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Dear Friend,  October is always one of my favorite months of the year, but I must say this one is complicated. The leaves are turning, the colors so very vibrant but the weather is warmer than usual and I didn’t turn the heat on until this past week when it got into the 30s at night. I really haven’t worn a coat yet which is almost unheard of, I can actually remember… Read more »

Dear Friend, Time keeps flying and it is never dull. I am trying to behave and listen to the doctors, so I haven’t had a Diet Coke in almost three weeks and I’m trying to find that new drink that hits the spot. Junk food is gone, lots of soup, eggs, and soft foods. Someday, I may even hit those vegetables. Washington has been nonstop. I have met with two school groups since the last… Read more »

Dear Friend, Well, it’s been a bit crazy these last couple of weeks. Many intense feelings. Like many campuses across the country, students at the University of Michigan have many deep feelings on all sides. Trying to listen and talk to everyone. The NFL Draft was an amazing success and Michigan should be proud. We continue to see unpredictable weather, as one headline called it ‘four… Read more »

Dear Friend, We are back in Washington after two weeks at home with lots of getting around, listening, and talking to many people. I have to tell you, I am tired. I love being home, and I worked hard to get to every part of the district and to meet with as many stakeholders as possible. I had meetings with new mayors to understand their concerns, priorities, and the issues they thought… Read more »

Dear friend, The year is almost through its first quarter. Like many students, we are on a spring district work period, and I am working. Taxes are due by April 15, and mine are done, which always brings a feeling of peace and comfort. My mother turns 90 next week, and my siblings and I are planning celebrations with her family and friends. I am so looking forward to my brother,… Read more »

Dear Friend,   Each week presents new craziness– tough issues, working hard on subjects that matter, and just being home, listening, and getting around. This past week just seemed intense, short but intense. Getting around at home, talking to people and hearing many perspectives is always good. St. Patrick’s Day overlaid all of it with many celebrations and lively music including… Read more »

Dear Friend, What a week. We extended the budget for a week and avoided a government shutdown, Michigan had its Presidential Primary, and the weather is so up and down that storms have again caused power outages, but with these warm temperatures, spring is in the air. My neighborhood in A2 has a flock of wild turkeys that visit almost daily and fascinate me as I sit on Zoom. I think I… Read more »

Dear Friend, It has been a very busy couple of weeks, and since you know I do put a lot of work into these letters myself, I am a little behind. It is winter with, quite frankly, unpredictable weather. We have seen rain, snow, and ice with dramatic shifts from cold to warm, and it hangs over what I do while home. But I stay out there and try to get to as many places as I can, but the… Read more »

Dear friend, Last week was hard. Difficult votes that politicize issues that shouldn’t be politicized, like the proposed impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary– it was simply game playing with our national security and hearings that are held just to take cheap shots. It doesn’t build or result in good public policy, it doesn’t help keep us united as a nation, and it continues… Read more »

Dear friend, The highs and lows of January were intense, and it took a while to recover from the Lion’s loss, but life continues on, and there are so many issues to work on and worry about– attention quickly turns to the next crisis. I am getting back into the pattern of our weekly update now, weather and losses aside.  I will miss Jim Harbaugh, who has been a good friend (and… Read more »