After community fundraising efforts, a local man receives a dream come true montenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from montenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Even when Denny Valerioâs work week is through, the hard work continues.
For the past year, he has spent most of his days off helping to renovate his future house in the 400 block of East Strawberry Street for himself and his two daughters, Davina, 5, and Dayanara, 11. They hope to move in by June, when the house â underwritten by Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial â will be dedicated at a celebration, perhaps on the porch because of the pandemic.
In the meantime, Valerio and his daughters live with his mother, Bertha Valerio, stepfather, Basilio Castro, and four other relatives in a house nearby on Highland Avenue, where there arenât enough beds and only one bathroom.
Photo by Deb Gau
Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes talks about the state of the city.
MARSHALL Â The last time Mayor Bob Byrnes and city administrator Sharon Hanson were on stage to talk about the state of Marshall, it was just before the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off a year of major changes for the community.
On Wednesday, the pandemic still hung over the discussion at the 2021 State of the City Address, as Byrnes and Hanson talked about how it has affected Marshall’s economy and public health.
“With COVID, fortunately or unfortunately, it really did connect us with the rest of the globe,” Hanson said.
Photo: Unsplash / Hanson Lu
It reported a net loss of $1.8 million for the first half of the financial year, down 114 percent on the year earlier when it made $13m.
During the period the company worked hard to bring down debt levels - down from $175m in March last year, to $22m at the end of December.
This was done mostly though selling its vehicle fleet, with a 132 percent increase in global vehicle sales revenue compared to the year before, contributing to overall revenue down only 1 pct year-on-year.
Chief executive Grant Webster said that freed up cash and allowed the business more flexibility across its various markets.