Vaccine crucial for school employees

October 27, 2020

Once a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available, demand for it will be enormous. Plainly, there will not be enough to go around, probably for several months. Thoughtful plans will be needed to set priorities for the limited amounts of vaccine that will be available at first. Federal officials have sought and are beginning to receive state governments’ plans for that. Such an approach is wise; state officials know better than anyone in Washington how to set priorities for vaccinations. Plainly, health care professionals should be first in line. That category needs to include employees ...

Follow the science? Which set of results?

October 26, 2020

Americans have been urged to “follow the science” so many times during the past six months that we suspect many people are growing sick of the advice. Besides, what if the scientists aren’t following the science? Some of them are not. Americans became justifiably suspicious of the World Health Organization earlier this year, when its officials appeared to be acting as apologists for Chinese leaders who were not being honest about COVID-19. Now the United Nations organization is drawing fire again. WHO officials have released a new study suggesting that remdesivir, a drug ...

Et Cetera …

October 24, 2020

School changes model Fairmont High School recently returned to a hybrid model. Superintendent Joe Brown says elementary students will go to a “hybrid plus” model Monday, meaning students will be in school every day but properly separated. The district looks at three criteria to determine learning models. There is the 14-day case rate per 10,000 by county, which has come down significantly. The second consideration is the daily case rate from Faribault and Martin County Human Services. Third is whether any students or staff have tested positive. With other elementary schools in ...

Now is time to plan vaccine distributions

October 23, 2020

Americans were not ready for the coronavirus epidemic. We ought to be ready for the recovery. It will begin when a vaccine against COVID-19 becomes available. Though a timeline for that is uncertain, it appears safe, effective vaccines will be available early next year. Understandably, it will take longer than that for the protection to be accessible by most people. At first, vaccines will have to go to those most in need of them. The list includes health care workers, first responders — and nursing home residents. Federal health officials have begun developing a plan to ...

For City Council: Miller, Loughmiller and Hasek

October 22, 2020

There are three separate Fairmont City Council races on the ballot this fall, but there is a connection that runs through all of them. Fairmont voters will have to decide if they want to retain two council members who pointlessly ran the city through a ringer last year. They also must weigh whether to return to office a former council member not exactly known for consensus-building. In 2019, a majority trio on the City Council — Tom Hawkins, Randy Lubenow and Ruth Cyphers — used their power to oust the City Attorney and city administrator; and to question the knowledge, ability ...

In District 23A: Olson has diverse background

October 21, 2020

In the race to replace retiring state Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, no one is going to have an easy time stepping into the role. Gunther served District 23A in the Minnesota House of Representatives for more than two decades. The knowledge and experience he acquired simply cannot be matched overnight. However, someone must take the reins, and we believe the candidate best positioned to do so is Elmore Mayor Bjorn Olson, the Republican nominee for the seat. Olson’s background is impressive. He teaches at Blue Earth Area Schools. He farms. He serves in the Army Reserve. And, of ...