Opinion


Planning and getting things done
Monday was the start of a new career adventure for me, Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch’s editor stepped away from the paper so between now and when a new editor starts I will be filling in as an interim editor for Sleepy Eye. While doing this adds another paper for me to work on each week and proof every Wednesday, I will still be giving St. James what you are all used to from me. The only thing that may be different is how busy I am during office hours, they will stay the same but I may be bouncing in and out to make sure I have all I need for each paper done.


Get back into books
Alex messengers author visit to Northside and the mentioning of 4th graders reading hatchet brought me back to the love of reading I had while i elementary school. from first grade until the middle of middle school I read thousands of books. Horace May the elementary school I attended in Bemidji was huge on reading, especially the teachers I had. My first grade teacher Mrs. Morrison had nearly a whole library in her room, she even allowed her students to come in during morning recess to come in and read.

Good comes with bad
Life depending where you are in tends to throw curve balls or just straight strikes at you. (Look at me not even a sports writer throwing in some sports analogies). As most people, that has been my and Dillon’s life on and off since last April when he and his brother started the process of moving their mom into a memory care facility.



Fiery Talk
First of all, if something is like fire you would think it would be fiery.
Lordy, Lordy
Over my lifetime, several names have been assigned above and beyond the name given by my parents soon after I arrived. Having spent close to forty years as a teacher and coach, you can accurately guess several of those were not the most complimentary. Everybody has a bad day right? Sometimes a foul mood can cloud judgement and, despite dedicating a lifetime to helping other people’s kids, derogatory terms may be cast the way of an educator or coach.
Letter to the Editor
As many of you may have heard, I suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday, December 13, at Anytime Fitness here in St. James. Thanks to the many people for the life-saving help they gave me: Anytime Fitness, St. James police, St. James Ambulance service, Mayo – St. James Emergency room, Mayo – St. Mary’s Rochester, and Eyecare Center of St. James. I had a defibrillator/pacemaker implanted December 18 at St. Mary’s. Because of the amazingly quick response I received, I am recovering well and plan to ease back into work January 15.