Recognizing workers To the Editor: The week of Sept. 13-19 has been designated at the national and state levels as “Direct Support Professionals Appreciation Week.” It is appropriate to recognize and honor the important role that direct support workers play in the lives of people with ...

Veterans: Do you agree? To the Editor: Donald Trump said veterans are “suckers” and “losers.” How many of you identify with that? Don and Harriett Richards Fairmont Political sign offensive To the Editor: A friend of mine in Fairmont sent me a photo of a political banner ...

We’ve all been wronged To the Editor: There is good and bad in all of us; we need God’s help to be the good. Judy Frankamp of Blue Earth recently wrote a letter to the editor. She is a good and faithful servant. I cannot top her words, but I feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to add ...

Trump divides people To the Editor: One can expect name-calling from a young child, but the president of the United States of America? Trump should be like President Reagan, calling Democrats, “Our friends from the other side.” Trump prefers to divide and conquer, not unite. Even ...

Taxpayers should be concerned To the Editor: With regard to the article in the Sentinel on Aug. 22, I crunched the numbers on what the city of Fairmont has to pay or has paid, and this is what I came up with: o Former city administrator Mike Humpal is collecting $17,764 per month since he ...

Graham way off base To the Editor: I like to rely on the Sentinel, to bring me information that is accurate and useful. Most of the time you succeed, but sometimes not. Case in point: Last Thursday’s rant by columnist Tim Graham about how Michelle Obama is excessively pampered. In my ...

OWATONNA In times of crises, life as we know it quickly unravels, but we immediately start to pick up the pieces and do our best to navigate new terrain. It helps to have organizations that are already positioned to help pick up those pieces. The current health and economic crisis has ...

We turned away from God To the Editor: I appreciate President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election slogan, “Keep America Great.” And I also appreciated President Trump’s 2016 election slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Those slogans are good, but the problem is America is not ...

An innovative solution To the Editor: Martin County 4-H provided its members an innovative way to showcase their hard work and project learning this year with its virtual Martin County Fair. The challenges of 2020 have caused many organizations to think creatively and provide programming in ...

Thanks for the support To the Editor: On behalf of Heaven’s Table Food Shelf, I’d like to thank so many folks for helping us to make it possible to bring some extra food drops to our area. We just couldn’t do it without such wonderful community support. Fabulous volunteers — ...

End Hawkins’ tenure To the Editor: On Wednesday, I withdrew as candidate for the at-large position on the Fairmont City Council. This was a difficult decision for me, but I think it’s the right thing to do for the city. I became interested in the dealings of council last year when the ...

Angered by aid to city To the Editor: Reading in Saturday’s paper that Fairmont received $766,000-plus for virus aid angered me. Their words that they are just covering their costs is just typical of the people who run this town. Makes me wonder if they meant they are padding their ...

Voting for Bjorn To the Editor: Bjorn Olson was my children’s seventh-grade history teacher and how much they loved him. I know, based on my interactions with him, that he is a man with great character. He cares about his students, their education and overall well-being. He has created ...

Trump avoided draft To the Editor: Last Saturday, a parade ran through Fairmont. The purpose was to celebrate the placing of a 1966 Bell Cobra attack helicopter at the Martin County Veterans Memorial on Winnebago Avenue. Many people worked hard for a long time to finally have this parade ...

Scrutinize candidates To the Editor: I have concerns about the Republican-endorsed candidate for Minnesota House District 23A. Voters need to scrutinize the candidates. Look at their websites and campaign postings. Mr. Olson has done little to reach out. Is he capable of working hard, ...

Presenting the facts To the Editor: We have read several times that the Minnesota House District 23A Republican convention results have been misleading when being put forth to the public. As a participant during this convention, as well as multiple previous conventions, I also wish to ...

Confederate flag? Really? To the Editor: While leaving church services on a recent Sunday, we saw a pickup pass by displaying a Confederate battle flag. We were disheartened by this symbolic display of racism, oppression and hatred in Blue Earth, Minnesota, in the year 2020. After all ...

A week to celebrate To the Editor: With the world in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s a good time to recognize the important role breastfeeding plays in protecting babies from germs all across the planet. Faribault and Martin County WIC program is celebrating Minnesota ...

Republicans will speak To the Editor: On June 24, the Sentinel reported: “[State Rep. Bob] Gunther said he believes it is important for the electorate at large to know that Republicans in District 23A already have spoken, by saying they want Olson.” I respectfully disagree. Rep. ...

OWATONNA Central to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s current strategic plan is a strengthened commitment to look ahead at the future of rural Minnesota. While we continue to make our programming and resources accessible to communities of all sizes in our 20-county region, we ...