Broad smiles and lots of applause were the order of the day when Cook County Senior Center Director Bev Green announced the name of a church or a nonprofit organization and asked for a representative of that group to come forward and receive a check from the First & Second Thrift Store. With a record $79,792.13 to distribute, Friday, Feb. […]
Avera e-emergency working well
Although it’s new, it’s not too early to say that the collaboration between Avera e-emergency and North Shore Health has been a win-win situation for all parties involved. During the first three months of operation from October to December 2017, North Shore Health emergency department had 459 emergency room visits with 29 Avera e-emergency calls for assistance. Patients assisted by […]
Cook and Lake counties formalize agreement to share county engineer
Under an agreement reached between Cook and Lake counties, Krysten Foster, the Lake County highway engineer, will also serve as the Cook County highway engineer. The agreement began Feb. 14, 2018, and will run to December 31, 2019, where it can be reviewed if necessary. Cook County sought to fill the highway engineer position following the resignation of Dave Betts […]
Dockside and North House make steady progress
Early this week (Feb. 12- 17), North House Folk School and the Dockside Fish Market confirmed that their efforts to complete the hand-off of the Dockside property continue to move steadily forward. “When I look back at the past ten months it is hard to believe all the ground we have covered,” said Greg Wright, executive director of North House. […]
PUC holds climate change discussion with SMMPA representatives
When 12-year-old Olya Wright was done presenting information about what the Nordic Nature Group has been doing to combat climate change over the last three years, SMMPA CEO Dave Geschwind said, “I can tell that this isn’t your first time to make this presentation.” Geschwind and fellow SMMPA (Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency) Owatonna PUC board President Mark Fritsch were […]
Come Before Winter
Some years ago, when I was in the Cities during the late fall season, I remember heading north on the freeway on my way out of town. The day had been overcast and chilly, and an increasingly bitter north wind greeted me every time I exited the car. The sun, which hadn’t been visible all day anyway, decided this was […]
Fire for Life Pine Ridge
Thank you to all who have donated! By the time this letter is printed we will have reached our first goal of $5,000. These funds will purchase much-needed log splitters, chainsaws and safety gear for the people of Pine Ridge Reservation. The rest of the campaign contributions will go for semi loads of wood, gasoline for deliveries and payroll for […]
Reader puzzled by letters
As I was perusing this week’s News-Herald I couldn’t help but notice the seeming trend of turning the letters section into pontification on religious themes. First we are confronted by a writer who has been completely taken by a huckster, misogynist, racist serial liar and suggests American is better for that. Born again? Trump is a heathen, he is his […]
We are left with two options
Knowing myself as I do, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most genteel communicator. But what I lack in communication skills, I make up for by being unabashedly honest. I speak my mind and call things as I see ’em. And in my book, I’d rather be known for being honest than a person whose silky words […]
How about a junior college in the county?
A number of years ago a group of people approached the county commissioners with an idea (which was turned down) to use the Old Ski Hill property (the one the city sold for a song and a dance, and is sitting vacant and unused) to use for a community college, a birding center and something else which I forgot. The […]