Valley residents make their way into the world

Nevada native Marie Bradshaw is preparing to spend the next several months in Europe as part of the University Studies Abroad Consortium at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Marie is a 20-year-old art major at the university with a minor in French.

In a classic example of immersion education, her semester in Pau, France, will account for five French classes.

The 2006 Douglas High School graduate will be spending much of her time in the south of France.

"I'm a huge history nerd," she said. "I love art and other cultures. This is huge for me to be able to go."

Marie has never been out of the United States before, but she will be making the most of this trip.

Her father Paul Bradshaw said Marie will wrap up her time in Europe with a 42-day tour starting in England and then travelling to Paris and then into Spain, across the French Riviera, Italy, the Greek Islands, then up through Austria, Germany and Holland before returning to England and Scotland.

She will be spending the time sharing a tent with another girl and sharing her adventures with our readers with a blog at recordcourier.com.

Marie is the daughter of Paul and Suzanne Bradshaw.

Another Douglas High School graduate is taking a tour of a different sort ... one of duty.

U.S. Army Private Second Class Kristin Wyatt completed basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C. on Nov. 21, 2008.

Kristin is a 2008 graduate of Douglas High School and spent the nine weeks of training learning about the Army and how to be a soldier. She's reported to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas for her four-month advanced training in the medical field, according to her mother Amelia Kizer.

Kristin is the daughter of Alvin Wyatt and Amelia, and the granddaughter of Washoe basketmaker Marie Kizer, Delaney Kizer Sr. and Elwood Wyatt.

There is nothing quite so beautiful or quite so perishable as a Christmas tree. Having a tree provides a holiday flair for a home. Getting rid of it quickly after the holidays are over prevents a flare from sparking a holiday tragedy.

So strip your trees of their tinsel and lights, make sure they're flock free and put them by the curb.

Between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9, Douglas Disposal will pick up Christmas trees for recycling.

Preserve their memory along with that of another Christmas past. Save your property by making sure the tree is out the door before it becomes a danger.