City to plant 22 trees in recognition of Arbor Day
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The City of Colorado Springs will recognize Arbor Day by planting 22 trees at Prairie Grass Park on Friday, May 2.
This is the 48th consecutive year that Colorado Springs has earned the designation of Tree City USA, which is given to communities that meet the four standards set by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. According to the City, Colorado Springs is the longest-running city in the state of Colorado to hold the title.
'On Arbor Day, we celebrate the vital role that trees play in our communities, from improving air quality to providing shade and beauty,' said Matt Puckett, interim City of Colorado Springs forester. 'As we reflect on the vision of General William Jackson Palmer, our founding father, it's clear that his foresight in prioritizing green spaces has shaped Colorado Springs into the vibrant city it is today. By planting trees, we honor that legacy and ensure a healthier, more sustainable environment for future generations.'
City Forestry manages a living infrastructure of approximately 113,000 urban street trees and 20,000 park trees citywide. In 2025, Forestry plans to plant an estimated 50 trees in parks and medians throughout the city, including the 22 to be planted on Friday.
The celebration will take place on Friday morning with an Arbor Day Proclamation reading by Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Asking Eric: Advice for visiting grandma with dementia
Dear Eric: We live in the same town as my son's family. He and his wife have two little boys. Our daughter-in-law's parents have many nice homes, including a local condo. Her mother takes charge and makes plans for every holiday unless she's traveling. And we are never invited, despite our invites to them whenever we've squeezed in some plans. My son knows how we feel, agrees, but begs us not to say anything because they are so touchy. We don't want to cause trouble for him, but it is getting pretty hard to remain silent. Thoughts? – Uninvited Dear Uninvited: I really wish your son would say something to his in-laws about this. I understand that no one is under any obligation to invite anyone else into their home and that this 'touchy' relationship with his wife's family likely has other pain points. But you need an advocate here and it's (relatively) easier for him to stand up for you than for you to insert yourself. Short of that, however, you might want to have a conversation with your son and daughter-in-law about sharing holidays. The intention isn't to incite a turf war with your daughter-in-law's parents. Rather, by saying, 'I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and I'd like for you to come' (or Fourth of July or Arbor Day, whatever the case may be), you start to rebalance the scales. The in-law's wants and plans don't have to be the default. By asking for what you want (or a version of what you want), you'll also be giving your son and daughter-in-law the chance to exercise their own autonomy. Maybe they don't want to automatically go to her parents' every year. Splitting family holidays can get complicated, but it's important to remember the ultimate goal is quality time together, in whichever configuration works best. Dear Eric: I'm a sophomore in high school and I read your column in the Seattle Times. My grandma has dementia. Over the past year, we've noticed more and more signs and convinced her to move into a nursing home a few months ago because we can't provide the constant care she needs. She's at a more advanced stage now and can't walk or feed herself, and she forgets who we are sometimes, which is hard for all of us. I love her so, so much and she was such a big part of my life, but now I can barely get through visits without breaking down. I hate seeing her like this and I'm finding myself avoiding visits because I can't face seeing her in a wheelchair and being so confused. She doesn't have a lot of time left and I don't want to regret not seeing her more, but I don't know how to get through the visits. I feel so guilty, but I don't feel brave enough to go. Is there anything I can do? – Loving Granddaughter Dear Granddaughter: The grief we feel when a loved one develops dementia can be incredibly complex. I'm so sorry for what your grandmother is going through and what you're experiencing. Right now, you're likely grieving the aspect of the relationship you've lost, as well as what's going on in the present. You may also be feeling some grief about what's to come. That's a lot – past, present and future all coming together in every visit to the nursing home. So, please try to grant yourself some grace. This is hard and sometimes bravery looks different. Regret about not spending more time with a loved one, or not spending the right kind of time, is complicated, too. It's something we can rarely control, but which we can guide in a different direction. Before you visit your grandmother, remind yourself that if your grandmother doesn't remember you, that's not the full truth of your relationship. Pull up photos or videos that bring to mind times that felt happier for you. This phase is a part of her journey – and your shared journey together – but it's not the whole story. When a loved one is nearing the end of their life, we can sometimes develop an 'all or nothing' feeling. As if the way we respond is the only thing that's going to matter or the only thing we'll remember. That's not true, but it takes work to reinforce that internally. This is a time for you to communicate where you are and what you're feeling with your parents and other loved ones. You can also reach out to a counselor at your school, if one is available, or look up dementia or grief support groups online. You'll find that you're not alone and you don't have to navigate this on your own. Take the time you need, be gentle with yourself, and hold on to the full arc of your grandmother's story.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
The Monroe News celebrates 200 years
MONROE — The Monroe News turns 200-years-old on June 3, 2025. The first issue of what would become today's Monroe News was published Friday, June 3, 1825, according to the Library of Congress. Back then, the paper was called The Michigan Sentinel, and it came out weekly. The four-page paper cost 5 cents a copy. The Michigan Sentinel reported on a time when Toledo wasn't yet a city and mail arrived twice a week by pony carrier, according to Monroe News archives. Monroe's namesake, President James Monroe, was the U.S. president in 1825. The Monroe County Museum will soon open a Monroe News bicentennial exhibit at its museum, 126 S. Monroe St. in Monroe, and at this summer's 2025 Monroe County Fair, said the museum's Lynn Reaume. In 200 years, the local newspaper went from a weekly to a daily publication and it had several name changes. It all began with Editor Edward D. Ellis, who also is the namesake of the Monroe County Library System's Ellis Library & Reference Center. Ellis advocated for the use of penal fines to create and maintain public libraries. Ellis came to Monroe from Buffalo, New York and brought his printing presses with him. He served as the Monroe paper's editor, reporter, printer and pressman. He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention and helped write the state's constitution, according to Monroe News archives. After Ellis left the area, the Morton family took over ownership of the paper, then called The Monroe Times. Morton family member J. Sterling Morton of Monroe established the first Arbor Day. Previous Coverage: April 25 is Arbor Day. Did you know it was started by a former Monroe man? Some of the former names of the paper included: The Monroe Advocate, The Monroe Commercial, The Monroe Democrat, The Monroe Record and The Monroe Record-Commercial. The News' former longtime office on West First Street in downtown Monroe was built in 1910 for The Monroe Democrat. The Monroe Evening News name began in 1918. Like the publication's name, technology also changed through the years. Ellis used a hot-metal letterpress. Later came typewriters, type-setting machines and linotype machines. News from around the world once came to the local office through Associated Press teletype machines. By 1975, The Monroe Evening News was already starting to use computers. 'We wish that Edward Ellis were here to view the Monroe County, the Michigan and the U.S. of today, the growth, the change and mechanical evolution that a century and a half have wrought," said a story in The News' 1975's, 150th anniversary special section. "In the 10 years from 1965-75, a printing revolution has taken place. From a time when virtually every newspaper printed used technology virtually unchanged since the invention of the linotype machine, the time has arrived when virtually every newspaper has either already converted its production process to photocomposition or is in the process of doing it." More milestones for the newspaper followed. After years of publishing six days a week, the first Sunday paper was published April 9, 1989. The News' website, debuted in 1996. A major change occurred in 1998, when the 1924 and '32 printing presses were retired. The large rolling presses were a longtime common sight around lunchtime at The Monroe News' former downtown Monroe building. At full speed, the presses could print 24,000 papers an hour. Replacing the old presses were new, full-color presses. They were installed in a facility on Monroe's Huber Drive. The first full-color issue of The Monroe Evening News was published Sept. 14, 1998. The Monroe News became the paper's official name on Sept. 1, 2013. 'Evening' was dropped because the paper had started morning delivery. But, the name change also signified a new direction in news reporting. 'We have dropped the word 'evening,' completing the move that has been a long time coming. When accompanied by our website, social media and digital offerings, the news we provide simply isn't tied to a specific time of day — or night — anymore,' said then editor Deborah Saul. Previous Coverage: 14K historic local newspaper pages now online Previous Coverage: Preserving Monroe County's record In 2000, The Monroe News' 175 anniversary was celebrated with a community open house, attended by 800 people. In 2000, staff photographers were still shooting 300 rolls of film a week. Today, all photography is digital. Monroe News' other print products through recent years have included: CoverStory, Prime Times, User's Guide, Saving Sense, Homes Plus, Bedford Now and several pictorial books on local history. Support local news: Subscribe for all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content. Today, The Monroe News' office is at 23 E. Front St., Suite 103 in downtown Monroe. Printed papers are produced six days a week; the Saturday paper is an electronic only edition. News is updated daily online at and The Monroe News Facebook page. — Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@ This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Happy 200th anniversary, Monroe News
Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange eyes green measures to comply with Climate Action Plan
Nearly a year after the La Grange Village Board approved a resolution endorsing the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region last June, the head of the village's Environmental Quality Commission said the village has made some progress toward a greener future, but there's still lots of work to do. The Climate Action Plan was developed by the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus, a membership organization of the Chicago region's 275 cities, towns and villages, to set goals to reduce future climate impacts. In La Grange, signing on to the Climate Action Plan was the latest step in an effort that also included adopting a Greenest Region Compact resolution in 2018 that outlines goals to guide municipal action and foster relations between participating communities, according to Rose Naseef, chairwoman of the La Grange Environmental Quality Commission. She lauded the village's successes, including achieving a Silver Designation through the national SolSmart program — focusing on solar energy, being recognized as a Tree City USA for 40th year and receiving a Tree City USA growth award from the Arbor Day Foundation. But, she said, there are more steps to take. 'The regional Climate Action Plan specifically states that to address the root causes of climate change, which is the increased concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels, municipalities in the Chicago region must aggressively pursue the goals,' Naseef said. 'We must use less energy overall. We must use energy from cleaner sources, We must remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.' Although the ultimate goal of the Climate Action Plan is to become greenhouse gas emissions free, interim mitigation goals set by the Caucus include reducing greenhouse emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, 65% by 2040, and at least 80% by 2050. To help the region achieve those goals, it recommends municipal policies that encourage energy efficiency in buildings along with more complicated solutions such as creating district energy systems. Naseef talked about policies that municipalities could enact— some simple, like making buildings more energy efficient, or more complicated policies, like creating district energy systems. In La Grange, Naseef suggested reducing carbon in its own operations, enacting environmentally-friendly policies such as streamlining solar codes, and encouraging community members to get involved in and reduce their own emissions. La Grange Environmental Quality Commission Commissioner Aakruti Liva suggested an action timeline for village leaders. Goals for the next couple years included establishing local sustainability targets, facilitating composting and recycling, flood mitigation, promoting ecosystems in public landscapes and advancing electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Village President Mark Kuchler said the Village had begun to address some of the commission's ideas. 'Because of suggestions from the EQC, our Public Works was able to compost several truckloads of leaves, and end some of the regulations on solar (energy) for residents, and we do appreciate those suggestions made in the last year or two,' he said. After the presentation Kuchler highlighted climate-friendly measures already in place in La Grange. 'We're continuing to advocate for more and more recycling, more and more composting and the village is going to continue with all that,' he said. 'We allowed a company to come in to supply power,' he said. 'ComEd continues to supply it, but we went with a company that agreed to use a certain percentage of green energy.' Kuchler also mentioned leaf collection, saying 'we're trying to move more and more leaves collected into composting versus sending them on a truck to out of state.'
