MAY 1, 2026 CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR Cold thoughts CAROLE HITTINGER Groundcover vendor No. 701 This world that we live in is Felicia Wilbert, vendor No. 234 In one sentence, who are you? A loving, giving mother and gramma. Where do you usually sell Groundcover? 4th and Liberty Street. When and why did you start selling Groundcover? 2015. Became homeless due to a tragedy. It was a chance for stability. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Back in time to the signing of the Constitution. I would let them know the effects of the lies they created. And how they harmed people generations into the future. If you could go back or forward in time, where/when would you go? 1810 to find out who my great, great granddad’s parents were. What’s your hottest take? Groundcover is a job not a handout! If you could have dinner with one person in history, who would it be? George Washington. What is the best day of the year, in your opinion? My birthday! Books or movies? Both of my books, "Billy Don't Kill Us" and "3333 Mystery," need to turn into movies! What is your favorite thing about yourself? I am blessed to be able to change employment when it's necessary. Would you make a good world leader? Yes. Is social media a net positive or negative? Good when it is utilized correctly! way too much, at times. It reminds me of times in my life which I have long prayed to never relive. I am disheartened more and more every day by thoughts of what may happen next, or worse, what already has. Justice seems so far from our grasp, even as the land of the free. I am angered and confused so often. Yet, I will not let this keep me down, nor my loved ones. While it seems impossible — very hard at best — we all must persist. This is neither the life nor love that God would want for ANY of us. God is a loving and forgiving creator, no matter your personal religious beliefs. Some religions wait still for their savior in human form, and others for his final appearance. I do not believe it really makes a difference what others believe in. We are all in this together, and we’re all creations of God —a higher power if you will, or parents if not. The division we feel is across the board, yet so is God's love. This is often overlooked, but that love can bring us together. Of that fact I am sure. While I do believe we all have free will of our own, we often forget that judgment is not our job. I should clarify: in most situations. There are some who earn a paycheck to serve as judges and the like. While there needs to be some order, far too much is beyond our human ability to control. So why must we continue to judge? I know that God does not hold grudges: that is human nature alone. While nature seems to hold bias like us humans, it is truly incapable of GROUNDCOVER NEWS 3 having emotions. Our actions may be up to us to decide, but grace is something only God seems to extend, these days at least. It is shameful and silly to think of so many examples, just this past week, in which humans thought that they had the right to throw stones, or even cause harm. Some share only angry words or looks based on another human's beliefs. I have even heard fellow Michiganders claiming credit for freezing temps. Chuckle I must, and pray even more. I will continue to pray for mercy and grace to flow between us all. God allows us all to change, learn and grow, for our entire lives. While some refuse, I know it is part of the experience of being alive. I know we ALL can come together and realize that judgement is not something we should offer each other. Only love. I still believe love and time can heal all, if we persist. Opinion: Origins of the USA SCOOP STEVENS Groundcover vendor No. 638 The 1772 Somerset vs. Stewart court case was the writing on the wall that slavery was coming to an end in Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies. Since all of the colonies had slave owners who profited from slave labor, preserving the institution of slavery was the cause that united the colonies to secede from Great Britain. Was taxation without representation really the cause that united the original 13 colonies to secede from England? The fact of the matter is, the colonies were well-represented. The taxes imposed were to pay for the 7 Years War (1756-63) that the colonies benefited from. The taxes were not onerous and did not hinder commerce. Preserving the institution of slavery was the cause that united the colonies to secede from England. Great Britain ended slavery in their colonies in the 1830s. Slave owners were compensated for releasing their slaves and newly freed slaves were given land to start their new lives as free people. This would have happened in America if the colonies had not seceded from Great Britain. Therefore, it seems clear to me that preserving the institution of slavery was the real cause that united the colonies in the War of Independence against Great Britain. In 1861, 11 southern states entered into a confederation in violation of Article 1 Section 10 of the United States Constitution. President Lincoln put an army in the field to bring these rebelling states back into the Union, which would preserve the institution of slavery because this was the purpose of the United State’s existence. As the war dragged on, the original purpose of the war was no longer tenable; this led President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The Civil War only then became a war to free slaves. This was when the United States of America really came into existence as a nation. Poems by Jason Church Vocab: Diligent Rain sleet snow still he went. Postal workers sure are diligent. Vocab: Prodigious You want to go dig he up? Absolutely no way. That would take all day. That guy is prodigious. Vocab: Stultify When she goes walking by, We get them bulging eyes. She has a way that just stultifies. Looking better than a cheeseburger and salted fries.
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