Rise & Fall: Dan Cornell and Lame-duck legislators

Rise: Dan Cornell Children facing the loss of a parent often are faced with choices about how to honor their loved one’s memory. In the case of Dan Cornell, the answer seemed obvious: The South Lyon resident got onto a bicycle and traveled the remaining leg of Pete Cornell’s cross-country trip that started in Alaska. Pete, former head of the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, died in July near Dawson, Ga., as he closed in on his Key West, Fla., destination, two companion cyclists were injured. The trip took days, and Dan says he’s nowhere near the cyclist his father was. Still, he’s hoping the ride will bring him and others some peace following Pete’s death on the road.

Fall: Lame-duck legislators There’s not much left to say that hasn’t been uttered in Michigan during the last week, but we feel we must weigh in with a hearty “Fall” to the elected officials who, upon leaving office, felt compelled to force a one-sided agenda onto the state via a series of last-minute legislation. We wish you well in your next endeavors and hope you end up in jobs where you’re held accountable all the time and not just when it benefits you. Voters of all parties in this state deserve to have our laws vetted with real public discourse - and voted upon by people who feel a responsibility to seek that no matter whether it hurts their chances for reelection.