#eaton county

[petnews2day]

Charlotte boy, 11, runs a successful business picking up dog doo-doo

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/Py32o

Charlotte boy, 11, runs a successful business picking up dog doo-doo

CHARLOTTE — Sam Bliss, all of 11, is already a successful entrepreneur. The home-schooler’s side business is, well, how do we put it? Here’s the straight poop: One of the hazards of his side gig, aside from fitting it in around homework and other obligations, is that it stinks. Sam’s in his third year of […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/Py32o #DogNews #Mi, #Animal, #AnimalProductsU0026Services, #Business, #Businesses, #Christmas, #Content, #County, #Diy, #DIYU0026ExpertContent, #Dogs, #Eaton, #EatonCounty, #Expert, #Family, #HowTo, #Jobs, #Maintenance, #Neutral, #New, #NewBusinesses, #Offbeat, #Overall, #OverallNeutral, #Products, #Services, #Small, #SmallBusiness, #Summer, #SummerJobs, #U0026, #Yard, #YardMaintenance

[middleland]

James Welsh House — Eaton, Ohio by Christopher Riley

[felicianotowing]

Feliciano Towing: Your Trustworthy Partner for All Towing Needs in Northeastern Ohio. #towing #flatbed #towtruck #fueldelivery #winchout #lockout #webuyjunkcar #elyria #northeastohio #OlmstedFall #LongDistanceTowing #lowestprice #Avon #hauling #felicianotowing #avonlake #westlake #amherst #oberlin #lagrange #columbiastation #northridgeville #bayvillage #palma @todos #viral #facebookreel

[rgr-pop]

we're literally two members away from threshold for another delegate at the convention

[garysheatingservicemi]

Gary's Heating Service, Inc. offers reliable furnace repair in DeWitt and Eaton County, MI, and AC repair in Lansing and DeWitt, MI. With our expert services, you can keep your home comfortable year-round.

[fatehbaz]

Good question:

In the United States, many jails and prisons can and will charge you money for every single night that you spend imprisoned, for the entire duration of your incarceration, as if you were being billed for staying at a hotel. Even if you are incarcerated for years. Adding up to tens of thousands of dollars. What happens when you’re released?

In response to this:

---

So.

You’re getting charged, like, ten dollars every time you even submit a request form to possibly be seen by a doctor or dentist.

You’re getting charged maybe five dollars for ten minutes on the phone.

Any time a friend or family tries to send you like five dollars so that you can buy some toothpaste or lotion, or maybe a snack from the commissary since you’re diabetic and the “meals” have left you malnourished, maybe half of that money gets taken as a “service fee” by the corporate contractor that the prison uses to manage your pre-paid debit card. So you’re already losing money every day just by being there.

What happens if you can’t pay?

In some places, after serving just a couple of years for drugs charges, almost 20 years after being released, the state can still hunt you down for over $80,000 that you “owe” as if it were a per-night room-and-board accommodations charge, like this recent highly-publicized case in Connecticut:

Excerpt:

Two decades after her release from prison, [TB] feels she is still being punished. When her mother died two years ago, the state of Connecticut put a lien on the Stamford home she and her siblings inherited. It said she owed $83,762 to cover the cost of her 2 1/2 year imprisonment for drug crimes. [...] “I’m about to be homeless,” said [TB], 58, who in March [2022] became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the state law that charges prisoners $249 a day for the cost of their incarceration. [...] All but two states have so-called “pay-to-stay” laws that make prisoners pay for their time behind bars [...]. Critics say it’s an unfair second penalty that hinders rehabilitation by putting former inmates in debt for life. Efforts have been underway in some places to scale back or eliminate such policies. Two states — Illinois and New Hampshire — have repealed their laws since 2019. [...] Pay-to-stay laws were put into place in many areas during the tough-on-crime era of the 1980s and ’90s, said Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology at University of Southern California who is leading a study of the practice. [...] Connecticut used to collect prison debt by attaching an automatic lien to every inmate, claiming half of any financial windfall they might receive for up to 20 years after they are released from prison [...].

Text by: Pat Eaton-Robb. “At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debt.” AP News / The Associated Press. 27 August 2022.

---

---

Look at this:

To help her son, Cindy started depositing between $50 to $100 a week into Matthew’s account, money he could use to buy food from the prison commissary, such as packaged ramen noodles, cookies, or peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches. Cindy said sending that money wasn’t necessarily an expense she could afford. “No one can,” she said. So far in the past month, she estimates she sent Matthew close to $300. But in reality, he only received half of that amount. The balance goes straight to the prison to pay off the $1,000 in “rent” that the prison charged Matthew for his prior incarceration. [...] A PA Post examination of six county budgets (Crawford, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Venango and Indiana) showed that those counties’ prisons have collected more than $15 million from inmates — almost half is for daily room and board fees that are meant to cover at least a portion of the costs with housing and food. Prisoners who don’t work are still expected to pay. If they don’t, their bills are sent to collections agencies, which can report the debts to credit bureaus. [...] Between 2014 and 2017, the Indiana County Prison — which has an average inmate population of 87 people — collected nearly $3 million from its prisoners. In the past five years, Lebanon’s jail collected just over $2 million in housing and processing fees.

Text by: Joseph Darius Jaafari. “Paying rent to your jailers: Inmates are billed millions of dollars for their stays in Pa. prisons.” WHYY (PBS). 10 December 2019. Originally published at PA Post.

---

Pay-to-stay, the practice of charging people to pay for their own jail or prison confinement, is being enforced unfairly by using criminal, civil and administrative law, according to a new Rutgers University-New Brunswick led study. The study [...] finds that charging pay-to-stay fees is triggered by criminal justice contact but possible due to the co-opting of civil and administrative institutions, like social service agencies and state treasuries that oversee benefits, which are outside the realm of criminal justice. “A person can be charged $20 to $80 a day for their incarceration,” said author Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology and a faculty affiliate of Rutgers' criminal justice program. “That per diem rate can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees when a person gets out of prison. To recoup fees, states use civil means such as lawsuits and wage garnishment against currently and formerly incarcerated people, and regularly use administrative means such as seizing employment pensions, tax refunds and public benefits to satisfy the debt.” [...] Civil penalties are enacted on family members if the defendant cannot pay and in states such as Florida, Nevada and Idaho can occur even after the original defendant is deceased. [...]

Text by: Megan Schumann. “States Unfairly Burdening Incarcerated People With “Pay-to-Stay” Fees.” Rutgers press release. 20 November 2020.

---

So, to pay for your own imprisonment, states can:

-- hunt you down for decades (track you down 20 years later, charge you tens of thousands of dollars, and take your house away)

-- put a lien on your vehicle, house

-- garnish your paycheck/wages

-- seize your tax refund

-- send collections agencies after you

-- take your public assistance benefits

-- sue you in civil court

-- take money from your family even after you’re dead

[kaijuno]

This year is the 71st anniversary of the Flint/Beecher tornado of June 8, 1953.

The tornado resulted in 116 fatalities and 844 injuries (not including those who self-treated). This is the most tornado fatalities ever from a single tornado in Michigan and it was the most fatalities in the U.S. from a single tornado until the Joplin, Missouri, tornado of 2011, which had 161 fatalities.

The tornado left 340 homes completely destroyed, 107 had major damage and another 153 had relatively minor damage.

The tornado was rated F5, the highest category, with winds over 200 mph. It was half a mile wide. It stayed on the ground for 27 miles. The forward speed of the tornado was 35 mph. Damage was estimated at $19 million (in 1953 dollars). That would be close to a third of a billion dollars in today’s dollars. The only other F5 tornado in Michigan history was the Hudsonville-Standale Tornado of April 3, 1956. The last F4 tornado in Michigan was the Kalamazoo County to Eaton County twister of April 2, 1977.

The bark was stripped off trees and a few homes were leveled down to the concrete foundation.

Of the 116 fatalities, 113 occurred over a four-block stretch, generally along Coldwater Road. The vast majority of fatalities and injuries were the result of structural failure. Fifty-five of the fatalities were to children under age 20 and 32 of the fatalities were to children under age 10. Two families lost five members.

The tornado struck around 8:30 p.m. and tracked through an area of single-family homes, with many residents employed by auto factories.

The National Guard was mobilized and the Red Cross was one of many agencies that provided relief.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

A mother and her two young children playing in a pool on a hot day in a suburb of Dallas should be a time for fun and merriment. And it was, that is until 42-year-old Elizabeth Wolf, a white woman from the area, saw that the mother was wearing a hijab and the children were Brown. At that point, Wolf questioned the mother about where she was from and made statements about her not being American, as well as “other racial statements.”

A visibly angry Wolf then grabbed the 6-year-old boy, causing a scratch on his finger as he pulled away. At that point—as the police reported--“The mother began helping her son when Wolf grabbed her 3-year-old daughter and forced her underwater.”  The mother “was able to pull her daughter from the water. Her daughter had been yelling for help and was coughing up water.”  That is when “Wolf also snatched the mother’s headscarf off and beat her with it,” as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported. A witness, Emma Aziz, who was at the pool that same day with her 7-year-old was interviewed by local Fox affiliate said she heard the mother screaming as she watched Wolf plunge the 3 year-old child’s head underwater. Aziz recalled the mother saying, “Help me! She’s killing my baby, she’s killing my baby!'” The attack ended--as the mother identified only as Mrs. H explained--when an African American man helped rescue her daughter from the attacker and more people gathered. The attacker reportedly shouted to a bystander who was calming the mother down, “Tell her I will kill her, and I will kill her whole family.”

In a statement shared by CAIR, the mother “Mrs. H” said, “We are American citizens, originally from Palestine, and I don’t know where to go to feel safe with my kids,” adding that amid Israel’s war in Gaza, she and her family were “facing that hate here.” This is what a hate crime looks like. People attacked simply because of their race, religion or ethnicity.  If the family in the pool were white, this doesn’t happen. Period. The Euless Police Department –where the attack took place—did promptly arrest Wolf that day but for public intoxication. Four days later, though, on May 23, the Tarrant County criminal district attorney’s did file charges of attempted capital murder and injury to a child against Wolf.

However, despite Wolf’s actions clearly being fueled by bigotry—as evidenced from her comments-- she was not formally charged with a hate crime. That is why this past Saturday, the Dallas chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference demanding the DA also charge with hate crimes. CAIR leaders also called for Wolf’s bail—that was set at only $40,000—to be raised given the seriousness of the crimes.

[...] The attack by Wolf on the Palestinian mother and her children reminds us of the barbaric incident last October in the suburbs of Chicago. That is when 6-year-old Muslim American child Wadea Al-Fayoume was killed by an older white man who had spewed anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate before stabbing the child to death—and stabbing his mother as well. As the killer’s wife told the police after the arrest, he "listens to conservative talk radio on a regular basis" and became obsessed with the war between Hamas and Israel. The killer was charged with hate crimes in addition to murder and attempted murder.

And in November, three Palestinian-American college students were walking on the streets of Vermont while wearing keffiyehs and speaking Arabic when Jason Eaton, 48, came down the porch of a home, pulled out a pistol and shot them.  Eaton said nothing before shooting the three. While Eaton was charged with three counts of attempted murder, despite demands by the community, he was not charged with hate crimes. Obviously, Eaton—like Wolf—targeted these three because of who they were. In the case of Wolf’s attack on the Palestinian children and mother, the public pressure appears to be having the impact demanded.  In other cases, though, the public pressure may not always result in the desired outcome but at least it still raises awareness about the issues.

Elizabeth Wolf drowned a mother and her two kids in an Euless, Texas public pool based on the fact they were Palestinian Muslims.

This hate crime being perpetrated is part of a long line of American anti-Palestinian/anti-Muslim bigotry.

See Also:

Let's Address This: A Woman Is Out On Bail After Attempted Murder Of A Palestinian American Child

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

MULTIMUSE QUESTIONAIRE

RULES: Answer the questions with the Muses that would best fit the answers. Bonus if you give details why. If tagged, copy and paste into a new post – DO NOT REBLOG!

1) Rank your softest Muse and your toughest Muse. (Personality-wise) - I'm going to answer this from softest to toughest muse. I'm not going to use numbers or anything such as that. I'll list them in that order from soft to tough and then everyone in between. Softest to toughest: Beth Greene, Charley Eaton, Sophia Peletier, Andrea Harrison, Daryl Dixon, Carol Peletier, Rick Grimes, and Shane Walsh.

2) Which Muse would blow through $1000 quickly? - Probably Andrea Harrison.

3) Do any of them have nicknames? Is there a meaning behind them? - Andrea - no. Beth - Doodlebug is what Hershel called her when she was little because she was always doodling and writing songs on whatever scratch piece of paper she could find. Carol - no. Charles/Charlotte - Charley. They just like the way it sounds better than their full first name. Daryl - no. Rick - Deputy because of his job as a King County Sheriff's Deputy. and Cowbow because he's always wearing boots. Shane - Deputy for the same reason as Rick. Sophia - Soph because it's the shortened version of her name. Blue Eyes because her eyes are blue. Anyone rarely calls her this.

4) Are any of them up-to-speed on the latest trends? Anyone more old school? - I don't think trends matter in an apocalypse so they're probably all behind on trends.

5) Who has the best relationship with their siblings? - Andrea had a strained relationship with her younger sister. They were beginning to patch that up with the Outbreak hit. Beth has/had an amazing relationship with her siblings. They all got along great. Carol didn't have any siblings. Charley had/has a brother. They were/are close. Daryl has Merle, and their relationship is strained and complicated. Rick doesn't have any siblings. Shane doesn't have any siblings. Sophia doesn't have any siblings.

6) Karaoke night! Who is likely to grab the mic first and bust out a tune? - Beth Greene.

7) Who is least likely to enter a beauty pageant/model? - Daryl Dixon.

8) If your Muses visited a haunted house where actors scare you, who would panic and who would be unfazed? - Sophia would be the one panicking. Shane and Daryl would be tied for the ones who are unfazed by attempting to be scared.

9) Are any of your Muses particular about taking certain modes of transportation? - None of them have any specifics about which mode of transportation gets them where they are going. But Daryl prefers not to ride horseback if it can be prevented.

10) Share a little-known fact about any Muse. - Sophia managed to talk a tattoo artist into piercing her belly button without Carol's permission before she turned eighteen. She decided that since she was capable of killing people, then she was capable and mature enough to make a decision to get a piercing in her own skin.

tagged by: @armandlucienduval tagging: @norvstforthvwickvd @araneorum @careol @emeryfleming @corxunum @florrentine @ghostofwinter @midncghtrcin @oftoska @savedpeople @somniaxperdita @secondhandmckie @torntruth @uncxntrxllable @unheald

[beardedmrbean]

The rights of a Michigan fruit grower were violated when a city barred him from a seasonal market because of his opposition to same-sex weddings at his orchard, a judge said.

East Lansing's decision to exclude Steve Tennes and Country Mill Farms in 2017 “constituted a burden on plaintiffs’ religious beliefs,” U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney said Monday, applying a U.S. Supreme Court precedent to the case.

“Plaintiffs were forced to choose between following their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which they were otherwise qualified,” Maloney said.

Tennes grows apples and other fruit in Eaton County, 22 miles away from East Lansing. He also had made his farm available for weddings.

But Tennes wasn't allowing same-sex weddings, citing his religious beliefs. When he expressed his views on Facebook, he said he wasn’t invited back to the East Lansing market for the 2017 season.

Maloney issued an injunction that year, ordering the city to reinstate him while Tennes' lawsuit moved forward.

“He serves and welcomes everyone to his stand. No one is ever turned away,” attorney John Bursch said Tuesday.

East Lansing cited its non-discrimination ordinance and vendor rules in barring Tennes from the market. But the judge found problems.

“The city has not demonstrated a compelling interest in excluding plaintiffs” from the market," Maloney said. “The city’s non-discrimination ordinance tolerates the same discrimination in other situations.”

East Lansing is reviewing the opinion and will be exploring options, spokeswoman Carrie Sampson said.

Bursch said he now hopes to reach an agreement with the city and close the case. Tennes was represented by lawyers from Alliance Defending Freedom, which focuses on litigation involving religious liberty, free speech and parental rights.

[vomitdodger]

I’m glad he didn’t die. So he can continue to live in misery and keep being attacked. Remember his story. From wiki (even commie wiki couldn’t hide his crimes):

Lawrence Gerard Nassar (born August 16, 1963) is an American serial child rapist and former sports medicine physician. For 18 years, he was the team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team, where he used his position to exploit, deceive, and sexually assault hundreds of children and young women.

Nassar's sexual abuse of young girls and women and the subsequent cover-up led to the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal that began in 2015, alleging that Nassar repeatedly sexually assaulted at least 265 young women and girls[4] under the guise of medical treatment.[5][6] His victims included numerous Olympic and United States women's national gymnastics team gymnasts.[7]

Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on December 7, 2017, after pleading guilty to child pornography and tampering with evidence charges on July 11, 2017. On January 24, 2018, Nassar was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years in Michigan State prison after pleading guilty in Ingham County to seven counts of sexual assault.[8][2] On February 5, 2018, he was sentenced to an additional 40 to 125 years in Michigan State prison after pleading guilty to an additional three counts of sexual assault in Eaton County.[9]

[middleland]

Untitled (2) by Mark Stachofsky

[colleenmurphy]

I may just do an offshoot verse for a new/old revamped pairing that popped up. I've not yet used Mr. Depp as an FC but I thought it was time. @aristobun I hope you don't mind! <3

I introduce to you Mr. & Mrs. Chanter of the Sleeping on the Blacktop verse.

Josiah Eaton Chanter

DOB: 7/22/4-

POB: Copperline County

Nickname(s): Joe, Big Brother, No Good Nickajack.

Occupation: Telephone lineman ( during the day it's amazing what you hear on that line when you're hooked in. ) / Law Abiding Sophisticate after dark.

Mary Colleen Grey-Chanter

DOB: 12/7/4-

POB: Copperline County, *throw a dart and there it is*

Nicknames: Mack, Col, and most notably The Witch to those that don't like her.

Occupation: School teacher ( formerly second grade at Copperline Community School ) now she spends her time tending the back acer of garden and feeding the chickens. When she's not driving the Black Beast that's parked under a tarp by the corn crib when aiding the Law Abiding Sophisticate after dark.

. In their off time the Chanter's have a very successful dairy and pumpkin farm.

. They don't have children of their own, they have a large immediate and extended family and their place is always the one hosting all holidays and gatherings of any kind.

. Joe and Mary have an agreement, he goes high meaning anything with heights is his and she goes low meaning if it's a small, tight or anything to do with water it's hers.

. Nobody in the town of Copperline is actually sure how long they've lived there. They never seem to age.

[go-to-two]

Do you have hikes you recommend for those visiting California? Xxx

I feel like I've answered something like this before? Not that I expect you to scroll aimlessly for something that may or may not be there, I'm just feeling some deja vu right now.

Anyway. California is a pretty vague location to recommend hikes in, so I'll hope you meant Southern California and stick with that. I will say my all-time favorite hike is Half Dome, but that's in Yosemite and you need a permit, so probably not too helpful.

In LA... my favorite longer hike is the Bridge to Nowhere. It's in the mountains east of the city. It's 10ish miles round trip with lots of river crossings and some areas to swim. If you go on a Saturday, you can watch people bungee jump. Watch out for snakes and be aware there's no cell service out there. I really caution doing this one if it's over like 90 degrees in the middle of the day. If you want something shorter but still with swimmable water, look at Switzer Falls, Eaton Canyon, or Escondido Falls.

Malibu Creek State Park is full of trails of various lengths and pretty views, as are the Hollywood Hills. Franklin Canyon, Laurel Canyon, Coldwater Canyon, Runyon Canyon etc.

In Orange County, there are lots of coastal trails. I like Crystal Cove State Park and the Aliso Creek Trail in Laguna Niguel. Whiting Ranch has some cool sandstone structures. If you want to go into the canyons, I recommend Temescal Canyon, Black Star, or Holy Jim.

OK Honestly I don't go to San Diego often, but I know there's Potato Chip Rock in Poway and Torrey Pines on the coast. Sorry 😂

If you want to go to the Inland Valleys, Murray Canyon or Ladder Canyon are cool. Just keep in mind it gets HOT out there.

Other miscellaneous spots that come to mind are mountain peaks. I don't climb them, but I know people do. Mt. Wilson, Cucamonga, Baldy, San Jacinto, etc. There is also a cool hot spring spot in the mountains east of LA and Orange County called Deep Creek Hot Springs. Just be aware it's along the PCT, so lots of people hike through there. Nudity is allowed and practiced by some. Also it's warm, fresh water so I would recommend never putting your head under, Naegleria Fowleri and all.

[garysheatingservicemi]

Common Issues in DeWitt and When to Call for Professional Furnace Repair DeWitt and Eaton County, MI

DeWitt homeowners rely heavily on their furnaces to keep their homes warm and comfortable as the winter chill settles in. Still, like any mechanical system, furnaces can develop issues over time, especially when subjected to the rigors of Michigan's cold weather. Knowing the common furnace problems and when to call for professional furnace repair in DeWitt and Eaton County, MI, can help homeowners avoid breakdowns and ensure the system runs efficiently throughout the season. Here's a look at the most frequent furnace issues and when to contact a professional.

Furnace Not Producing Heat

One of the most obvious signs that the furnace needs attention is when it's not producing heat despite being turned on. Several factors could cause this issue:

Thermostat Issues: Sometimes, the thermostat settings are incorrect, or the thermostat itself malfunctions, preventing the furnace from receiving the correct signal to heat.

Pilot Light or Ignition Problems: Furnaces with a pilot light or electronic ignition may fail to ignite due to pilot assembly, thermocouple, or ignition control issues.

Frequent Cycling On and Off

If the furnace is cycling on and off frequently, it could indicate an underlying problem that affects its efficiency:

Clogged Air Filter: A dirty air filter can cause the furnace to overheat by restricting airflow, which forces the system to turn off more frequently to avoid damage.

Thermostat Issues: A malfunctioning thermostat may cause the furnace to cycle improperly.

Airflow Problems: If vents are blocked or there's an issue with the blower motor, the furnace may struggle to maintain the desired temperature.

Strange Noises from the Furnace

While some noise is expected from the furnace, loud or unusual sounds often indicate something is wrong:

Banging or Popping Sounds: These noises may indicate a problem with the furnace's ignition or burner assembly. A delayed ignition, for example, can cause gas to build up, leading to a loud bang when the furnace finally ignites.

Squealing or Screeching Sounds: These sounds usually come from worn-out or misaligned blower belts or bearings.

Rattling or Vibrating Noises: These could indicate loose ductwork or components inside the furnace.

Uneven Heating in Different Rooms

If certain rooms in one's home are warmer than others, it may point to a furnace issue:

Blocked or Leaky Ducts: Over time, ducts can accumulate debris or develop leaks, reducing the furnace's ability to distribute heat evenly throughout one's home.

Thermostat Placement: If the thermostat is located in an area that's either too warm or too cool, it may not accurately reflect the temperature of the rest of the home.

Improper Sizing of the Furnace: If the furnace is too large or too small for one's home, it may not be able to maintain consistent temperatures across different areas.

Furnace Blows Cold Air

When the furnace blows cold air instead of warm, it's a clear sign of trouble:

Pilot Light Issues: If the pilot light has gone out, the furnace will not be able to produce heat.

Overheating Issues: If the furnace overheats, it may shut down the heating function to prevent damage, leading to cold air blowing through the vents.

Thermostat Problems: Sometimes, the thermostat may be set to "fan" instead of "auto," which causes the fan to blow air even when the furnace isn't actively heating.

High Energy Bills

A sudden spike in the energy bills can indicate that the furnace is no longer operating efficiently. This can be due to:

Dirty Air Filters: Clogged air filters make the furnace work harder to circulate air.

Leaky Ducts: Leaks in the ductwork force the furnace to run longer to maintain the set temperature.

Worn-Out Components: Aging or faulty components may cause the furnace to run inefficiently, consuming more energy.

While some minor issues can be resolved with simple maintenance, others require a professional furnace and AC repair in Lansing and DeWitt, MI. Homeowners experiencing any of these common furnace issues, don't hesitate to call for expert repair services to ensure the system runs smoothly all winter long.

[suzannetownsend]

Meddling: The woman bringing women’s local history into focus in St. Pete

Jessy Breckenridge describes the research she did for the St. Petersburg Museum of History exhibit Meddling: The Women Who Built St. Pete. 

The St. Petersburg Museum of History is strikingly modest for its downtown location. Plain white and undergoing some construction, the museum is nested at the base of the St. Pete Pier across from the Museum of Fine Arts and houses some gems of this peninsula’s great history. One of its latest exhibitions is Meddling: The Women Who Built St. Pete, curated by Jessy Breckenridge. “It started off as a bet,” she said. She grinned as she explained that she’s actually the archives and collections manager at the museum, not the curator. “It was women’s history month and I bet our executive director that I could find and write a profile on a different historical woman in St. Pete every day for the month of March, which has 31 days. And I did.” Breckenridge said.

Soon the project became an idea for an exhibit, and then an actual exhibit. Mainly using digital archives of newspapers, Breckenridge started her research with the founder of the museum itself, Mary Wheeler Eaton. Each research subject led to several more and soon enough Breckenridge had 30 profiles ready for the gallery walls and a slideshow of many more. “‘Meddling’ comes from one of our St. Petersburg history books which was quoted as saying that the men of the town did not quite like the meddling women of St. Pete,” she said.

Breckenridge explained some of the challenges she came across during her research. First of all, until the mid-1980s, if a woman was married she was almost always only referred to by her husband’s name. This made finding information about the woman herself difficult, and having to sift through everything that was only about her husband tedious. 

Another challenge came because Black history is not as well documented as white history, which makes it even more challenging and important to discern an accurate historical narrative. Breckenridge said the only woman without a photo in the exhibit is Anna Donaldson, who alongside her husband was the first permanent Black settler in Pinellas County. 

Despite the challenges, the exhibit has been received very well. Breckenridge’s work has even inspired the community here in St. Petersburg to get involved in its own local history. She said people have been calling in to the museum to tell about an additional woman from the city’s history to add to the exhibit’s slideshow.

“It’s really exciting to be able to tell these stories,” she said.

The museum is exploring ways to make “Meddling” a permanent exhibit.

Executive director Rui Farias said, “Probably some time after the first year we’ll be looking at moving it into a larger gallery space,” said Rui Farias, executive director of the museum.