FROM THE CORNER

The churches of St. Joseph in Boyd, and Holy Family in Stanley, both quarterly serve an evening meal to the 40-50 homeless persons who daily populate Sojourner House in downtown Eau Claire. It is noteworthy that Eau Claire has received $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and will be using $1 million of it to develop 43 units of auordable housing in a new riverside housing development project. They will be using the other $1.5 million to help expand Sojourner House, which is adding a second story, to enable them to serve the homeless more humanely. Menomonie, which received $1.43 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, will be creating a 20-bed shelter facility for the homeless. It is still hard for me to understand that there are so many homeless people in a time of such low unemployment and with all the programs we have available for the needy. I totally understand temporary homelessness, but not permanent homelessness. Come fall, Chippewa County is expected to have a newly develop site of tiny homes to serve the temporarily homeless population. *** Don't forget. If you wish to participate, Saturday, May 14, your local mail delivery people will be collecting food for our local food pantries. Place it by your mailbox. *** The Ukrainian War has revealed the use of some war technology that most of us were not very familiar with. High technology looms large in this war and will undoubtedly prove more valuable as time goes on. I read with interest that there are also a number of deadly technologies that are ready, or close to ready, for use. Here area few we will be hearing more about in the future. The U. S. Navy is working with Boeing on a 51 foot submersible called the Orca. The goal is for it to navigate autonomously for up to 6,500 nautical miles, using sonar to detect enemy vessels and underwater mines. Initially, this will be unarmed but the Navy later plans for it be able to fire torpedoes. Another new development is an autonomous machine gun developed in South Korea. It is designed to help South Korea defend its border with North Korea. It reportedly uses thermal and infrared imaging to detect people near the border. If the target doesn’t speak the password the gun can sound the alarm or fire either rubber or lethal bullets. These will join drones that are unarmed weapons of war. *** It is noted that the Gilman School District will again be using the Stanley-Boyd Community Pool for swimming lessons this summer. With the large number of students interested in taking lessons, an extra bus will be added for transportation. *** Most people in this area of the state are aware of Weather Shield Windows and Doors, a large manufacturer in Medford. The founder of that plant, which has grown to employee over 1,500, was Edward "Lee" Schield. Schield passed, at the age of 88, on Friday, April 22. His obituary indicates he was a home grown entrepreneur, starting in 1955 with $300 from his apart- ment. He was well thought of in the Medford community where he was seen as a hard worker with a keen business sense. An editorial in the Medford weekly Star News states, "Schield's sto – ry is the story of American ingenuity and inspiration. It is a story of manufacturing and bringing employment opportunities to an entire region. He was also described as a man of strong Christian faith.

*** I noticed that a group is planning on placing a scoreboard (s) at the Fandry Park playing fields. If you ever questioned if these ball fields get much use, take a ride down that way on a Monday evening and you will be surprised at the number of cars that are parked in the park and on the roadway to the south of the fields. You will see lots of kids having fun playing ball! *** Disc golf? Have you heard of it? Or played it? If not, you should become familiar with the Disc Golf Course located across from the entrance of Chapman Park. In the past several years the course has been expanded, cleared of more brush, and it is being used with increased frequency. A few years back I was introduced to the sport by a friend. It’s another of the outdoor activities that get a person outside and moving in the summer. The site is the former city dump that existed when I was a kid. It was a place that parents didn’t want their kids to go and a place that kids were fascinated to go to, to see what they could find!! It was also the home to some mighty big rats! At least they looked big to this kid back then .*** Bicycling is an activity that has grown in popularity in the last few decades. Old railroad beds have taken on a new life, as they became bike trails. Chippewa County is the home of one of those trails that goes from Chippewa Falls to Cornell. A good number of locals use that trail as a favorite place to ride during the summer and fall months. A number of years back bicycling was identified as one of the most popular recreational activities in Wisconsin with nearly 50% of adults cycling for recreation. Back then, Travel Industry of America was noting that more than 27 million travelers had taken cycling vacations in the past five years. That alone was enough for those interested in tak ing advantage of the economic impact of bicycling to advocate for increasing the number of trails in Wisconsin. Stanley and Neillsville are two of the most recent communities to begin planning and advocating for bike trails in or near their communities. Neillsville’s plan is more ambitious, as they have a former railroad bed that goes from Neillsville to Granton to Chili that they hope to develop into a bicycling trail. Those leading the Stanley euorts are less spectacular but starting small and increasing the length of a trail over time. *** Smile time. Some religious thoughts for the day. Don’t wait for 6 strong men to take you to church. +++ God loves everyone, but probably prefers “fruits of the spirit” over “religious nuts!” +++ If God is your co-pilot – swap places. +++ Prayer: Don’t give God instructions – just report for duty. +++ The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. +++ Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. +++ Don’t put a question mark where God put a period. +++ God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. +++ The will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you. +++ We don’t change the message, the message changes us. +++ You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him/ her. +++ The best mathematical equation ever: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given. +++ “Father, bless this person in whatever it is that you know he or she may be needing this day!” +++ Refrain from judging people. Give people the benefit of a doubt. Assume that they had the best intentions.

BY DAVID JANKOSKI