http://www.granitefallsnews.com/section/OPINION granitefallsnews.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:38:51 +0000 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519730/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:17 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519730/1007/OPINION Early on we reported on the proposal to remove the old dam that was built across the Minnesota River in 1905 and then we recorded the removal of the dam over this past year.
Before it was removed, we all wonder what the river would it look like when the dam was gone. Would there be a pronounced falls that had given the site its name? Would there be any evidence of any other [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519731/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 16:20:41 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519731/1007/OPINION I’ve always enjoyed the way that phrase sounds as it slips though the teeth creating a soothing ‘sss’ sound. More than the sound, I enjoy the images of cold, dirty snow being transformed into a plethora of color.
Spring, as marked by the Vernal Equinox, began on March 20. Of course, this year Mother Nature ignored the path of the planet to the sun and just kept dumping snow on us. Even though the planet was in alignment to bring increasing [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130509/OPINION/130509499/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 10:18:18 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130509/OPINION/130509499/1007/OPINION My brother Dick and I were talking the other day about planting corn. He recalled when he was little and went to stay on Grandpa’s farm during planting time, Grandpa would put a board across the two row planter; Dick would sit on the board; Grandpa would drive the team of horses. Well, actually the team of horses did not need much assistance from Grandpa. Dick shared, “My job was to wake Grandpa up when the horses got [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130501/OPINION/130509904/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 1 May 2013 16:38:06 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130501/OPINION/130509904/1007/OPINION “It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month when everyone goes Blissfully astray… It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May! Whence this fragrance wafting through the air? What sweet feelings does its scent transmute? Whence this perfume floating ev’rywhere?... It’s May! It’s May! When all the world is brimming with fun, Wholesome or “un” … It’s mad! [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429625/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:09:24 Scott Tedrick http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429625/1007/OPINION In regard to the statement that I suggested the Indigenous dislike of Lincoln was due to only one act––that was not my point.
What I was saying is that in all of us there is the potential for much good [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429626/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:07:06 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429626/1007/OPINION I am referring to the use of smart phones over face to face social conversations in social settings.
Last week David and I met my 10th grade grandson for lunch. Across the aisle from us was another teenager having lunch with her mom. I had my smart phone out on the table and had used it to show a [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419448/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:06:55 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419448/1007/OPINION Thanks to the Granite Falls Bank, the Citizens Alliance Bank and Thrifty White for selling tickets for us. We appreciate the extra assistance from Jeff [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419454/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:51:58 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419454/1007/OPINION Webster defines a jerk as being stupid, dull, and foolish. Do any of these descriptions fit President Lincoln?
Can such a historical icon as President Lincoln be labeled a jerk when his spirit lives on to remind us of liberties enjoyed by all? Can so many be wrong in immortalizing Lincoln by memorials built in his honor?
Would your conclusions about Lincoln be the same if you had [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419455/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:39:19 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419455/1007/OPINION When I bought those tickets it seemed like a long way into the future. As usual, my biggest question was what day of the week the event was on. When you work at a weekly newspaper, the day of the week matters almost more than anything else.
With that in mind, April 11, a Thursday, seemed like a [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419457/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:28:09 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419457/1007/OPINION http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419458/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:05:14 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419458/1007/OPINION “The life in us is like the water in the river. It may rise this year higher than man has ever known it, and flood the parched uplands; even this may be the eventful year, which will drown out all our muskrats. It was not always dry land where we dwell.” – Henry David Thoreau
“For [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130417/OPINION/130419507/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:36:45 Sen. Amy Klobuchar http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130417/OPINION/130419507/1007/OPINION With interactive video, a patient in Lac qui Parle County can be seen by a medical specialist in Minneapolis. With e-commerce, a small business in Fergus Falls can sell its product to anyone, anywhere. With online learning, a student in Two Harbors can tune in to a class at Stanford [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130415/NEWS/130419696/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:42:34 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130415/NEWS/130419696/1007/OPINION ... well, depending on your perception at least.]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409740/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:42:33 Brenda Cassellius http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409740/1007/OPINION http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409741/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:40:02 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409741/1007/OPINION http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409743/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:34:10 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409743/1007/OPINION Then also, let’s tear down the Hoover Dam, the Grand Coulee Dam, the big dams on the Missouri River, the Tennessee Valley Authority dams on the Tennessee River as well.
Let all the water go rushing down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. The great 1927 Mississippi River flood inundated thousands of square miles of land and caused billions of dollars damage. It’s time to have another flood like that again. [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409744/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:30:15 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409744/1007/OPINION There seems to be a group that wants to destroy a major part of Granite Falls’ history. We were known as the Power City for numerous years. Let’s continue this history. We need to have some form of green energy, let’s use the thing we are familiar with – hydropower.
Removing the dam is one of the dumbest things you [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409745/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:27:55 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409745/1007/OPINION There has never been a greater opportunity for city leaders to consider the vast array of options available to replace dam generation with other strategies, including: power [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409746/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:26:06 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409746/1007/OPINION A special thanks to the ladies of Henry Hill, and Deb Johnson, Kylie Ramirez, Kay Magnuson and Johnny Magnuson. A special thanks to the Easter Bunny, Doug Bengtson, and thanks to Scott Tedrick for taking pictures and writing the article for the Advocate Tribune.
Thanks so much!
Becky Lewison,
Manager, Henry Hill Apartments
Granite Falls]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130329/NEWS/130329401/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:45:55 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130329/NEWS/130329401/1007/OPINION I approached Avis Freitag at an event at the K.K. Berge building shortly after she released her response to my initial column about the removal of the Granite Falls Dam and asked if she wanted to go upstairs and wrestle.
True to form, she took a deep breath, puffed up her chest and confidently exclaimed, "I'd win!" ... And all I could do was acknowledge that "yeah, she would." After all, nobody identifies, beautifies and electrifies Granite Falls quite like the spirit of Ms. [...]]]>