THIS KUTE KID IS… 11-month-old Cynthia Amara Alvarez, she is the sweetest baby with a sassy side according to her mom! Her proud parents are Andrew Alvarez & Amanda Sanders of Hartford.

Hartford School Board “Zooms” April business

By Jon Bisnett Meeting online via Zoom on Monday, April 20, the Hartford School Board conducted its monthly business session accepting a major construction bid, and accepting the resignation of its president. Finance Normal monthly bills were paid. Business Manager Rebecca Drake noted the untypical purchase of nine pallets of paper in preparation for the coming distribution of educational packets during the distance learning to be implemented shortly. Drake is tracking all additional expenses attributed to the new COVID-19 protocols. Business The board unanimously approved a resolution recommended by district council, Thrun Law Firm that suspends all Board Policies that conflict with any existing or future Executive Orders. Specifically mentioned were exceptions to the Open Meetings Act in terms of voting electronically by board members and interviewing board candidates. The board additionally approved policy updates to the Tobacco and Wellness Policy – Wellness 8510 and Tobacco 1615, 3215, 4215, 5512, 7434. Construction Bid The board awarded the Middle School Restroom Remodeling Project to the bid of $178,000 from Pearson Construction of Benton Harbor. Total cost of the project including 20% contingency and fees is $230,104. This project will completely remodel four existing gang restrooms, two located adjacent to band and choir rooms and the others at the auditorium / cafeteria entrance. Bond payments due on May 1 were approved as follows: $275,955 on the 2014 Refunding Bonds and $522,246.98 on the 2015 Building Bonds. Board Reports Board President Ben Chambers has now moved out of the area and as a result formally tendered his resignation concluding over 11 years of service on the board. Per policy, Vice President Mike Banic will advance to the chair and the board will seek to appoint a new trustee to fill the vacancy. Chambers reflected on the past decade expressing sincere thanks to his family, fellow board members, the Tri-City Record and gave high praise to Superintendent Hubbard; closing with the following remarks: “So, as I officially lay down the gavel tonight for the last time, I leave you with this: Thank you to the community for letting me serve in my role for the last 11-1/2 years. Thank you to the friendship of my fellow board members and for your hard work and dedication. Please allow Andy and his team to do the jobs they have been hired and trained to do, support them along this journey and continue to properly hold them accountable and ask the questions you need to make a proper decision. As we all have been told from day one: make your decision based on this one simple question: ‘How does this affect students & learning?’ If you use this guide and base your decisions off this one simple question, you will be doing the right thing. I am looking forward to the next chapter on this journey called life, this was not an easy decision for me but it’s the correct one for me and my family. I will always and forever be an Indian and bleed Green & White.” Superintendent Report Superintendent Andy Hubbard began with a sincere thanks to Ben Chambers for his commitment to Hartford Public Schools for the last 11-1/2 years. Thank you was also extended to the food service, transportation, custodial, and secretarial staff along with all of the countless volunteers for their dedication to the children of the Hartford community by jumping in to do whatever it takes as they continue to provide 6,000 breakfasts and 6,000 lunches to their children each and every week. The District Continuity of Learning Plan has been submitted and approved by the local Van Buren Intermediate School District and uploaded to the State Department of Education, paving the way for deployment in the coming week. A special thank you went out to Curriculum Director Brad Geesaman and VBISD facilitator Geanice Miller, for all their hard work in creating the COL plan. The educational materials and packets are being created and will go out for distribution on April 27. Hubbard also announced that all spring sports coaches will be compensated 100% of their normal pay. They won’t be needing their whistles this season as their job descriptions will change in a major way under COVID-19 rules, as they are now tasked with the major project of locker clean out and distribution of personal belongings for the high school and middle school students. Hubbard concluded by touching on the subject of graduation saying, “Yes, we are having graduation one way or another; maybe virtual, perhaps a ceremony. What it will look like really comes down to the effect of further actions from our Governor. We are currently polling seniors and their parents to get their thoughts on the subject.”

COLLISION… Two cars collided at the intersection of Red Arrow Highway and County Line Road (70th Street), in Watervliet Township, on Monday morning, April 27. An 18-year-old male from Lockport, IL was traveling northbound on County Line in a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup and had stopped at the stop sign. He then proceeded into the intersection after failing to observe a westbound 2003 Saturn Vue, which was being operated by a 51-year-old male from Lawrence. The vehicles then collided, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Both drivers were checked out at the scene by members of Pride Care Ambulance and both drivers refused medical treatment. The 51-year-old male was the sole occupant of the Saturn Vue. The Dodge Ram had a total of three occupants, the driver along with a 68-year-old male passenger and a 17-year-old male passenger. Neither of these passengers suffered any injuries. (TCR photo by Amy Loshbough)

Fire Reports

Fire Reports By Annette Christie Burn Permits; safe burning practices North Berrien Fire Chief Mike Mattix stated that residents should keep in mind all safe burning practices. Residents should be knowledgeable about their respective township ordinances. “Residents may now obtain a burning permit from the Coloma and Hagar Township offices. The only materials allowed to be burned are brush and yard waste. No processed lumber is to be burned,” Mattix said. Those burning a fire should keep a close watch on it and a hose handy to handle any flare ups. “Keep in mind also the wind so the smoke from your fire does not interfere with your neighbors.” Mattix said. The Hartford Fire Department posted a reminder on their Facebook page, “Just a reminder that the City has an Ordinance #301-06 PROHIBITING burning within the City limits. Bonfires are allowed in an approved fire ring and burning barrels are prohibited.”

How should millennials respond to market decline? The coronavirus crisis has unsettled every age group, as we are all worried about our health and that of our families and communities. And if you’re in the millennial generation, generally defined as anyone born between 1981 and 1996, you might also be concerned about your financial future, given the sharp decline in investment prices. How should you respond to what’s been happening? Your view of the current situation will depend somewhat on your age. If you’re an older millennial, you had probably been investing for a few years when we went through the financial crisis in 2007-2008. And you then experienced 11 years of a record bull market, so you’ve seen both the extremes and the resilience of the investment world. But if you’re a younger millennial, you might not have really started investing until the past few years, if you’ve started at all, so you’ve only seen a steadily climbing market. Consequently, you may find the current situation particularly discouraging, but this is also a lesson in the reality of investing: Markets go down as well as up. But no matter where you are within the millennial age cohort, you might help yourself by taking these steps: Enjoy the benefit of having time on your side. If you’re one of the younger millennials, you’ve got about four decades left until you’re close to retiring. Even if you’re in the older millennial group, you’ve probably got at least 25 years until you stop working. With so many years ahead, you have the opportunity to overcome the periodic drops in investment prices, and your investments have time to grow. And, of course, you’ll be able to add more money into those investments, too. Invest systematically. The value of your investments will always fluctuate. You can’t control these price movements, but you may be able to take advantage of them through what’s known as systematic investing. By putting the same amount of money at regular intervals into the same investments, you’ll buy more shares when the share price is lower – in other words, you’ll be “buying low,” which is one of the first rules of investing – and you’ll buy fewer shares when the price rises. Over time, this strategy can help you reduce the impact of volatility on your portfolio, although it can’t ensure a profit or protect against loss. Plus, systematic investing can give you a sense of discipline, though you’ll need to consider the ability to keep investing when share prices are declining. Focus on the future. You’re never really investing for today – you’re doing it to reach goals in the future, sometimes just a few years away, but usually much further out. That’s why it’s so important not to panic when you view those scary headlines announcing big drops in the financial markets, or even when you see negative results in your investment statements. By creating an investment strategy that’s appropriate for your risk tolerance and time horizon, and by focusing on your long-term goals, you can develop the discipline to avoid making hasty, ill-advised decisions during times of stress. As a millennial, you’ve got a long road ahead of you as you navigate the financial markets. But by following the suggestions above, you may find that journey a little less stressful.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

Edward Jones Financial Advisor sponsors virtual coffee club

Brian Smith, a local Edward Jones financial advisor, will host a virtual coffee club at 12:00 noon, every Tuesday through the month of May by teleconference. All anyone needs to participate is a phone.

At this upcoming virtual coffee club, Smith will share market updates.

For the details about how to connect to this virtual coffee club, please contact the local Edward Jones branch at 269-468-4153.

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the investments its financial advisors offer to the location of its branch offices, caters to individual investors. The firm’s 18,000-plus financial advisors serve more than seven million clients and care for $1.3 trillion in assets under management. Visit their website at edwardjones.com and recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.