4-H Seminar

Kudos to Martin County 4-H Ambassadors for hosting a free virtual seminar for area teens this weekend. Focusing on mental health and well-being, the seminar is meant to help kids find ways to cope with the stress, anxiety, and disappointment caused by the pandemic. Many have been suffering and have learned to adjust, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems along the way.

We hope that the public health experts will provide helpful information to the youth of Martin County, who have shown themselves remarkably innovative and resilient. Stress has taken its toll on all of us, and it’s good to see people helping people.

Daycare discussion

At the recent Fairmont City council meeting, Councilman Randy Lubenow said he reached out to a group of people after hearing about the possibility of opening a daycare facility on the west end of town. After talking with the owner of the building Lubenow mentioned, the city rejected the idea. Lubenow said he was upset with the city’s decision, stating that daycare is a desperate need.

He’s right about daycare, but the city doesn’t make these decisions arbitrarily. As he was told by City Administrator Cathy Reynolds, the issue had been thoroughly researched and zoning ordinances simply wouldn’t allow it without some sort of amendment. City staff appears to have exercised due diligence on the matter, and it is unfortunate for their decisions to be questioned just because someone doesn’t understand the processes involved in their work.

Girl Scout projects

Local Girl Scouts have long been a source of pride for their communities. Their service-oriented Silver and Gold Award projects are very unique and innovative, and we congratulate Mireya Schmidt on her project of creating wooden puzzles for seniors in area nursing homes. The overall theme of Schmidt’s project was to help inform the community about dementia and what we can do to help those with dementia.

Seniors have had an especially rough time over the past year, and we can’t forget about previous generations who have helped us get to where we are today. Schmidt’s effort showed kindness and compassion in a way that can be tangibly appreciated.