Star News Top Stories

October 29, 2009

Leaf raking is school practicing what it teaches
Thursday, Oct. 22, was “early release” for students in the Medford School District.
In the afternoon, our doorbell rang and there were a lot of kids and moms — all with rakes.
They said, “We are students from Holy Rosary and would you like us to rake your leaves and put them on the curb?”
We have a rather large yard and lots of large maple trees. They cleaned the entire yard. What a beautiful example of practicing what they are taught at Holy Rosary.— Help others and do good. They truly were “angels with rakes.”
— Lila and Milan Czarnezki, Medford

Small is beautiful — even in outer space
Sometimes it seems that small, cold, dark and remote places do not get a lot of respect. That was the case when Chris and I lived in the farthest north city – Barrow, about the same size as Medford. But Barrow does not have a road connection to any other community, so is a little more remote.
Even within Alaska, we’d often get questions from people in the state’s largest community – Anchorage: “Why did you move to a place where it is always cold and dark, and people live in igloos? None of those are true – igloos are temporary ice and snow houses built out of town when folks are on hunting trips. And Barrow people and dogs consider summer temperatures of 50 degrees very comfortable under the midnight sun.
Then along comes Pluto, the only planet discovered in the United States --- back in February 1930 by a young man from a Kansas farm, Clyde Tombaugh, working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Yes it is the smallest of the nine planets in the solar system, and yes it is billions of miles from the Sun, very cold and dark. But it has a thin atmosphere and maybe even some ice geysers like Triton, Neptune’s large moon. It also has its own moon – Charon. So it has a lot going for it.
But other bodies are being discovered beyond Pluto, some which may be larger.
So in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to downgrade Pluto to a dwarf planet. The New York Times said that was a smart move, so that school children would not ultimately have 5 to 10 new planets to add to their curriculum.
Well the school kids responded with lots of letters favoring Pluto and petitions to reinstate it to full planet hood. Even the students in Barrow, circulated petitions of opposition and sent them off to the IAU.
The Barrow students made up T-shirts, which summarized their position:
“We trust that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will take into account the feedback of concerned citizens who live in a remote and dark land (at least in winter), Barrow, Alaska USA, who feel even lands far away should be treated with respect, and seriously consider the reversal of their decision. Reinstate PLUTO as a planet!”
Now three years later, and the Barrow students have received no response from the IAU. But I hope they do not give up. NASA’s New Horizons space probe is speeding its way to Pluto, and will fly by in 2015, taking lots of pictures. Maybe then folks will learn to give it more respect.
— Earl Finkler, Medford

Praises Taylor County Humane Society for help finding new pet
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the Taylor County Humane Society.
They found me the perfect pet. Last December we had to put our black lab “Harley” to sleep. He was only eight, but he got cancer. I wasn’t ever planning on getting another dog — because everyone knows I am the “Crazy Cat Lady.”
But I started to get really lonely for the companionship of a loyal dog. So I mentioned it to my daughter and husband. My daughter began to look in the Shopper and the classifieds and we called on a few dogs and then called the Taylor County Humane Society. Deb Kennedy told us about “Lady” a female black lab. She was keeping her at her home because she had been abused and was real timid. So Deb invited us out to her house to meet her. Being the animal lover I am the dog could have been pigeon-toed and hairless and I would still have fallen in lover with her. And I did and today I am so happy I did. My “Esme” is the sweetest most lovable creature on God’s green earth. She is an older dog and tolerates my multitude of cats.
I don’t know what happened to her in the past, nor do I wish to. But I can guarantee I will do everything to make her remaining years the happiest they can be.
I know it is probably not the best time financially to adopt a pet, but the stress relieved from the love of a loyal friend is priceless. Adopt a friend today.
— Mary Wilichowski, owner, Thomas Floral.