MANSFIELD — Just over a week ago, five Mansfield residents were wounded during a drive-by shooting in front of a Sturges Street residence. Mansfield police responded as soon as the Oct. 20 shooting was phoned in by residents, but valuable minutes were lost in a time when seconds can mean everything. Fortunately, no one was […]
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Complicating the narrative at a Mansfield MAGA rally
MANSFIELD — Researchers have a name for the kind of divide America is currently experiencing: the “intractable conflict.” It means a person’s encounters with the “other tribe,” whether it be political, religious, ethnic, racial or otherwise, become more and more charged. And the more we try to stop the conflict, the worse it gets. Author […]
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Shop Talk finale: One small step towards solutions
MANSFIELD — Racism in America can sometimes feel like an insurmountable problem, with few solutions. In the months since the death of George Floyd at the hands of White police officers on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, the country has launched arguably the most significant modern movement against racism in the United States. Yet, the problem […]
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How a neighborhood collaborative transformed a small town
FULTON, New York — Can a fresh coat of paint and a new flower bed revitalize a struggling city? Sounds too good to be true, but a small town in New York has proven it’s possible. For four years, Fulton Block Builders has awarded grants to groups of neighbors who commit to sprucing up […]
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Educators talk honestly about race and America’s past in Shop Talk
MANSFIELD — The narratives in our history books aren’t always an accurate depiction of the past. In the majority of classrooms K-12 across the country, students learn about African American heritage starting with enslavement in the U.S. colonies. As a result, many Americans are taught little about the history of systemic racism and the many […]
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Creative Problem Solving: ADs find solutions to attendance dilemma
BELLVILLE — Before becoming Clear Fork’s athletic director, Jeff Gottfried taught mathematics in the district for two decades. But this time the equation he was trying to solve was unsolvable. “I have to figure out how to give every participant 1.6 tickets,” Gottfried said incredulously when asked what football Friday nights at the Colt Corral […]
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Help wanted: Richland County Board of Elections recruiting poll workers
MANSFIELD — It seems almost certain there will be in-person voting for the Nov. 3 election during the COVID-19 pandemic, a virus that has proven far more dangerous to older residents. Given the reliance on seasoned citizens to serve as poll workers — more than half in the U.S. were older than 61 in the […]
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Stillwell talks race, diversity with Madison staff
MADISON — Like many Americans, Madison superintendent Rob Peterson was shocked and angry when he saw the video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of law enforcement in Minneapolis. “I was watching news coverage of that and just became very angry that in the United States today, in 2020, that that type of incident […]
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Shop Talk explores emotions of race, femininity and motherhood
MANSFIELD — In the eight minutes and 46 seconds George Floyd lay on the pavement, suffocating under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, he managed to gasp America’s most haunting phrase: “I can’t breathe.” Then, he called for his mother. It produced a visceral reaction for six women discussing race, femininity and motherhood in […]
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How Ashland SWCD uses art to teach stormwater management
ASHLAND — A majestic sea turtle peeks through crystal blue ocean water. Lions and giraffes stand silhouetted against a brilliant African sunset. A blue and yellow parrot sits perched on a tree branch, a rushing jungle waterfall behind him. As different as they are, each painting shares a common theme — water and its importance […]