Author Archive
Raise Your Voice
By PETER MOLENAAR Truth is a Delicate Matter The term “Cliocide” refers to the destruction of history. In Greek mythology, Clio, a daughter of Zeus, was the proclaimer and celebrator of history, great deeds and accomplishments. Clio is the “muse of history.” Did every neighbor see the June 28th airing of the PBS documentary “The People vs Agent Orange?” Hey, an estimated 13 million gallons of this cocktail (laced with dioxin) was dumped on Vietnam during my formative years. Survivors often gave birth to babies with severe birth defects, before succumbing to their own cancers. Sadly, David Dix, a former editor of the Alley and a veteran of the Vietnam War, was exposed to Agent Orange. Cancer was the cause of death. Is it wrong to recall such things? Note: the lethal dioxin element was included as a result of cost cutting the production process. So now, we say: PEOPLE and NATURE BEFORE PROFITS. [...]
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery
190th in a series For Want of Breath and Blood By SUE HUNTER WEIR “For want of breath and blood.” With those words Dr. John Cockburn, the city”™s Health Officer, painted a heartbreaking picture of the death of a fragile infant born in 19th century Minneapolis. He wrote those words on the burial permit for Baby Girl Weeks who died on April 3, 1883. She was only two days old. She was not the first of her father”™s children to die. John Warren Weeks and his first wife, Martha, had lost three children. Martha died in childbirth in 1877. John”™s second wife, Elizabeth, was the mother of the unnamed baby girl who died in 1883. John Weeks died from consumption (tuberculosis) five months after his infant daughter died. He was only 39 years old and had outlived four of his children. The marker for six members of the Weeks family--John and Martha Weeks and four infants. Photo by Tim McCall Before the late 19th and early 20th centuries, [...]
Library News
Carz Nelson All information listed here is accurate as of August 15, 2021. For the most recent information, check out the library website at www.hclib.org. FRANKLIN LIBRARY HOURS Monday Closed Tuesday 9 AM to 5 PM Wednesday 9 AM to 5 PM Thursday 12 Noon to 8 PM Friday 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM Sunday 12 Noon to -5 PM MASKS ARE REQUIRED Everyone must wear a mask in the library and in all county buildings. Children under five years old are exempt. People who tested positive for COVID 19 or who are experiencing symptoms should not enter the library. LIBRARY SERVICE Franklin Library is open for regular service; including book check out, holds pick up, and walk-in computer use. There”™s no limit on the time people can spend inside the library. READING SUGGESTIONS Looking for a good book to read? You could ask a librarian. At hclib.org, towards the bottom of the page, you”™ll find the link, Ask us for reading [...]
