It’s like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Starting March 17, mandated by Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota’s school-aged children were sent home with the possibility they may return to school on Monday, March 30, 2020. Rumors have circulated that students will finish their school year at home with online learning. As of March 19, 2020, at least 92,000 public and private schools … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… We are all in this together
On Thursday, March 12, 2020, our family was joining friends at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis to watch the Fillmore Central girls basketball team battle for an opportunity to earn a state title. Before we left Preston, Minn., for their first game, there was speculation that the state tournament was changing to a single elimination format. By the next day, on Friday … [Read more...]
Sheriff DeGeorge regarding COVID-19
In response to concerns relating to COVID-19, Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge has instituted a few operational changes to minimize risk to the public and staff. According to DeGeorge, “When someone calls 911 or our non-emergency line for help, dispatch will likely ask a few questions to determine if the call may involve someone who is at risk for having COVID-19. Some … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Voting nostalgia
Have you ever purchased an item that offered a mail-in rebate? Yeah, me too. To receive your rebate, you usually have to jump through some hoops with sending a UPC code cut off of the box of the item along with filling out a form and including a copy of the receipt as proof of purchase. All that work, and from my experience, I have only ever received about one out of five … [Read more...]
Decades of entertainment and celebrations on the Outback
Nestled in the hills and valleys of Houston County, Minn., Jake and Holly Wieser are busier than a cowboy in a rabbit roping competition. They own Outback Ranch, Inc., Outback Entertainment, Jake Wieser Construction, Inc., and WIESER Septic & Excavating, all operating out of one location occupying 210 acres that straddles Sheldon and Yucatan Townships. The evolution … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… A puzzling winner
Since December 30, 2019, the Journal office has received a flurry of entries submitted for the 2019 Cabin Fever Word Search Puzzle Book contest. For our last issue of the decade and of 2019, we published our first-ever word search puzzle book. For this contest, all participants who submitted a completed and accurate puzzle (that appeared on the back page of the puzzle book) … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Ripple effects of tragedy
This past year has been full of tragedy for the Mabel-Canton School District, Mabel and Canton residents, the Amish community, and all associated emergency responders. There have been a number of vehicular accidents that have claimed lives. To say it has been emotionally taxing would be an understatement. In smaller communities where people are more connected — … [Read more...]
Minnesota Report Card: Small schools score higher
Apparently, quality trumps quantity when comparing metrics from public education systems between small schools in Fillmore County and Rochester Public Schools. According to data available via the Minnesota Department of Education, with schools reporting results on behalf of 792,174 students statewide, most smaller school districts in Southeast Minnesota are performing better … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… The small school advantage
In the September 16, 2019, issue of the Fillmore County Journal, I wrote a commentary titled “One Moment, Please... A population crisis.” In that commentary, I said, “We need to work more diligently to sell our communities as the best place to live and raise a family.” I talked about how we need to promote what we have to offer in order to grow our population. We have … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Getting a little wordy
Every year, our award-winning newspaper team seeks to create more interactive experiences for our readers. We want to provide more value for our readers and participating businesses. We have members of our team attending newspaper conferences and coming back with ideas. Our challenge is always committing the time and energy to implement something new into our already busy … [Read more...]