The ‘swamp’ still needs draining

November 18, 2020

More than a few people who voted for Joe Biden as our next president were not unhappy with one aspect of incumbent President Donald Trump, we suspect. It was his pledge to battle the federal bureaucracy on behalf of the American people. Trump calls it “the swamp” — and there is ample evidence his campaign against it failed dismally. Ironically, one demonstration of that involves the U.S. Postal Service. Among eyes on the USPS during this election season have been those of U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, in Washington, D.C. Prior to the election, Sullivan had ...

Biden must clarify his energy agenda

November 17, 2020

Joe Biden is not yet president-elect officially, but it seems clear he will be the nation’s next chief executive. The sooner he clarifies his agenda — especially regarding energy — the better. It is probably no coincidence that within days of the election, some energy companies began revealing their own plans. Two major firms, American Electric Power and First Energy, have revealed plans to reduce generation using fossil fuels. AEP says it will eliminate 1,633 megawatts of coal-fueled generation by the end of 2028. First Energy plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, ...

Let’s remember our own resiliency

November 15, 2020

Fifty years ago this last Saturday, Americans were united in the worst possible way — grief over what had happened near the airport near Huntington, West Virginia. An airliner carrying nearly all members of the Marshall University football team crashed. All 75 people aboard perished. Expressions of condolence poured in from throughout the world. They were a comfort — but the pain ran deep. It touched many at what then was a university small enough that each and every degree earner — 1,527 of them in 1970 — had his or her name listed in the graduation program. To this day, ...

Et Cetera

November 14, 2020

FHS Trades Building The Fairmont School Board is seeking positive reviews and comments from the Minnesota Department of Education so they can present a $6.7 million bonding bill for the building of a 13,860 sq. foot construction trades building at the Fairmont High School. This is another great addition to the already strong vocational wing at FHS. The vocational wing already includes successful Ag, Culinary, Auto & Small Engine, Building and Trades, and Welding programs. All these programs are not only great for FHS students but for area students as well. They also provide skilled ...

Biggest loser in the election: polls

November 13, 2020

The biggest loser in last week’s election wasn’t any of the candidates for president — not even entertainer Kanye West, who collected little more than 60,000 votes, which was less than one-tenth of 1% of ballots cast. Nor was it Donald Trump, who lost the White House to challenger Joe Biden, according to an Associated Press projection Saturday. Our litigious and conspiratorial president is fighting the results in court. He actually did much better than expected, especially in Wisconsin. Which brings us to the polls: We can say with great confidence — and with a margin of ...

COVID-19 is not just going away

November 12, 2020

For yet another month, Gov. Tim Walz is calling a special session of the Minnesota Legislature to extend his peacetime emergency powers to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The record surge of cases and deaths, and the doubling of the seven-day rolling average of the positivity The state’s surge in positive COVID-19 cases has certainly been reflected in Brown County. Since Nov. 1, the county has recorded 199 new cases, As of Monday, we had 583 total cases since the pandemic started. Seventeen people are hospitalized, and 173 cases are active and in isolation. Five people have ...