadelphia. “It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more,” Adams wrote. His reference to “illuminations” is traditionally interpreted as ...

Help celebrate Hometown Pride

In every town there are special people who contribute to the success of the community through the giving things they do. These folks — whose selfless contributions make life better for others in their hometowns — sometimes go unacknowledged. That’s unfortunate because many of the people who work without much fanfare to enhance the lives of others truly are accomplishing exceptional results. Similarly, there are organizations that have that same type of impact. That’s one of the reasons that each year The Messenger publishes a magazine supplement called Hometown Pride. The goal ...

Summer fun beckons for all

Science tells us that summer technically started Thursday, but many people feel like we are in the middle of that much anticipated season. School has been out for weeks now and long days all but beg to be filled with fun activities.That is especially true for younger folks. The kids are, hopefully, out and about. But kids being kids, they are more focused on what they are doing and less likely to be paying attention to things around them, even things that could hurt them. The situation is magnified by the fact that so many of them will have their eyes and minds zeroed in on some ...

Juneteenth celebrates end of slavery

Juneteenth is a national holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, which is the day that Union troops entered Galveston, Texas, and declared that all the slaves in that state were at last free. That date is often considered the final end of slavery in the United States, although it took a constitutional amendment ratified later that year to truly eliminate it. Clearly, Black Americans have the most emotional connection to Juneteenth, but people of every race are invited to join in celebrating a day which helped to create a modern United States in which no one thinks twice about things like ...