On a recent night, it was cold, dreary and I passed the time reviewing the City’s Annual Financial Report. Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd about stuff like that. Anyway, the report totals a staggering sixty-two pages. Why, just the summary fills five, but detailed on those pages is the fate of every dollar that enters the City’s coffers – over $79,000,000 of them. That was the total revenue in 2018; taxes, grants, and utility revenue. On a lark,…..
The City of Washington Engineering Department has but one employee, Ed Barnett. Ed has been the City Engineer since 1986 – that’s thirty-three years helping Washington grow and prosper. Few ever encounter Ed as he goes about his duties. Those who do quickly learn to rely on his experience and knowledge. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, Land Surveyor, and a Washington native. After graduating from Purdue in 1970, he worked on the Gil Hodges Bridge, and parts of I-64…..
Perhaps the most overlooked department in Washington is Animal Control which operates out of a small frame building near Perdue. It’s three-member staff quietly go about their business. The manager, Beth Trousdale, has been there for ten years, and her assistant, Rex Davis, has been there sixteen. During that time Animal Control has evolved into a state-of-the-art Animal Shelter that handles about eight hundred animals a year. Surprisingly over half of those animals come from outside the city limits. From…..
The Washington Parks and Recreation Department is probably best known for Christmas in the park. Every year they put up more than 50,000 Christmas lights. It’s a labor of love that transforms Eastside Park into a wonderland of snowmen, elves, sleighs and Christmas trees. You can even tune into a local radio broadcast to hear Christmas music as you cruise the park. The tradition, which began in the late 1970s or early 80s, attracts visitors from outside the county. It’s…..
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Boonville and…..
Cities developed as population centers to exploit agricultural products, natural resources, transportation routes, and later industrial production. Historically their first responsibilities were to provide for public safety – law enforcement and fire protection. In time their duties evolved to include essential public works that promoted the health and welfare of their citizens – sanitation, drinking water, streets, stray animal control, street lighting, and power. Or as long-time councilman Blake Chambers says, “plow the streets and keep the lights on.” Later…..
When we pulled into town, it was dark. It was more a village than a town; no street lights, no lights at all except a small storefront. It was lit up like a Christmas tree. Jim parked near the door. “Is this the place?” I asked. “Yep, I come here every month.” He replied stepping out of his Lincoln. To the right of the door, a plate glass window cast a welcoming glow across the sidewalk. A neon open sign…..
(North Pole) – Santa announced this morning that he would reuse his 2015 Naughty and Nice List. Mr. Claus explained that revisions necessitated by the recent elections are unprecedented. To prevent mass Elf unemployment and a severe paper shortage, he did not update the list. Mrs. Claus said, “In keeping with the season, my husband will overlook the actions of both political parties this year.” An unnamed elf indicated that they are considering a digital conversion. Mr. Claus concluded,…..
Twenty-five eager faces stared at their laptops. Twenty-five fidgeting third graders stared at their laptops. Twenty-five sat waiting, waiting – waiting, – waiting, – still waiting. “Teacher, my computer won’t log on,” student after student exclaims. “Joe, we can’t log on,” the teacher reports. “I’ll get to you as soon as I can, the fifth grade is down too,” Joe, from IT sighs. Forty minutes into the allotted test time, Joe finally gets everyone logged in. “Maybe,” the teacher mumbles…..
On cue, with family, friends, food, football, and the noise of children at play – Thanksgiving has gobbled its way between the spooks of Halloween and good old Santa Claus. “But the world is so messed up, for what can we be thankful?” you ask. There are some individuals, perhaps many, who feel that we have small reason to give thanks, of any kind. Sadly, they are obsessed with only one aspect of life. We need to look beyond the…..