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Welding Program The summer welding academy offered at the Fairmont High School is once again underway. The classes are taught by Bob Bonin, who teaches several CTE classes at the school. Having started out in 2017, the classes attract interested students from around the area, even from across state lines. The program is a great one, offering people a chance to pick up a much-needed skill that will help them find employment in the workforce. With these types of jobs needed in the area, the classes are one way to keep young people interested in working locally. Mobile Health ...

Get out and enjoy the season

Summer is back! And so are our community festivals. Show up and show your support Summer has arrived, and along with it the return of community festivals, outdoor concerts, parades and county fairs. After last year’s closures and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are eager to get out and celebrate. So this year, with what appears to be the beginning of a return to normalcy, let’s not take these community events for granted. Hours and hours of planning and preparation by dozens — if not hundreds — of volunteers are what make these events possible. Even ...

Good news on state tax cuts

Minnesota legislators have been in special session for a week to pass state budget bills. They are still working on those, but they did get a significant piece of legislation finished last week. Legislators agreed on a nearly $1 billion tax cut bill that focuses most of its benefits to businesses and workers impacted by COVID-19. Businesses that received federal Paycheck Protection Program loans won’t have to pay taxes on the loans, putting the state in compliance with federal PPP loan policy. Workers laid off because of COVID-19 who received federal unemployment benefits won’t ...

Give Schell’s an even break

The Minnesota Legislature has a lot on its mind these days trying to pass a budget for the next couple of years. It may not have beer sales high on its priority list, but it should be careful about putting the state’s oldest brewery at a competitive disadvantage. The issue is growler sales. Growlers are containers holding up to 64 ounces of beer that are popular items at mini breweries and brew pubs. People visiting the breweries like to take some home and buy a growler or two. The state controls the sale of these containers closely, some throwback to prohibition, we suppose. It ...

Weak gun laws have loopholes

A person living in her car in Minneapolis bought 47 guns. She sold some to criminals who committed crimes and only by chance and luck was she caught and arrested. Our weak gun laws are not designed to prevent such activity, and law enforcement officials say such cases are on the rise. And with continued opposition to even talking about gun safety laws, this kind of straw-buying, lawbreaking criminals will likely have better odds next time. An in-depth report in the Star Tribune showed Sarah Jean Elwood was able to purchase 47 guns at various gun shops legally because she did not have ...

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Community Center It was good to finally see some resolution on the Fairmont Community Center this week. Committee member Amy Long put it best when she noted that the committee was not looking for a revote and was “asking the council to acknowledge the due diligence and the work the committee has done upon request from the council.” People want this community center, and it’s about time we had one. Disaster Simulation Lance Ross, owner of the Emergency Preparedness Resource Group, recently put together a Table-Top Incident Command Disaster Simulation training program in the ...