Dec. 15, 1923

Taxes are but one cent higher this year than last, the total of the city, county, state, and school levy being $38.06 for each thousand dollars of valuation. City taxes here are collected in May and June and the county, state, and school taxes are payable after the first of December. Collections are not as brisk as they should be, reports W. J. Cornwell, city treasurer. This is not so good, says Willis, as the schools especially need the money at this time. An analysis of several tax levies brings out the fact that the city tax this year is $1.38 lower than in 1922. There has been quite a saving in taking advantage of every possibility for economy. The city officials are continually striving for a lower tax rate consistent with the proper advancement of the city, and many dollars are saved in the aggregate by careful attention to a multiplicity of small details. The state tax also shows a decrease, the amount being but 19 cents. Increases are shown in the school and county tax, the latter being the greatest, $1.27. The increase in the school tax is due to the purchase of the site for the new first ward building and equipment for the new Cooley building. Teachers’ wages also show a slight normal increase. The city budget this year showed a smaller sewer fund, as there are but a few streets that have not been given this service. Poplar and Granite and Division street paving was included in the 1922 budget, which made that year’s expense higher. Poplar and Granite paving was nearly completed this fall, having been delayed by the low state of the state’s highway finances. The city’s portion of the Division street work is already provided for, and it is expected the street will be paved in the spring, when the last section of the boulevard work will be done.

Dec. 15, 1973

Landscaping, guitar, crocheting, photography, home decorating, ballet, metric mathematics, French and ham radio classes are among the record 40 offerings in Cadillac Community Education which will begin in January. Donald Johnson, director of the adult and enrichment education program for the Cadillac Area Public Schools, said registration is slated for the week of Jan. 14. Classes will begin the week of Jan. 24. He stressed additional subjects could be offered if there were at least 10 adults interested and willing to sign up for each class. The school system would provide an instructor and facilities. During the first semester, 33 classes were offered, and 24 classes were formed after final registration. Individuals can register by telephone or by sending in the coupon featured in the community education schedule, which is set to be mailed to area residents in early January. Upholstery, sewing, and Swedish were the top drawing classes during the first semester, which ended this week, he said. The history class also surprised him with its total attendance, Johnson added. Three classes were finally organized to handle the upholstery interested students in September. An additional sewing and Swedish class were also added because of the heavy demand for enrollment, he said. About 218 students took classes during the first semester. Offerings included woodworking, typing, bridge, shorthand, real estate business, macramé, Spanish, oil painting and a wide variety of courses that could be taken for credit or for enrichment. “We offer a large and adequate program for the area, but we’re always trying to improve it,” Johnson said.

Dec. 15, 1998

When Mackinaw Trail Middle School health teacher Dave Monson wanted to teach his sixth-graders about nutrition, he turned not to a textbook but to a person. Julie Valley, nutritionist with Mercy Hospital-Cadillac, brought a common sense message about eating right to Monson’s students. Armed with a lively video, a healthy snack and a handout showing recommended proportions of daily food consumption, Valley talked about the importance of good nutrition. “Nutrition is the study of food and how our bodies use it,” Valley told the class. “The human race survives because we like to eat. If we didn’t eat, we wouldn’t be here.” The key is eating foods the human body needs to grow, maintain and repair itself, she said. And to eat a diet from all food groups. Sugar and fats are fine in moderation. Take pizza, for instance — it’s usually considered junk food, but it’s not all bad. “Pizza can be healthy,” Valley said. “Put more vegetables on it. Or pineapple. People say pizza has a lot of fat, but cut back on the meat toppings, and you cut back on the fat.” Meat fats are generally unhealthy fats for humans. An excess of meat fat in the bloodstream leads to clogged-up arteries, she explained. Vegetable fats are healthier. Valley said she wanted to impress kids to take a common-sense approach to their diet. She’d heard of girls who ate no fats at all in order to maintain a trim figure. The result was that they also ate no cholesterol — a vital nutrient for the body. “We need cholesterol for development of the nervous system and the brain,” she said. “You shouldn’t cut it completely out of your diet. We need to make right choices in our diet.”