Ceremony scheduled for restored helicopter

July 27, 2020

At the end of this week, on Saturday, Aug. 1, the Martin County Veterans Memorial site in Fairmont will host a ceremony to unveil the mounted Bell Cobra attack helicopter that the memorial committee spent the past year restoring at an estimated cost of $40,000. We hope those who can will attend the event to honor the work that has been done and, of course, to honor our area veterans. The helicopter itself flew in service in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1968 to 1971. Its missions included armed escort, reconnaissance and battle support. When the helicopter was retired, it went into ...

Et Cetera …

July 25, 2020

Who’s ready to play? We congratulate The Adventure Playground task force in Fairmont for the completion of its project. The site will open Tuesday, with a ribbon-cutting at 3:30 p.m. at Gomsrud Park. Adventure Playground offers a place for all abilities, physical and cognitive. The $500,000 project is designed to handle multiple children and adults, with transfer points for people to get in and out of wheelchairs and onto the equipment. The playground is a welcome addition to local park amenities and will be used by many for years to come. Kudos to the task force. Mini golf ...

Mandated masks: Will police use time on this?

July 24, 2020

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the step this week of mandating mask-wearing. The rule goes into effect Saturday and requires that masks be worn in businesses, public buildings and other indoor spaces where people gather. Cities can adopt more stringent requirements. Walz is attempting to slow the spread of the coronavirus and touts mask-wearing as a cheap and effective solution. We do not blame the governor for taking action, but we hope his mandate does not become something police spend a lot of time enforcing. Individuals face fines of up to $100. Businesses face fines of up to $1,000 ...

Schools face planning, financial uncertainties

July 23, 2020

School is likely to be different this fall. In many states, classrooms that normally would have been open by mid-August will not be occupied until September or October, if then. Whether the education process for millions of children will involve in-person teaching or “distance learning,” both public and private schools will have to do things that cost more money than in a normal year. Having students in school will require health safeguards such as social distancing, possibly use of face masks and screening to keep children from bringing COVID-19 to classrooms with them. ...

Cannot afford a stamp? Non-issue needs to end

July 22, 2020

This fall, many voters will be leery of casting ballots at polling places. That has renewed the debate over absentee ballots cast by mail. There is genuine reason to have concerns about mail-in ballots. Will everyone desiring to vote that way have access to the process? Will the unscrupulous attempt to use fraudulent ballots? But the answer to one question some are asking is obvious. The issue is whether low-income voters can afford the postage needed to return mail-in ballots. “As more states embrace mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic, the often overlooked detail of ...

Pope issues guidance to tackle sexual abuse

July 21, 2020

Pope Francis is telling Roman Catholic leaders they must do what most people — including the overwhelming majority of the church’s faithful — would do without being told: report cases of sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults to the police. A long awaited manual of guidance from the Vatican, directed toward Catholic bishops, has been released. It accomplishes two important things. First, the directive makes no bones about it: Bishops must report sexual abuse to the authorities, whether they are required by law to do so or not. Here in the United States, virtually ...