The schools are winding down and getting ready to be out for the summer. It seems that activities are more than usual and are coming close together. The MMCRU High School had their Spring Music Concert on Thursday, April 28. The Marcus Public Library had a program at 6:30 on Saving Raptor birds that same night. We went to the Library at 6:30 and a short half hour left to go to the MMCRU High School Spring Concert that started at 7 o’clock.
The presenter at the Library was from S.O.A.R. Program. After telling about the program, she put on a glove and reached into a cage to bring out a kestrel. After we learned about this bird, she next brought out a screech owl. We missed out on the red-tail Hawk that was her third bird.
The Spring Concert had both choral and band playing. It was good to see that both these groups have increased their members. Choral and Band members were presented awards for their performances. The John Philip Sousa Award was given to Mattie Dias. There are 8 seniors in band graduating and 2 seniors in Chorus. Hopefully there will be that many or even more coming into High School from Middle School to replace them.
On Friday, Steve and I went to the Library to find more information on what was probably the first golf course in Marcus. We went to the machine in the back and located 1930 and golf. There were quite a few, but this machine isn’t printing so we took the titles of what we had and went to the computer out front. If the printing on the news article from 1930 wasn’t the best, it didn’t print out well. That night I took a magnifying glass and tried to read what some of these were. I left blank spaces and Saturday we went back to the Library and to the machine in the back. We brought up what we needed and filled in the blanks. When there was a December 25 article, I had to write this out entirely as the printing was not good and would not print out, out front. This took time and I appreciated Steve helping.
Even though it was Depression times, people did find time and a small bit of money to go out of town to “golf”. That is when Nagle Brothers used their business experience and built a miniature outside golf course. With winter coming on, they also built an indoor golf course. The Nagle’s were business people and wanted to keep people in Marcus but also on the other hand, people would be coming from other towns to play golf in Marcus and spend money while here!
There is a public meeting on Monday night at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on May 9 where people can come and put their input on the City of Marcus buying the Marcus Community Golf Course. Remember, if you don’t come to these meetings and express your feelings, and things don’t go the way you wanted them to go, then forever hold your peace. I do know of two meetings where people came and it did make a difference.
There were interviews for Principal for MMCRU for Marcus PK-4 and 9-12 grades in closed sessions on Tuesday, April 26. Brandon Weisert was approved for $105,000 by 4 of the 5 MMC Board members. Principal Travis Sprague is leaving Marcus for Cedar Rapids Prairie High School.
The Senior Citizens (born between 1946 and 1964) number over 70 million, according to the census. With the oldest boomers in their mid 70’s, all will hit age 65 by 2030. The aged homeless also tend to have smaller Social Security checks after years working off the books. It has been said that Black, Latino and Indigenous people who came of age in the 1980’s amid recession and high unemployment rates are represented among the “homeless”. Many nearing retirement never got well-paying jobs and didn’t buy homes because of discriminatory real estate practices. They didn’t put any money aside (couldn’t because they needed it to live on) thinking Social Security was going to take care of them. The average monthly SS payment as of December 2021 was $1,656. There are even many more older homeless people that have smaller checks. They could be eligible for Supplemental Security Income of $841 a month maybe.
Boston has a big housing problem. Luxury apartments are being built for people who are now getting better wages for as costly as $3,068 a month for a studio. Where can anyone on a small fixed income be able to rent one of these? There is a non-profit organization in Boston that is helping people to find a place other than on the street. They have arranged for them to pay 30% of their income in order to stay in one of the non- profit’s 228 units. This amount of units still isn’t close to what is still needed to keep the homeless off the streets, under the bridges, or in junked vehicles. Yes, there are some who are homeless because this is the way they want to live, and then there are those who are homeless because of various legitimate reasons health problems, no job for what their age can do, etc. We don’t have to go any further than Sioux City to find where the homeless people are living. Be satisfied that you are not one of them.
Have you read about what “plastic” is doing to our environment? Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic pours into the world’s oceans. That is a garbage truck of plastic waste every minute! There are three kinds of plastic: fishing debris, filmlike plastic (like on your store-bought veggies) and latex (like balloons) that are responsible for the majority of deaths among 80 marine species, including dolphins, whales, seals, seabirds and sea turtles. We are advised to not getting any plastic bags for our purchases (some stores don’t have plastic anymore), and not letting balloons be released.
If you like “oysters” you can preserve the disappearing oyster reef habitat by buying those that are farmed by small businesses (not wild). Small aquafarm hatch and produce their own oysters, so wild oysters and oyster reefs, which stabilize shorelines and keep soft coastlines and river bottoms in place, are left intact. Oysters act as natural filters, providing cleaner, clearer water for plants and other creatures. A wild oyster can filter 10 or more gallons of water a day. (We don’t think about the aforementioned items probably because we don’t live in areas where the areas are being destroyed by what humans are letting go (plastic) or eating (wild oysters).
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost friends or relatives to death, have to change their life style because of this, have health problems where some are terminal, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, encourage those who are not working to find a job, be glad you are not in Ukraine where people are being killed and thrown in mass graves, and help those who are still distanced from friends and family to build a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings.
I will leave you with this quote, “We often stumble before we get to where we are trying to go to.”