To the Editor:I would like to say a big thank you to Valero for the food drive they did for our school, and the $100 they gave us to use as we see fit. They have been so kind to us every year and give to our community on a regular basis.Thank you Valero for being so supportive in our ...
Bringing back Bergdahlproves a costly mistakeSgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be tried by a general court-martial on charges he deserted his unit in Afghanistan and engaged in misbehavior before the enemy, the Army revealed this week. For Bergdahl, the trial will settle the question of whether he should ...
Tax hikes pretty largeThe three largest taxing districts in Martin County - the county, the city of Fairmont and Fairmont Area Schools - all have approved property tax hikes that are much higher than the rate of inflation. While some separation from that rate can be understandable, it's ...
Fairmont police and the Minnesota Department of Corrections held a community notification meeting in Fairmont this week to talk about a sexual predator relocating to town. We believe these gatherings have value to the public, in ways obvious and ways less so.First and foremost, people living in ...
To the Editor:The Christian Church of Fairmont is again offering Fairmont and the surrounding area a free Christmas dinner. This meal is being offered by the congregation in an attempt to care for those who have a need, and provide a warm and inviting environment for those who are lonely, ...
To the Editor:We're thankful for the Lakeview Health Care facility. As our parents grew older and the required level of their care increased, they both moved into Lakeview Health Care Center.During family visits, we were always greeted and welcomed by all staff members throughout the facility. ...
State Auditor Rebecca Otto recently visited Fairmont to explain something she is working on with the University of Minnesota and state agencies. It is a project that maps the location, value, age and condition of infrastructure for every community in the state. And, remarkably, the maps are ...
It sometimes is possible to fight city hall. But the federal government? Forget it, especially when outrageous environmental rules are involved.A Minnesota company - Hawkes Company, Inc. - had hoped to conduct mining operations in a peat bog, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said no. The ...
Ask most people whether they would prefer "free" health insurance or a job where they can earn money to buy it while supporting themselves, or perhaps get coverage as a fringe benefit, and there is no doubt how the vast majority would answer.But President Barack Obama and his fellow liberals ...
To the Editor:Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation became its own organization when Mayo Clinic Health System gained ownership of the Fairmont hospital.The Foundation's board of directors chose to separate to ensure that all the money brought in through the community would stay in the ...
Who in governmentwill prepare the list?Most people would agree terrorists should not be permitted to buy guns. But what about "suspected violent extremists"?In both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives last week, Democrats pushed for a bill that would, in the The Associated Press' ...
Amazing training eventLast weekend, police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to Fairmont Junior-Senior High School for awe-inspiring training sessions. Thirty agencies from around the region attended.The 3Echo training - enter, evaluate and evacuate - aims to ...
Looking at history, it may be true that federal intervention into aspects of public education created necessary change. Ending segregation and enforcing equal opportunities for girls come to mind as examples.The federal government also has overreached in its regulations and underfunded its ...
Numbers can tell a story. For Fairmont police, the numbers say the department needs more help. Among the stats: Meth arrests are up 200 percent since 2009 and the city's crime rate is up for the first time since 2002. In 2014, local police logged 3,400 hours of overtime.In 2013, two experienced ...
To the Editor:The Martin County Historical Society has created a historic calendar since 2005 as an annual fundraiser. Thanks to the support of the business and professional community of Martin County in purchasing advertising, coupled with the design and layout expertise of Designing Signs, ...
To the Editor:On Nov. 30, the EPA finally announced the long-awaited Renewable Volume Obligations for 2014, 2015 and 2016. These numbers determine how many gallons of renewable fuel, such as ethanol, will be blended into the fuel supply. I am pleased that these numbers are a move in the right ...
Before Sunday night, President Barack Obama had used the Oval Office as a backdrop for televised speeches just twice. In making his third such address, Obama clearly wanted the American people to view it as something very important. The subject matter, terrorism, was that. What the president ...
U.S. public schools have left millions of children behind during the nearly 13 years since then-President George W.?Bush signed into law a measure he and many in Congress hoped would reform education.Throughout the nation, many schools are doing no better than before the No Child Left Behind ...
To the Editor:If projections from state economists remain accurate over the next few months, Minnesota is expected to receive a $1.9 billion surplus for the 2016-17 budget cycle.State lawmakers should react to this news with caution.Any projected surplus belongs to the people because it ...
Accounting gimmicksfunding our highwaysMany observers, especially officials in the 50 states worried about highway funding, applauded action by Congress last week to provide $281 billion in transportation funding during the next five years. Where, some may have wondered, did lawmakers come up ...