Breaking News

Opinion

Et. Cetera

Local Editorials

HVAC program teaches new skills Fairmont Area Schools has a new HVAC program this year. The program is housed in the high school’s new vocational building and is taught by Adam Carstensen. What a great program to help fill the future shortage of vocational workers, especially in the HVAC area. It’s nice to see the district and community working together to provide opportunities like this to our youth. Council talks community center future It was disappointing to see the action some city council members and city leaders took Monday in regards to the community center’s next ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

No more community center, no more special Tax To the Editor: The recent decision by the Fairmont City Council to scrap plans for a community center is, at best, short-sighted. The city council cites “big expenses” coming up in the city’s future. Were these expenses not considered when they committed to the community center in the first place? There will ALWAYS be big expenditures. So much of FACC’s efforts were completed because they believed that the city stood solidly behind them. The city’s inability to appropriately plan for long-term budgeting and expenditures, prior to ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

Years of hard work now erased To the Editor: In a matter of minutes, COUNCILORS MILLER, HASEK & PETERS erase YEARS of HARD work, COMMUNITY SUPPORT and THE CITY’S commitment to a new community center. For years, the Fairmont community has desired, discussed, and made plans for a new community center. The latest effort included the components required to finally make it happen: a City commitment of $14 million, private donations totaling $6 million, the YMCA as an operating partner, a shared goal for a new ice arena, hired experts to assist with applying for state and federal funds, ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

Help us with Toys for Tots this year To the Editor: The Toys for Tots program is 75-years-old this year. This is the first year this program has ever distributed toys to the Fairmont area. The Fairmont VFW, American Legion and Martin County Veterans Memorial Committee are sponsoring this Marine Corps Reserve endeavor. When I volunteered to help coordinate this project, I did not realize how great the need is in our community. To date we have 275 children signed up but have only collected 264 toys and $1,125.24. All monies collected will be spent on the children. Time is of the ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

Close-mindedness creates division To the Editor: Opportunities for progress and moving forward could have taken place a long time ago if proponents of a recreation center would have come alongside Martin County. Instead, the Fairmont Area Community Center Foundation (FACCF), the Community Center Advisory Board (CCAB), 1590 organizers, and Mayo Clinic have stubbornly dug in their heels creating division when the majority of citizens would much rather have found a way to compromise. Consider this: City council members in favor of this huge expense were voted off, during two different ...

Et. Cetera

Local Editorials

Fairmont Schools honors teacher Congratulations to Fairmont High School’s Spanish teacher, Melinda Stewart, who has been named this school year’s teacher of the year. Thank you, Melinda, for your continued efforts in educating and empowering our young people and showing them the value of different views and diversity. Program adds childcare providers The Prosper Project, a program funded by the Schmeeckle Foundation, has added three new in-home childcare providers over the past few months. The program also launched a substitute program to help existing providers when they need a ...