Yellow Medicine considers cooperation

Sideways Thumb: Give credit to the Yellow Medicine County board of commissioners for at least considering studying a joint venture with Lincoln, Lyon and Murray Human Services. The board decided Tuesday to wait on the study until it learns if the state Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty will continue to support such ventures in 2010. Still, a study does not commit the board to a joint venture; it does however, reveal the benefits and the negatives of such a proposal. The board may not want to wait for direction from the state or Pawlenty and instead take what should be seen as advice from its own human services director given this year and several years ago to study a possible joint venture.

Failed compliance checks

Thumbs Down: Six Marshall businesses failed in the October tobacco compliance checks conducted by Marshall Police. One failed for the third time in two years and the council suspended its license for 30 days. Six is nearly half of the license holders in Marshall. While the failures don't necessarily indicate identification to proof age for the purchase of tobacco products is being done at local businesses, it does show that at least once, it wasn't done at six businesses. Tobacco license holders can use the recent failures as reinforcement to staff of the need to check identification consistently when a customer wants to buy tobacco.

Raising money for causes

Thumbs up: We see frequent examples of events that raise money for residents dealing with medical issues and similar situations. This weekend we have at least two more examples of volunteers and others who have organized fund-raising events for local and national causes. The annual Jingle Bell Walk and Run is Saturday in Marshall. Western Community Action has a pie-eating contest to raise money for the local food shelf and other programs. While it's technically not a fundraiser, Prairie Home Hospice is celebrating 25 years with an open house on Sunday.