Construction started on May 1st 1884 in Chicago on a radical new building — destined to be America’s first skyscraper.  It was the Home Insurance Company headquarters, designed by engineer William Jenney.  His design would literally change the shape of the nation’s cities.  Jenney conceived a building using a metal frame for support, with the [...]

Weekly Address: Helping our Veterans and Servicemembers Make Informed Decisions about Higher Education.  President Obama discusses a new Executive Order designed to crack down on the bad actors who prey on our veterans and service members considering higher education West Wing Week: “Don’t Double My Rate” This week, the President hosted the Wounded Warrior Project’s [...]

Unfortunately yesterday’s Meet Me In The Street was cancelled due to weather threats.  By the time 5:00pm rolled around it seemed pretty clear, but lunch time and early afternoon Thursday it was very windy and rainy.  We’ll update when we get information about the reschedule. April is National Landscape Architecture Month, and today marks the [...]

Reminder, be sure to come to downtown Henderson tonight for the Meet Me In The Street festival for some free live music! The Wenatchee Valley in Washington is decked out with millions of blossoms as a backdrop for the state’s 93rd annual Apple Blossom Festival, beginning tomorrow. An estimated 100,000 people will enjoy events including parades [...]

Many automobile license plates herald the scenic wonders of the various states, others contain words giving a glimpse of the driver’s personal preferences.  New York was the first state to require license plates on motor vehicles 111 years ago this month.  At the time, there were just under 15,000 rudimentary automobiles in the entire country, [...]

I noticed dueling articles Monday with “Most N.C. hospitals are slim on charity care” at the Charlotte Observer and “North Carolina’s urban hospitals pile up the cash” at the N&O. Nonprofit hospitals such as Caldwell Memorial are exempt from property, sales and income taxes. In return, they are expected to give back to their communities, [...]

President Obama believes that we should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American – because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, it’s never been more important. He is calling on Congress to act [...]

Yesterday was National Hanging Out Day.  No it’s not a special day for friends to hang out together for a few beers — although that could also happen — but the idea is to educate people about saving energy.  The goal is to get people to hang their clothes out to dry and not use [...]

This week is set aside as a time to honor those who make life a little better by the work they do without pay to help others.  It’s National Volunteer Week.  It’s also a time to consider becoming involved in solving local problems and helping organizations that benefit communities and the nation.  More than a [...]