Book Group
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It is worth waiting until we are comfortable to meet on Monday, August 17, to share our responses to
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson. Chris Zilke will host our group.
We will gather at 10 a.m. If you plan to attend, please let Chris know by calling her at (260) 449-2225.
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100th Anniversary of the
19th Amendment
xxxThe Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City honors this anniversary with
Well Behaved Women: Celebrating 100 Years of Womenâs Suffrage.
âWell behaved women seldom make history.â Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
This exhibition features artworks by women to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, giving women and men equal voting rights.
xxxWe are invited to a curator-led gallery tour on
Tuesday, August 18th at noon. If you plan to attend, please let Anita Rutlin know by calling her at (860) 304-4867 or by emailing
anitarutlin@hotmail.com.
Weâll be organizing rides to Michigan City and making reservations for lunch after the tour.
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ï»ż
Census 2020 Progress
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Amid a global pandemic, with social, political, and racial unrest dominating the news, and the cancellation of in-person census events, Michigan is the first state in the country to match its 2010 self-response rate. Census workers have completed 96% of the 2020 Census âUpdate Leave Operationâ where 2020 Census invitations and paper questionnaires are delivered to households that generally do not receive mail at their homes.
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Self-response rates to Census 2020 were ranked near the end of June. Michigan ranks #3 among the 50 states with a 68% self-response rate; 3.3 million households have filled out their census.
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Among the 83 counties in Michigan, Berrien is ranked 34th with 63.4% of households self-responding; Cass, with 61.5% of households self-responding, is ranked 40th. In Berrien and Cass Counties, among all the cities, townships, and villages, 21 of 59 had higher percentages for household self-response than Michiganâs 68%. In Berrien County, among the cities, townships, and villages, 26 of 40 had higher percentages for household self-response than Berrienâs 63.4 %. In Cass County, among the townships, villages, and city, 9 of 19 had higher percentages for household self-response than Cassâs 61.5%.
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In Berrien County, one city, two townships, and two villages have less than one third of their households completing self-response to the census. We need to encourage their household participation during the next four months.
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Environmental News
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After Googling âEnvironmental Newsâ, I decided simply to feature some of the headlines for this monthâs article.
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âIs Fungus the Answer to Climate Change?â A student who grew a mushroom canoe says yes. How can I not go on to read about
that
?
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âCoronavirus Pandemic Threatens to Undo Progress on Plastic Pollutionâ Honestly, for me, this is too scary to contemplate. You may recall my May newsletter article stated that it can take 50 to 80 years for a plastic take-out container to degrade. Now think about all the medical plastic waste currently being generated due to COVID-19.
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âDeforestation of the Amazon Has Soared Under Cover of the Coronavirusâ. I HATE this!
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There will always be some good news. A friend of a friend fished for walleye in Lake Erie this past week and offered some to me. Of course, I Googled, âIs it safe to eat fish from Lake Erie?â I was surprised and pleased to learn that eating fish from Lake Erie is safe (but not more than once a week). Regardless of the warning, I do enjoy walleye.
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Enjoy being outdoors, and stay safe and healthy. -- Chris Zilke
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National Voter Registration Day
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National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. It was first observed in 2012. Nearly 3 million voters have been registered to vote on this holiday to date. Celebrated on the fourth Tuesday in September, NVRD will next take place on September 22, 2020.
What has NVRD accomplished?
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Registering Voters
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Included in the nearly 3 million voters registered on the holiday, are 1.3 million
voters registered in September 2018.
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Educating Voters
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By leveraging technology and the reach of NVRD partners, citizens are educated about how to register, to sign up for election reminders, to request mail-in ballots, and to learn about early voting options.
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Uniting Americans
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NVRD is a holiday of civic unity. Itâs an opportunity to set aside differences, to enjoy the rights and opportunities Americans share, and to celebrate democracy.
Members planning to register eligible citizens to vote on September 22 are invited to participate in the NVRD Webinar: Partnering with Election Officials for Voter Registration Success on Thursday, July 16 from 2 until 3 p.m. Please contact John Ripley or Anita Rutlin for webinar registration information.
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League of Women Voters of the United States
1730 M Street NW Suite 1000
Washington D.C. 20036-4508
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