As I am writing this column, itís 19 degrees and snowing; and the forecast looks bleak for the next few days. The roads are still closed, and I am dreaming of a vacation in the islands or Hawaii or Mexico.As always in Colorado, by the time this newspaper is on the stands, it could be in the 60s here! We are still lucky compared to the Midwest and the East Coast where winter lingers for months without much reprieve.I am picking this column up about a week later, and itís now Jan. 25. The shutdown is finally over. But itís still cold!February 14 is Valentineís Day, and I hope retailers do well again this year. However, many of the American workers who were ìvictimsî of the longest government shutdown in our history will probably not be feeling any ìloveî for their employer until all of their pay is back in their pockets. But government contractors just lost out on their pay forever.Washingtonís birthday and Presidentís Day is Feb. 18, and I think George and many of our forefathers would be horrified at the ungodly fact that Americans were collateral damage in this war of wits taking place in D.C. This shutdown should have never been an option. It is infuriating. Itís smug and arrogant, and thatís on the people running the country. I hope we can do something to stop this from ever happening again. A course of action like a shutdown is unjust. It not only disrupts peoples lives; eventually, it affects the overall economy.The catch is that the government is back up and running for just three weeks, so it is still a possibility that this shutdown could resurface.One thing this shutdown has brought to light: Too many federal employees live paycheck to paycheck. Weíre talking about air traffic controllers, IRS employees, FBI, the Coast Guard ó what is wrong when some of these federal workers are living on the edge? How can they say the economy is great, when it appears that many people are not making a decent enough wage to be able to save money?I debated whether I should even mention the shutdown, but I am in the news business; and, regardless of where we live ó from Falcon to Greensboro, North Carolina ó this is what people have been talking about.On a more positive note, I think, we are beginning a series on growth and development in Falcon and the surrounding areas. The first in our series explains land zones. If you have a growth topic you would like to see us cover, be sure and email Marylou (see pg. 3). Weíve also followed up on our health care issues with two stories: one on how horses heal humans; and a tough topic on child pornography. The latter defines the ways in which child pornography affects the brains of our youth, and itís scary.On a lighter note, we have our fun columns like Life on the Prairie and Markís Meanderings.I hope you enjoy this issue, and take care ó spring is not far off!See you in March.– MichelleCorrections:In the ìSterling Ranch town hall meetingî article, we incorrectly stated that The Ranch, a development by Classic Homes, is part of Sterling Ranch. Actually, The Ranch is located next to Sterling Ranch but not part of it. The Ranch used to be Elkhorn Estates.In last monthís obesity article, ìObesity, diabetes in children still risingî under the subtitle Diabetes 1, Kelly Raleigh, outreach manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation asked that we could correct the following sentence: ìReasons for the increase in Type 1 diabetes include diet and the overuse of antibiotics, which is creating more auto immune attacks on peopleís bodies.î The correct sentence should read,îThere are multiple†theories as to why autoimmune conditions are on the rise but no one knows for certain.î
