To the Editor: As an Emergency Manager, I have dedicated my career to protecting and preserving the safety of people living across our state. But I’m concerned because every year we are seeing increasingly severe weather and flooding. This means, that unless we are building our communities ...

Mental health To the Editor: People who are having a mental health crisis should be afforded humane treatment. We are in a time due to COVID-19, where may people are scared, anxious, lonely and isolated. We couldn’t join our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. People we know have ...

Newsletter will be a help To the Editor: Being home, being more isolated from family and friends is wearing. Hope for a less restrictive/safer future in 2021 is coming with the vaccine, but perhaps not fast enough to lessen anxieties and feelings of isolation. Fairmont Community Education ...

Thany you from MERGE To the Editor: It’s no secret to anyone that we’ve had to get creative this year when looking for the positive and finding ways to make things work during pandemic life…but it’s a fun surprise when the new idea actually works better than the original. This ...

Thanks and congratulations To the Editor: I wish to thank the citizens of Truman for allowing me to serve as your mayor these last 10 years. It has sincerely been an honor and a privilege. We have had some challenges, but we’ve had many more accomplishments, with a few more on the ...

Thankfulness helps To the Editor: In these challenging times of unemployment, disease, closed businesses and schools; can we not find things for which we can be thankful? I am thankful for good health, my wife of 61+ years, our four children, our 14 grandchildren, and nine ...

Thank you To the Editor: I want to say thank you to everyone who elected me for Fairmont City Council At-Large on Nov. 3rd. I’m excited to represent the people of Fairmont and grateful you have put your trust in me. I pledge to work hard on behalf of Fairmont. Michele ...

Animal Shelter update To the Editor: It’s time for a fall update on what has been happening at the Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter, operated by the Martin County Humane Society (MCHS). This year has definitely been challenging for everyone. We closed the shelter to the public for ...

Christmas letter To the Editor: I grew up in Fairmont and my parents still live there. My father, Dan Kehrberg, has been writing Christmas letters for over 50 years, but this year’s letter is a little different but extremely thought-provoking in my opinion. I hope you find it timely and ...

Walz harming Minnesota To the Editor: Congressman Jim Hagedorn (MN-01) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Tim Walz unilaterally extending his emergency powers and imposing further harmful restrictions on Minnesota small businesses. “More over-the-top, arbitrary ...

Interagency Coat Drive To the Editor: Oct. 24, was a brisk fall day, yet a lot of people braved the cold to check out Martin/Faribault County Interagency’s annual coat drive in front of Twelve Baskets in Fairmont. It was heartwarming to see one individual that had no coat, and was in a ...

Scammers excel during pandemic To the Editor: The pandemic has forced everyone into a new normal. It has changed the way we do things and has negatively impacted numerous businesses and organizations. However, one business that seems to be thriving, sadly, is scammers. As we began to ...

Good news about voting To the Editor: We want to share with the community, and our local voting officials, our appreciation during our recent absentee ballot voting experience. This was the first time requesting absentee ballots for either of us. Given the alarm about our ballots not being ...

Joe Loughmiller for Ward 2 To the Editor: The upcoming election for members of the Fairmont City Council is important to the future of our city. Joe Loughmiller is one of the candidates for Ward 2. By now, he has knocked on the doors of the residents in Ward 2. I have known Joe and his ...

Time to seek God To the Editor: This election cycle will determine whether America chooses to restore every citizen’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness or accelerates its spiral into tyranny and oppression. Let’s look at the choice regarding these rights. The right ...

Heritage acres had a good year To the Editor: To paraphrase the Grateful Dead, what a long strange trip 2020 has been. At Heritage Acres, we are really grateful that we have 40 acres so we could host two of our events this year despite COVID-19. The first event was Threshing Day on August ...

Future looks bright To the Editor: On Aug. 22, the Sentinel once again published a misleading article, this one regarding the overstated cost of replacing our former city attorney and city administrator. Despite lacking information regarding the separation agreements, due to confidentiality ...

Immigration policy creating orphans To the Editor: We were appalled to learn that the Trump administration is unable to locate the parents of 545 children who are still in government custody. These children, and many others, were separated from their parents when they attempted to gain ...

Supporting Ruth Cyphers To the Editor: When a resident of Ward 2, it was always a rewarding experience to call my City Council person, Ruth Cyphers, whenever questions regarding concerns, arising from a variety of situations arose. Those included city policies, building or yard maintenance, ...

OWATONNA Autumn, with its changing colors and temperatures that encourage us to move indoors, is a natural time to slow down and contemplate life. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, we use this time each year to reflect on the partnerships that have resulted in a stronger southern ...