July 2022

I took last week off to head to Iowa City and finish novel edits / write syllabi, known in the business as a “nerd vacation.” What did I miss, Granite Falls? From the sound of it, a lot! For one, on Thursday, I texted Dani a picture of a pedestrian mall (it had painted crosswalks, her favorite). She responded with appreciation, and then, “What the heck.

Cynthia Christians has officially joined the staff as a Reporter for the Montevideo-American News and Advocate Tribune as of July 15th. The local news reporters are now a team of two with Editor Jessica Stölen-Jacobson and Reporter Cynthia Christians dividing up the coverage of events throughout the local area, as well as writing feature stories.

Last week, City officials met with area politicians at the City’s hydroelectric generation plant in order to provide information about the need for funding for infrastructure repairs. The need for funding was met two years ago with approval from the State Legislature for a renewable energy funding package that would cover the cost of replacement of a hydroelectric generator inside the facility, however, the cost of that piece of equipment is higher than the approved amount of funding, meaning the City has a difference of $490,000 to make up for the one turbine replacement alone.

Elliah Chamberlain, originally of the Granite Falls area, is the current artist of the exhibit on display in the KK Berge building’s Emerging Artist Gallery. When one is looking at her art, they may be very surprised to find out she is only 17 years old. She has used an array of different mediums; from acrylic paints to a burnt toothpick, she expresses her emotions through painting and drawing. Her display is aptly titled “Life Through My Lenses”.

The Clarkfield Area Charter School board knew that enrollment was going to be a challenge, as the Clarkfield community, as well as the county’s population, has become smaller, and so for a while, talks have been taking place about the possible need to close the school.