letters

I was just reading in the West Central Tribune about Marlyn Marquardt’s proposal to build a veterans cemetery on his property being refused by the Planning Commission in Kandiyohi County. He said he wants to provide a cemetery for veterans who “don’t have a place” to be buried....

I wish I could forget how inarticulate I was when, in my younger years, a distant relative reproached me about the newfound annual observance to honor the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr.

Perhaps a better and less costly answer for Renville County West schools would be to bring the Sacred Heart building up to code for a lesser cost than putting millions of dollars into adding on to an already very old Renville building. Can we be certain the school will...

Speech is always debatable unless you are talking to yourself. Therefore, not discussing anything (being silent) will not lead to debate, controversy, bad press or solving an issue to form a plan of direction to resolve a problem. True leadership is shown when an issue of...

First off, for Bob Enos to arrive in Willmar in 2008 and to think he knows the inhabitants and the culture of Willmar is absurd. To write a whole website of propaganda is a step backwards for our community; to even think the Willmar community (or any community) can even think to elect...

The Minnesota Public Radio story reprinted in the West Central Tribune is just plain wrong when it claims BNSF Railway’s statements on our service challenges are inconsistent. There is no inconsistency. BNSF has been communicating directly and often with our customers about what...

The fire of the burning cross in the night illuminated the white-sheeted cowards around it with light from hell. On Oct. 28, I attended the debate between candidates for the Willmar City Council. It was an eye-opener for even my rather jaded eyes. When the candidates were...

I had to chuckle over the West Central Tribune’s editorial in the Thanksgiving Eve edition. Leave it to Jennie-O’s newspaper of record to gush how thankful we should be for having the company in our midst this holiday season. The paper ceremoniously reported Jennie-O’s...

This letter is in answer to Bob Enos’s letter, “Explaining my own quote.” First, I want to thank Ward 3 residents for not voting Mr. Enos into any kind of office as your argument shows that you are biased against a specific ethnic group or immigrants as a whole, do not embrace...

First, many thanks to the Ward 3 voting bloc (as high as 45 percent by precinct) that expressed its confidence in me. Though losing is humbling, the outcome was still encouraging to this six-year Willmarite; and energizing! Readers of my blog How Willmar Works have asked me to explain...

Although 12 years have passed, the disappearance of Danny Newville needs to be remembered. That some in the community still feel unaffected. That the place he was born, went to school and lived for 18 years was safe for him that night among “friends” at a party in town. That’s...

On Oct. 25, the Chippewa County Pheasants Forever Chapter and the Two Rivers Chapter of Minnesota Deer Hunters Association in Montevideo co-hosted a veterans hunt at Heartland Hunting Preserve in Granite Falls. There were 43 veterans that attended as well as a large number...

I have been mulling over what was said at the forum on Oct. 28 by the candidates for City Council. Two answers have been bothering. Both are related to the same question. The question asked was: “Had the candidates spoken to the Somali and Hispanic residents and business owners;...

When I heard Ron Christianson say at the recent League of Women Voters forum that he is a great supporter of the Willmar Police Department, I laughed. Was his vote at the April 20, 2009, council meeting against a joint application with Kandiyohi County for a “Safe Neighborhoods”...

Several years ago I attended a congressional district political meeting. A string of men and women took the stage to make brief statements on a particular topic. One young man stood out as particularly intelligent, down to earth, knowledgeable, and not egotistical. That young...