We have experienced eighty degree temperatures, I’ve mowed our lawn, the tree outside my office window is in full bloom, and my Gator is my main mode of transportation around town, so it must be springtime in Michigan. This is probably my favorite season of the year, because the days of high humidity haven’t arrived [...]

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of May 4-5, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg – The Cycles of Earth – May 4, 2013

MANAGING CONFLICT—The Perspective: If your organization is going to function well it will need to learn how to manage conflict.  Conflict is not inherently bad.  In fact, the right types of conflict are good for any organization. It is destructive conflict that harms a team and prevents it from attaining its goals.  So it should [...]

When a person is diagnosed with mental illness they often lose important parts of their life.  They frequently lose their jobs, relationships with people close to them often disintegrate, and they may seem to lose their role in society.  They, in a sense, sometimes become nothing more than their mental illness.  In St. Joseph County, [...]

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been fortunate to travel throughout our state of Michigan. On many of the major highways, we’ve noticed full trash bags placed along the shoulders. They are full because there are still too many travelers who feel that the highways are their own private dumping grounds for litter. There [...]

The Carnegie Center for the Arts in downtown Three Rivers was bustling with activity Sunday afternoon (April 28th) during the opening of the 28th Celebration of the Visual Arts, a colorful showcase of the talents of students from the Three Rivers Community Schools and Immaculate Conception School – from kindergarten through 12th grade. Thousands of [...]

To the Editor: In considering ways to spur economic development in St. Joseph County, we should refer back to August 21, 2011 and the presentations to our St. Joseph County Commission by attorney David Stoker of Lansing and our Economic Development Corporation presenters. David Stoker reported that since 1913, Act 88 gave county governments authority [...]

Three Rivers Artists Guild member Carol Koterski Dugan will be the judge for the 2013 ‘All Schools Show’, which opens Sunday (April 28th) at the Carnegie Center for the Arts in downtown Three Rivers. The Guild reports that “Carol will give a brief talk at 3 p.m., should be interesting!” The opening runs from 2 [...]

The Michigan Maritime Museum at South Haven reports that it had to cancel the lecture series program scheduled for Sunday afternoon (April 28th) “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Eric Hemenway had been scheduled to speak on Native Leaders throughout the War of 1812. Source:  News release from Michigan Maritime Museum

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of April 27-28, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg – The Cycles of Earth – April 27, 2013

CORE VALUES: Every person and every organization is governed by a set of values.  There are many ways to describe these values but I will refer to 4 types of values and this article will focus on the fourth, Core Values.  The four types of values I usually introduce to my clients are: 1) Aspirational [...]

Growing up in Three Rivers during the fifties, I remember going with my parents to the Civic Theater in Kalamazoo. We’d have a stylish dinner at Schensul’s Cafeteria and then take in a play. I don’t recall the names of any of the plays, but I do remember the event as being very special. Three [...]

The past weekend in Three Rivers included the successful staging of the 5th annual Rivers of Justice Film Festival. ‘Community action’ was the theme of this year’s event, held Saturday and Sunday (April 20 & 21). Three feature-length films were presented at the Riviera Theatre.  A double feature was shown Saturday evening with Pray the [...]

A quote from Benjamin Franklin – from a letter dating back to 1789 – includes the statement that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In the spirit of Franklin’s observation, it seems that attempts at ‘educational reform’ are a certainty as well. In that regard, The Detroit [...]

A Weekly Almanac Guide Plan, Do, Finish, Rest. Living in Harmony With Earth Weekend of April 20-21, 2013 Click on the link to access this feature from Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg  – The Cycles of Earth – April 20, 2013

BUILDING TRUST: Trust is sense you have about other people. Do you believe they will walk the talk?  Can you count on them?  Do fell like a person will accept your vulnerabilities and not exploit them? Some people are extremely trusting while others are extremely skeptical.  Our upbringing and our past experiences determine how trusting [...]

This week we are spotlighting another special St. Joseph County volunteer.  This series of interviews is our way of celebrating National Volunteer Week, which falls in April every year, and allows us to give some well-deserved recognition to individuals who are giving back to their communities.  We hope that by reading their stories you will [...]

For some interesting reading about the Michigan Folk School, check out a feature story by Dennis Archambault in Concentrate, an Ann Arbor-based online publication.  Here’s a brief paragraph that provides a sense of the topic: Sometimes a step back in time can be a step into the future. At the Michigan Folk School in Superior [...]

There are very few things more precious than visiting a kindergarten classroom and watching the little children as they learn how to read, write, and generally just learn how to learn.  What a privilege it is to be able to provide education to a child of ANY age; but kindergarteners are truly a special bunch.  [...]