Sue Wilcox sent me these wonderful photos of two loons and their new twins.

On Memorial Day, we honor the heroic men and women who gave their lives defending our freedoms. I am writing to you with an update about federal legislative efforts to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, as well as our veterans and active duty military.

I am a cosponsor of legislation that will protect the dignity of fallen servicemembers. Our bill, the Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans (SERVE) Act, expands the "buffer zone" distance and time around military funerals to protect these services from disruptive protesters. It also increases criminal penalties for those who violate the law and interfere with respectful burials. Our fallen heroes deserve our utmost respect and honor, and it is outrageous that some would turn their funerals into political spectacles.

I am also pleased to announce that the Veterans Affairs Administration selected a site in Mackinaw City for a new veterans' clinic, which will open later this year. As your Senator, I have made it a top priority to increase access to medical services for all of our veterans. The VA has now opened new clinics in Alpena, Clare and Bad Axe. They will be opening another one in Cadillac next month and have also approved a clinic for Grayling to open in 2012.

We owe it to our veterans to make sure they get the highest quality health care and the benefits they have earned. I will continue working with the VA to increase the number of veterans' clinics in Michigan.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if ever I can be of assistance to you or your family.

Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

From now until June 10, the Art Reach gallery, 111 E. Broadway, features the works of Mt. Pleasant artists Pat Coen and Kate Lucas. The show is a retrospective of fabric and pottery highlights from their long and productive careers. Kate has created dramatic quilting, weaving, wall hangings, dolls, coats and scarves. Pat has mastered exquisite glazes in her bowls, pots, platters, and tableware. The rich colors used by both artists are well displayed on the walls and pedestals of this fine show room.

The artists have been very active in Art Reach and appeared in many Days with the Artist presentations in area elementary schools.

The blinding of the lambs,
While swans’ plumage grayed.
Dust! Volcanic dust everywhere.
Enormous plumb,
Like some atomic cloud,
Shrugs better than Atlas,
Sprinkling powder
Into everyone’s lungs.

Many years ago, when in discussions for a potential job, I learned that the first party to bring up money is the loser. I've always believed the rule to be universal.

The reason I bring this up is that our political leaders are falling into that same trap in regards to K-12 education. I hear so much criticism of public education and how we don't get the "bang for our buck". These are the kind of words you might use when buying a new cell plan or cable TV service. It's a natural thing to want to get a good deal, but we've lost our perspective on this one because of the negative brow beating being given to our teachers and repeatedly broadcast across the airwaves in a coordinated effort to eliminate teachers' unions.

In actuality, we're getting a great deal in our public schools and should be talking about ways to increase funding and give them positive suggestions to build on our educational system rather than using false statistics to knock it down.

In Michigan at the current time, schools are required to schedule 1,098 hours of instruction. This is a goal of the state, but things like weather and sickness brings the actual number down some depending on the year and where you make the measurement. Another important number is the foundation allowance which for districts at the bottom is about $7,100 per each student for a school year. Contrary to what you might read or hear, simple math shows that taxpayers are getting one of the best deals ever when it comes to K-12 spending.

Using the $7,100 foundation allowance figure and an estimated number of instruction hours of 1,080, K-12 education costs taxpayers about $6.63 per hour of instruction. We pay students working at our local fast food restaurants more than that. Minimum wage in Michigan is $7.40 per hour. But let’s not stop there. Also, understand that when students eat lunch, and have recess, change classes and do things after school such as athletics, fine arts or club events, these are not counted as instructional hours so the deal gets even better and is closer to $5.50 for every hour a student spends in our public schools, receiving supervised and organized activities that add to a student's academic and social growth.

Those who still believe that education needs to be more like a business should rethink that thought. I can't think of any business that would only charge 5 or 6 bucks an hour regardless of the service, let alone a service that requires a college educated professional. Also consider what we are offering parents for this $6 bucks an hour. We guarantee a day's worth of instruction provided by certified instructors and we provide a safe and comfortable learning environment along with extracurricular activities. Students will grow up with lifelong memories of the public school experiences they receive.

Consider what you pay your baby sitter, and I think we can all agree, public education is a great deal and needs to be built on and not be torn down as some politicians are trying to do.

The next meeting of the Isabella County Reapportionment Committee will be Tuesday, May 17, at 5 p.m. in Room 320 of the County Building.

The meeting on May 9th was very interesting. Nine different plans were presented by the Committee members for review, 1 by Mr. Burdick, 1 by Mr. Caldwell, 3 by Mr. Golden, 3 by Mr. Pickens, and 1 by Mrs. Swan. Each member presented a plan based on seven County Commission districts, and the extras were for other numbers of members. After the presentation of the various plans, the Committee agreed that they would continue to work with seven districts. There were many similarities in the various plans, and all fell within the guidelines of very few crossings of existing political boundaries, and with a population deviation of less than 11.90%. (With a county population of 70,311 the ideal population of each of seven districts would be 1,044.) All plans submitted can be found on the Isabella County website. The members were given until Monday to "tweak" their plans and resubmit them.

It is expected that one plan will be accepted at this meeting. I think you will find it interesting. League members are there as observers, but there are times on the agenda when public comments can be made. The Mt. Pleasant League filed a Freedom of Information Act with the county to keep this process as open and transparent as possible, as requested by the Michigan League of Women Voters, and we think we are performing a public service by attending these meetings.

I hope to see several of you there.

Helen Thomas

The following notes were sent by sixth graders to a docent in the Art Reach Picture Program at the end of the season. They appear as they were written. Only the names have been deleted to protect the innocent.

Thank you for all the time you have given us. I have had so much fun looking at art over the year. We have learned so much about art thanks to you. I will never forget all you’ve tout us

What I liked about art reach was the different kind of calendars. Then about the history some of it I already knew, but, then you taught us more about it. What I didn’t like about it was some of the pictures, but, most of them were unique.

My favorite part is the slide shows and the animation. I like the way you move everything around. It’s cool to make art with a computer. And if you didn’t know drawing is my favorite thing to do.

I love art reach this year it has been fun learning not only about art but about how we see things
I always enjoy when you come to our school. Also the challenges you give us are superb. In my previous
Years in art reach were boring we just talked about one person the entire time. Many of your
Presentations have given me ideas about what to draw when in art class. So I just want to tell you that
It’s a great program and I love your animations.

I liked Art Reach because of how Mr. …. presented it. The Power Point is awesome but Art Reach was a bit boring before this year. He actually made me listen to him and I learned something. I like how he is all caught up to date with technology.

This year art reach was okay. I’ve had had better years of it though. Sometimes we were learning about math, and it didn’t make any sense to me why we were. I liked how we learned about a lot of different artists. I was kinda disappointed when we didn’t learn about any Native American artists. They have a let of very good work, like this one: (image) and (image).
These ones are some of my favorites. But I guess it was cool to see the other artists from Europe. (Even thought that’s the usual people.) A Europe artist that I like is Claude Monet. I love how he paints. They way he paints tiny little dots to make one big picture.
I don’t really like Art Reach, but it can be fun sometimes.

One of the things I really liked about art reach was when we made our power point. I just love the great assignments you give us. Hope you live a long happy life. You have really taught me a lot about art other amazing things I did not know. Thanks for the unique experiment.

I would like to thank you for your time
And doing Art Reach Program with us so the first thing is that I liked the painting
And stuff I liked learned about the authors and where
They came from and the 2nd thing is the challenges
The 3rd thing is the animations/slide shows you showed us!

What I like about Art Reach is that there are so many different paintings. You have taught me a lot about art work and you did it in an awesome way. You teach art in such a fun way I enjoy it every time you come and you teach us something new. At first I wasn’t interested in art but when you came and taught me how to look at art I understood it better and became more interested in it.

Thank you for doing Art Reach for Mrs. C’s and Mrs. W’s class. I enjoyed Art Reach very much, and I learned a lot about art. The projects you assigned were very interesting and fun. It was very nice of you to do all this for us and volunteering to do Art Reach lessons. I didn’t see anything that I can think of that I think needs to be changed. What I liked the most was how you taught us history about art.

I liked Art Reach it is very fun (smiley face). It was fun because we got the chance to learn how to do things for art and the ways that we see them. I like this art reach better than some art reaches. I liked the way you had us do little assignments they were fun and cool. I liked all he assignments you had given us. I wish we could do more but we cannot. But hopefully we get to do it next year in 7th grade but I don’t think we have it next year. Well I had a great time this Year it was very fun.

I’ve always loved Art Reach because its fun to learn about art. Art Reach can help you learn about famous artists. Art Reach is volunteers that know art is important in life. These volunteers take time off their life to teach people about art. Art Reach has taught a lot of kids about art.

I really enjoy Art Reach because you talk about science with it so we understand what we are seeing. I didn’t like that we didn’t get the pictures changed since somehow it wasn’t returned them back to Art Reach building. I would have loved it if you would have showed us a little more of the science part which was my favorite it made it a bit more interesting for me.

What I like about art reach is the mostly paintings that the artist paint. Usually the things I like about the painting are the things in the background or the main thing. I usually look really good in the background and there can be different things or there can be usually something that would go in the background.
There isn’t really anything that dislike about the power point that you make or what you talk about. A thing that you could maybe bring in for a painting is a painting painted by Thomas Kinkade. He is my favorite artist. His work is just beautiful. That would be sweet if you could do that sometime before your last time her at … School.

Dear Friend:

To keep you up-to-date on legislative and district happenings, I will periodically create e-mail news blasts to share important information with my constituents. Additional information is available on my Web site for your review. You may visit my Web site at www.SenatorJudyEmmons.com.

Today I'd like to share with you the following resolution I introduced.

A resolution observing the National Day of Prayer on May 5, 2011.

Whereas, A National Day of Prayer has been part of America's heritage since it was declared by the First Continental Congress in 1775; and
Whereas, The 60th observance of the National Day of Prayer will be held Thursday, May 5, 2011; and
Whereas, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that our nation should set apart a day for national prayer to confess our sins and transgressions in sorrow, "yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon...announced in the Holy Scriptures 'The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7' "; and
Whereas, We are thankful for the abundant blessings that have been bestowed on America. Our forefathers looked to God as protector, provider, and the promise of hope. We have wandered far from that firm foundation. May we repent for turning our backs on God's faithfulness. We ask that this great state and nation be restored by God's forgiveness and mercy; and
Whereas, We, as a state, give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy, that the state of Michigan and its people will be blessed and protected from those who threaten our republic and the foundations of our heritage; and
Whereas, Leaders of our nation have relied upon prayer throughout American history. We give thanks for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, including the freedom to gather and pray; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we proclaim and honor this long tradition and declare Thursday, May 5, 2011, as Michigan's Day of Prayer; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Governmental Prayer Alliance with our highest esteem.



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Sincerely,
Judy K. Emmons
State Senator
33rd District