A Dayton Regional Transit Authority bus stops along Pentagon Boulevard in Beavercreek, Ohio.
Monday was the 29th observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our nation's most recently established federal holiday and an occasion to commemorate the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the late civil rights leader. As the "newbie", it does not have the universal recognition of the "first tier" holidays like those near the end of the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day) or the summer observances (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day). While supposedly equally important, the remainder of the ten official federal holidays (MLK Day, Washington's Birthday, Columbus Day and Veterans Day) linger in a "limbo" status in corporate and non-federal circles. Companies that I have worked for in the past covered them with a "floating holiday" policy that allowed employees to decide which of these to take off (or to substitute for another with more personal connections to them--i.e. a cultural or religious day). That inconsistency was observed in my town with the military base and schools being closed but garbage/recycling collection continuing as normally scheduled.
