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Community Voices

Flying the U-2 spy plane

There aren’t many current and former U-2 spy plane pilots in the world, but I recently had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with one of them. Stan Rauch, who turns 80 this month, grew up at Lake Preston, South Dakota. He and his wife, Mary, live on an acreage in the Lake Whitewood, South Dakots, area. “My dad was a commercial pilot who also ran a crop-dusting business,” Stan said. “Dad was my first flight instructor; I got my private pilot’s license when I was 19.” After high school, Stan enrolled at South Dakota State University where he majored in wildlife ...

City projects nearing completion, others underway

After a good construction season due in part to late season dry weather conditions, the city of Marshall is closing out most projects, while some have gotten underway. This past summer, the city completed the reconstruction of two parking lots: Addison Parking Lot and the Independence Back Parking Lot. Addison parking lot, located near the movie theater and downtown Marshall, is complete and was open to the public this past summer. Contractor R&G Construction removed the existing surface and repaved the parking lot with concrete. This city owned parking lot was one of the lots in ...

Campaign donations should have more limited dollar amounts

It’s almost the eve of Election 2024, and we’ve had a lot of campaign related issues ranging from financing to negative advertisements. Elon Musk really brought campaign finance questions to the forefront with his $75 million donation to the Trump campaign. It was followed by an offer to award one voter a day one million dollars if they’ve signed his pledge about free speech and the right to bear arms. It calls for some type of mandate to limit campaign contributions. I think it would be good to go as low as $100 per person. It’s in line with the idea of making voters ...

Calf pen politics

Another presidential election is rapidly bearing down upon us. As in previous elections, polls show that the candidate many Americans prefer is the one named None Of The Above. Why is this? What is the cause of this widespread voter dissatisfaction? The answer lies in one of the most basic, essential pieces of farm equipment: the manure spreader. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “OK, he’s going to launch into some lame analogy about how politicians are always spouting off about this or that and how it compares with the operation of the aforementioned ...

We don’t get it

On one of the routes from here to the Cities is a unique sign. You might have seen it. It’s been there for a few years. On a curve is a quaint country church. Out front is an admonition to “Love thy neighbor.” A quarter mile past that, on the bed of an old pickup truck is an 8 by 4 brightly painted sign that says, “TRUMP 2024 F--- YOUR FEELINGS.” The “F” word is fully spelled out on the sign. It rhymes with duck. I thought about writing about that for a while. The sign doesn’t need a thousand-word exposition. It says a lot by itself. The juxtaposition with the ...

Marshall Public Schools celebrates new facilities, student achievements, and continued literacy focus

Last week, the Marshall Public School District celebrated the opening of a new location for the Area Learning Center (ALC) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) with a ribbon cutting and open house event. The new ALC facility, developed in collaboration with Southwest/West Central Service Cooperative (SWWC) and Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), was well-received by staff and students alike, representing a significant upgrade in amenities. October also marked Principal’s Month, and we want to share our gratitude for the leadership and dedication of Principals Brian Jones, Hayden ...