Thumbs up: To Lehan Drugs, Brad Manning Ford and the many small local businesses so important to the DeKalb economy and community. For Lehan Drugs and Brad Manning Ford, both of which have been around for more than 50 years, a strong family investment is part of their success.
“I try to think about how to keep business going for my grandson,” said Pat Manning, owner of Brad Manning Ford in DeKalb, “And that’s how my sons look at it.”
With competitors all over the area, Lehan Drugs is constantly striving to set itself apart from everyone else.
“We’re always in transition, but I guess that’s a good thing,” said Tim Lehan, who owns Lehan Drugs with his wife, Ann Lehan.
There are many effective business models, but it is rare for a business to last 65 to 90 years under a single family, such as Lehan Drugs or Brad Manning Ford. It’s important to have a mix of businesses that include long-term family-run businesses with deep roots in the community.
Thumbs up: To healthy options for low-income families. The state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working to put wireless machines in farmers’ markets that would allow families on SNAP – the nutritional assistance program once known as food stamps – to use their benefits to buy meat, dairy and produce at farmers markets.
It’s a sad fact that many low-income families don’t eat as healthfully as others because fresh food is expensive and in some areas, hard to find.
Locally, Kishwaukee Hospital has teamed with markets in DeKalb and Sycamore to offer a voucher program that opens the markets to those with low incomes. We’re happy to see that option extended to struggling families across the state.
Thumbs down: To Fox News and CNN, for bungling the announcement of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act on Thursday. The cable news networks had viewers around the country believing that the court had struck down the law’s requirement for all people to have health insurance, when in fact, it had upheld it.
Although Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion began by saying that the federal government could not require people to be insured as part of its powers to regulate interstate commerce, it went on to say that the law was permissible because the federal government has the power to tax citizens.
The foul-up wasn’t quite on the order of “Dewey defeats Truman,” but it was embarrassing nonetheless.
It also was a good illustration of how the modern news cycle has accelerated to the point where “scoops” are measured in seconds or minutes, not hours or days; sometimes, in the rush to report the news a few seconds before a competitor, accuracy becomes a casualty.
Thumbs up: To Kishwaukee United Way’s annual Day of Caring. More than 220 volunteers signed up to take on nearly 50 projects in the county, making it the biggest year ever for the service-oriented event, according to Executive Director Dawn Littlefield.
Some of the tasks taken on by volunteers included painting, gardening, serving meals and baking for community meals and hospice. Once again, it’s great to see such a collaborative effort of generosity and hard work.
Thumbs up: To Mother Nature, for finally providing some rain Friday. This summer started early and it’s been hotter than normal, which has led to dried-out lawns, wilting plans and curling leaves in the cornfields.
Area rainfall totals still are several inches less than normal, and we could use more rain before the corn plants begin pollinating, local farmers have said.
Another good midday rain would keep the heat down, perk up the plants and hopefully not force the cancellation of any Little League games.
