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The Star
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Ethiopian flower producers express concern over U.S. tariffs impact on exports
ADDIS ABABA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian flower producers have expressed concerns over the impact of newly imposed U.S. tariffs on their flower exports to the U.S. market. Miserach Berhanu, head of the Ethiopian Flower, Vegetable, Fruit, and Herbs Exporters Association, told local media The Reporter recently that the 10 percent tariff levied on goods exported from the East African country is "creating serious challenges for fresh cut flower exporters." While acknowledging the existing three percent duty on flowers to the U.S., the report indicated that this sharp increase, coupled with the new tariff, "is expected to slow the progress exporters have made in the U.S. market over the past four years." Earlier this month, the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture revealed that the country earned more than 360 million U.S. dollars from the export of horticultural commodities during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. Flower exports accounted for the largest share of this revenue. Berhanu emphasized that although two-thirds of Ethiopia's flower exports are destined for the Netherlands, the U.S. has become a rapidly growing market for Ethiopian flowers, contributing around 45 million dollars in revenue last year. Expressing concern, Berhanu stressed that the new tariff will likely raise the prices of Ethiopian flowers, ultimately providing a competitive advantage to countries with a geographical edge. In response, Berhanu noted that Ethiopian flower producers are actively working to expand their market reach, primarily targeting Asia and the Middle East, to mitigate the effects of the new U.S. tariffs and boost revenue.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump orders JFK files released: Remembering John F. Kennedy's 1960 Fond du Lac visit
FOND DU LAC – In February 1960, John F. Kennedy was still a U.S. senator from Massachusetts one month into a campaign to become the 35th president of the United States. Before Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in Fond du Lac on Feb. 17 that year, they stopped in Waupun for coffee at the apartment of H.L. Guth, then a chat with working men at Guth's Tavern. In Fond du Lac, local World War II hero and then-City Council President James Megellas presented Kennedy with a key to the city, and then Kennedy and his wife stopped at their hotel room on the seventh floor of the Retlaw to prepare for that evening's speech. Declassified assassination files: Trump releases classified JFK files on assassination. Here's what they say. Tom Kitchen, retired history teacher and collector of presidential memorabilia, told the FDL Reporter in 2020 that a couple thousand people went through the reception line that night as community members packed into the Crystal Ballroom at the Retlaw to hear Kennedy speak. The crowd included many Republicans. Kennedy's speech was on water pollution, as both a nationwide issue and localized to Wisconsin, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. "Last year, the beaches of Milwaukee — a source of recreation and pleasure for thousands of people — were closed to the public. The reason: the water was polluted — it was unhealthy and unsafe," he'd said in his opening remarks. Kennedy's visit is also infamously remembered for a small incident that occurred before his speech: the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter, predecessor to The Reporter, reported that Kennedy was briefly locked out of his hotel room wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He found his key in his trousers an hour before his speech. Earlier this week, the White House released tens of thousands of pages of previously redacted records on the 1963 assassination of Kennedy. USA TODAY Reporter Josh Meyer wrote that so far, nothing in the documents has changed the understanding that Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy while he rode in a motorcade through Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, and that Oswald acted alone in the assassination. Other presidential visits: From brushes with security to Kennedy at the Retlaw, FDL residents remember presidential visits In 1993, on the 30th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, The Reporter published recollections from community members on where they were when he was shot on Nov. 22, 1963. Stan Gores, who was managing editor for the newspaper in 1963, was on the wire that day — where bells clanged whenever an important story came through — when he got word from one of the photographers. "That news turned my layout for Page One around, and we tried to keep holding off on the deadline until we got more news, found an answer," he'd said. As the wire room crowded with people from other departments, Gores and the staff managed to wait until they found out Lee Harvey Oswald was responsible. He said his reaction was just to do his job, change layout and get in as many bulletins as possible. "It was a sad day, difficult to understand why this young president was shot," he'd said. The late Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel was in his junior year at St. Mary's Springs Academy, heading to his locker between gym class and English, when the news came over the PA. "It was a very somber class, and everyone was sort of reflecting how it would affect them and their futures," he'd said. "He had a much stronger message for the future than his predecessors or opponents, and I believe he truly wanted to do what was right for the country." His sister, Joyce Buechel, was in eighth grade at St. Peters school in St. Peters and added that Kennedy was important to her school because he was the first Catholic president. Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@ This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: JFK files released: Did John F. Kennedy ever visit Fond du Lac?
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Remember when Model Cleaners' building held more than its longstanding laundromat?
FOND DU LAC – One of Fond du Lac's historical buildings held the start of several iconic establishments. Model Cleaners started as Model Laundry Co. in 1908 and never moved from the building at 66 N. Macy St. ever since. Built in 1869, that building held one of the city's first post offices before Model Laundry moved in. A few years into the business, four horse-drawn wagons started providing pickup and delivery service. According to The Reporter archives, the drivers had their horses so well trained they could make their routes without touching the reins. Horses weren't uncommon for the time, but these horses were very popular with local children, who offered to hold and pat them while the workers made their deliveries. According to a 1913 article in The Daily Commonwealth, The Reporter's predecessor, the business had its own artesian well and offered drinking water from the faucet on the side of the building to the public for free. Decades later, a rise in popularity for wash-and-wear clothes — rather than dryclean only — and washing machines as a staple appliance in local homes led the business to expand its services in the 1970s. This included linen, uniform and other rentals for commercial and industrial businesses, as well as on-location rug and furniture steam cleaning, both in 1973. They expanded the rental service in the 1980s and 1990s. This is one way Model Cleaners adapted to survive more than 100 years, through the Great Depression and other economic downturns, as well as the continuous rise in water, fuel and other utility rates. In its 100th year in 2008, not only did the business face a particularly poor economy, but also the effects of that year's June flood, causing the most damage out of any flood the laundromat had experienced in the past. More than 3 feet of water flooded the 2,800-square-foot basement, destroying most of the washing machine motors. Model Cleaners never closed during that time, operating as best it could with what it had, with help from employees, friends and some Milwaukee drycleaning companies. In return, Model Cleaners washed several hundred pounds for affected entities like the Solutions Center, which had to relocate. Steve North, one of three owners alongside Ed Enders and Pam Koenig, told The Reporter in 2008 one of things that kept Model Cleaners afloat all these years was its focus on customer service, with the knowledge that if they lost a customer, it'd be "big news." Koenig added at the time that the connection between Fond du Lac, customers and staff was the key to success. In 2024, the owners decided to permanently close Model Cleaners after 116 years as they transition into the next phase of their lives. More: Remember when this Fond du Lac County cheesemaker was credited with inventing string cheese? While the laundromat operated on the main floor, a vocational school opened quietly upstairs in 1912 with drawing and cooking classes. This was the start of what would eventually become Moraine Park Technical College. After just a few years, Fond du Lac Vocational School outgrew the Model Laundry building with the addition of barbering, auto mechanics, home economics and more, and moved to the corner of Sheboygan and Portland streets. This building suited the school until 1964, when its size again reached a point where moving was necessary. This time, it moved to its present location on the former airport property at Johnson and National streets. More: Remember when Santa set up headquarters in downtown Fond du Lac? Jan. 27, 1967: The city of Fond du Lac took the next steps in acquiring Supple Marsh, seeking a grant to buy the land for recreational use and conservation. Jan. 31, 1974: The village of North Fond du Lac signed a one-year contract to be added as a link to the countywide ambulance chain, introducing ambulance service to the village in the form of two certified Emergency Medical Technicians and an on-call driver. The village ambulance district also included towns of Friendship, Eldorado and Lamartine. Jan. 29, 1986: Community members and former employees turned up for an auction of the contents of the Fred Rueping Leather Co., stirring up memories of the 131-year-old business that had closed the previous summer. Jan. 26, 1992: The Broken Bread program through St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral began partnering with 15 businesses to help provide food for community members having a hard time making ends meet. The businesses donated baked goods, fruits and vegetables that they couldn't sell but were still safe to eat. "Remember when ..." is a bi-weekly column from Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke that looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac's storied past. Tell her what you'd like to see next by emailing dlemke@ This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac remembers Model Cleaners and the building's other tenants
