Editorials

Where did that post go?
Was it a Web site post that was irrelevant to the topic of the thread, was abusive or threatening, or was posted by an author who provided false information about their identity? It has been unpublished.
Many members of our online community have wondered what has happened on our Web site after seeing a post or a thread, only to find that it is gone later.
Last week, one of the new posters to our online community gave us a bit of a mystery to solve.

The recognition of Stuart Nordquist by the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Saturday serves as a reminder of the role that coaches and other mentors play in our lives.
It makes sense to also acknowledge the many people who provide leadership to the young that aren’t officially recognized with such accolades. They, too, ought to be commended. Whether as a firearms instructor, 4-H volunteer, or church youth group leader, the people who play these roles have a lasting effect.

As news of a lender bailout looms and quick changes in the stock market are reported, regular folks wonder what they should do.
According to some experts, no action is the best action at this time. Hasty action caused by panic does no one any good.

A story on our Business Page today does something that we normally don’t do: Reveal the winners of a raffle.
In this case, the raffle was a national Bud Lite promotion and one of Borderland’s own, Sean Bahr, was the winner of an all-expense paid Caribbean cruise.
The Journal’s policy calls for winners of raffles promoted by businesses or an organization to be published as an advertisement.

The idea of honoring Koochiching County’s veterans is admirable and should move forward.
However, the idea of going $14,000 over budget to do it should raise concerns, even to veterans.
Koochiching County officials established a veterans memorial on the second floor of the courthouse several years ago with the idea that it would eventually be relocated outside. The memorial names each of the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in wars fought by our nation.

With one sewer expansion under its belt, it makes sense for Koochiching County to consider another.
And while extension of sewer lines to the Island View will take a lot of money and planning, beginning talks about it now is the right thing to do.
Extending sewer should add value to residences, businesses, and vacant lots while at the same time helping to ensure that the quality of Rainy Lake remains high, something all county residents should favor.

By Bonnie Erickson, Falls Memorial Hospital

At Falls Memorial Hospital, we rely on patients and their families to guide us in our pursuit of excellence by telling us what we are doing well and how we can improve the health care experience.

Surprises can be a good thing.
I took a photograph last week that showed the trees around an International Falls residence strung with massive amounts of white toilet paper. The caller who alerted us to the papering called it “a terrible, terrible act of vandalism.”
I must admit, that this was among the most skillfully toilet papered residences I’ve ever seen. The papering must have taken several hours and many rolls of paper to complete.
As I shot the photograph, a motorist drove by mouthing the word, “Wow.” It was the same reaction I had upon arriving at the scene.

Littlefork-Big Falls school district officials are doing their constituents right by looking for ways to cut costs while at the same time preserving the ability to provide a quality education.
We applaud the L-BF school board’s effort to explore a new way to keep education affordable — a four-day school week. They also deserve credit for planning an informational meeting where school officials, parents and other people that may be impacted by such a move can evaluate the idea together.

Partisanship and costly campaigns are expected in many elections, but from judges running for election?
The idea continues to seem strange and more discussion on how we seat our judges is needed.
Judges, by their nature, hold some mystery in that for years we did not know whether they leaned toward a certain political party or held views on legal or political issues. The mystery is beginning to lift and that may not be such a good thing.