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Letters to the Editor

Foundation takes action

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 highlighted the important role that foundations and other nonprofits can play during a time like this. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, our total impact in COVID-19 response efforts in our 20-county region is already nearing $11 million. To put this in perspective, SMIF typically invests ...

Readers’ Views

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 great now, and has not been great for many, many years. America ceased being great when America turned away from the God of the Holy Bible, turned away from Biblical principles, and turned away from Biblical heritage, that America was founded on. In all honesty, we can only say that America is great ...

Readers’ Views

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 new ways. This is definitely the case with 4-H and the county fair experience. The virtual Martin County Fair, held Aug. 3-14, gave 4-H members the opportunity to submit their project work online. The youth videotaped and took photos of their projects that were then uploaded into the online ...

Readers’ Views

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 — school students, teachers past and present, retired folks, active community supporters, fellow board members, friends and family — all gather to “spend” their valuable time with us. Support from organizations such as Fairmont schools, Martin County Fair Board, Mayo Clinic and Harrison Truck ...

Readers’ Views

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 majority started running roughshod over the rest of the city government. I’m not trying to lay out the whole sordid tale here; it’s been chronicled in these pages. As I watched the council lurch from one decision to the next, I had one overwhelming thought: we deserve better than ...

Readers’ Views

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 pockets first. Putting some aside for city workers who may or may not get the virus is asinine. In my opinion, the businesses that had to shut down because of the virus should get some of that money. The revolving economic fund does nothing for tapped-out businesses that are still battling 50 percent ...