It’s really about ‘common decency’

From Jeanette Rykhus, Glenwood

I do believe that John Messenger was not writing a political letter to the editor, but posing a “common decency” question to the citizens and parents of the surrounding area. Now we have summer travelers passing by the vulgarity on top of the hill. What must they think of our communities, that would allow such a thing? It might be legal, but does that make it right? I cannot fathom this even being a question when I was growing up; no one would have done it. I think that the newspaper should send a camera crew up there and print it in color on the front page of this newspaper for all to see—oh wait…

And how vegetables got into this whole discussion I’ll never know. It’s embarrassing. The end does NOT justify the means. So, you can try to justify it all you want. It still doesn’t make what is being done right or proper.

 

Thank you Mark Beasley for writing  with care, empathy for all athletes

From Jim Thoreen, Glenwood

Our two local newspapers now must cope with a major problem. Mark Beasley has chalked up 15 years as one of this state’s most prolific sports writers and has announced he is “hanging up his spikes.” As we would expect from Mark, he takes this turn in his life for a very good reason. He will now spend time assisting his wife to recover from a major health procedure. Mark’s decision comes not as a surprise to those who follow his prolific weekly work. He takes his work seriously, humbly and with a deep commitment to doing things correctly.

Most of my life has been centered in small town Minnesota. At least four of those communities have been served by weekly newspapers. Usually, good local photos and stories meet that town’s appetite for news. As to coverage of local sports, many weeklies simply don’t have staff possessed of both knowledge of the athletic events and the writing skills to summarize what occurs on the field, diamond or court.

We have been blessed with Mark’s phenomenal knowledge of male and female sports, an attribute which some sports writers may possess, but each week he has superbly relayed to us the human aspect of sports as lived by children and parents in our communities. Sports, in the end, is black and white in that there are winners and losers. Mark writes with care and empathy for all athletes, win or lose. He has captured the often “gut-wrenching” agony of defeat and boundless joy of victory.

So, to Mark and his family our best wishes. May you find a new, less hectic schedule of life’s events, without 5 or 6 (or more) sports contests per week all demanding a submission deadline to meet the publisher’s needs.

Author Frank Herbert offers perspectives on writing in general. But perhaps most appropriately he offers a general observation which to me summarizes Mark’s current status:

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”

Thank you, Mark.

 

Concerned that city is doing nothing with standing water on 4th Street

From Amy Brown, Glenwood

I find it concerning that the City of Glenwood has not done anything about the standing water on 4th Street. It is very possible that I am missing something and there is a reason the Glenwood Fire department hasn’t pumped it like they have done so graciously years previously. The standing water that has been there for weeks on end harbors dangerous waterborne pathogens and not to mention is a mosquito haven! My heart goes out to the people that live on that street and my hopes are in writing this is that someone will step up and take action. I mean if we can put a man on the moon I am pretty sure we should have the capability to get rid of a street full of standing water. Just my 2 cents!

 

Afterall, they are just chickens…

From Wane Pfeffer, Long Beach

The city of Long Beach has decided to demand that one of its residents remove all their chickens from their property because of a complaint from someone. Apparently, there is some ordinance on the books prohibiting this. I would call this a classic case of government overreach. Conservatives/Republicans are always complaining about how the government is continually taking our rights away from us, where is the out cry on this? Is this not private property that the chickens are on? Doesn’t the property owner have the right to do with his property as he sees fit? Not to mention, it’s not like it’s a hog lot or feed lot with an open manure pit. They’re chickens, just chickens. They peck at the ground for food, and for little rocks so they can digest the food. As a final note, isn’t this community, overall, a farming community?

They’re just chickens.

 

Information needed for next reunion

From Inga Mae Urke, Starbuck

I was asked to plan our next SHS class of 1954 reunion and received names and addresses from the daughter of the former fellow in charge, Larry Hagen, who sadly has now passed away.  

Letters I sent did not reach the proper persons and I have nowhere to turn except to ask if anyone in Starbuck could possibly have a phone number or address or even simply know what city they moved to and I can google it and attempt to get an address.  These are the folks I still need information on:  Dagny Barsness Scheelk,  Loretta Gorder, Earle Grenson,  Doris Helgeson, Otto Kamrud,  Vernetta Lee, Anne Olson,  LuAnn Peterson,  Joyce Walters, Jon Winge.  

I don’t know if they are all living and don’t know the married names of the girls but would greatly appreciate any help I can get in locating them for I don’t want to leave out anyone.  If you can help, my phone number is 320-239-2535 and my email address is: 

claraknutdena@hcinet.net and my address is in the Starbuck phone book.  THANK  YOU very much!