View Point - Letters to the Editor

EDITOR: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . no, wait, this is November!

It’s the month for Thanksgiving – and it’s National Hospice Month!  (more…)

Editor: We are very concerned about the deaths of our service men and women in Iraq. Since the war began 1,059 have died. Losing each life was a terrible tragedy.
Isn’t it also a tragedy that last year in North Dakota 1,354 unborn babies were aborted? The nationwide average is over one million a year. Also consider the long list of couples waiting to adopt.
Whatever the circumstances, this is tragic. Let us pray to end not only the war but also abortion.

Iva Mae Overmoe
Mayville
Valley I Believe in Life

Editor: What a wonderful homecoming parade!
Thank you to the three marching bands and to their director, Mr. Wes Froehlich. Thank you to all the junior and senior high school classes that had floats. Thank you to everyone else that took part in the parade.
We stood by the elementary school and all the grades and their teachers sat by the curb. You could feel the joy and excitement in the air. The children made noise and were happy.
In the intersection uptown, the band played, the school song was sung and people clapped. There was noise and cheering. The comments were — what a great parade.

Mavis Johnson
Hillsboro

Editor: Wow, wasn’t that a great Homecoming parade?
Thank you, Mr. Froehlich, your wife Jan and family Jordan and Amber for all the extra time spent with our youth in getting them into synchronized marching. The time spent was truly worth it in our eyes.
Today we had a terrific small town parade with many good, imaginative floats and leading the whole thing — a marching band with enough kids for a drill team too.
We look forward to many more. Good job to Mr. Froehlich and his marching band.
Chris McInnes
Hillsboro Music Parents, president

Editor: When I saw that Hillsboro High School marching band come downtown along Caledonia Avenue last Friday, tears came to my eyes. It took me back a little over 60 years ago when I would do the same with my Wimbledon High School band. Later still I joined the Wimbledon Community Band and we loved to play and march too. We at the time played lots of John Philip Sousa marches. I especially liked them because I was a tuba player.
On Friday evening we also went to the football game and enjoyed the band again. Hillsboro has an unusually good tuba player in this band and the sound of the beat was nostalgic to me. The marching was well done and the music was amazingly good for such a short time of practice. (more…)

Editor: I want to express my gratitude and admiration toward the organizers and participants in the Homecoming celebration held last week. It was a wonderful way to show community pride and school spirit. I thank each and every one of the participants for making it a thoroughly enjoyable event.
Each of the class parade floats was well done and the builders and their classmates should be proud of their handiwork. The businesses which fielded floats and parade units showed their community pride and support. Let’s all support them by giving them our business.
We enjoyed the parade so much that we watched it from three different locations along the route. All of the people I have talked to about the parade were very pleased that our school and community have revived this inspiring tradition. Putting three marching bands on the street from our own schools is a powerful testament to Mr. Froehlich’s plan to build a strong music program.
It was such a moving experience that it brought tears to the eyes of several people to whom I spoke. Let’s keep the tradition alive and plan for an even bigger and better celebration next year.
Congratulations to the Burros football team for their hard won victory in the Homecoming game. Go Burros!
Congratulations to King Adam Smith and Queen Katy Larson and their court. They are indeed a very fine group of young people.

Jim Knecht
Hillsboro

EDITOR: This is a message to the people of Traill County.
There’s a cemetery at the old Poor Farm in Caledonia, N.D..
I called the landowner to gain access to the cemetery so that I could stake it out and find old grave markers.
The landowner didn’t even know there was a cemetery there and denied me access.
I lived neighbor to the Poor Farm 1938 to 1957, so I am well acquainted with the cemetery.
Now it is forgotten and nobody gives a damn.
Traill County buried these people and now should be responsible for the cemetery.
Call your county commissioners.

Merlin Koppang
West Fargo, N.D

EDITOR: After reading last week’s report on the Traill County Commission meeting in which the Home Rule Committee provided their preliminary recommendations, I thought it worth the time to evaluate . . .
Among others, there were two key points brought to the commissioners for consideration — the first is whether our commissioners should be elected by district or by the county at large. The second is whether our current elected offices should continue as elected officials or if they should be appointed. Both of these items were quickly dismissed by our commissioners — the decision being that things should be left alone. (more…)

Editor: Thank you to Anna Austin for the great story she wrote on Ellie Miller.
A lot of people have helped out with prayers, the benefit and moral support over the past year. Some people didn’t even know who Ellie was or what was wrong, so it helped to inform them and update them on how she is doing.
Ellie truly is a miracle with a happy ending. It really is wonderful how people come together in a small town when it is one of their own. I’ve never been so proud to say ‘Reynolds is my hometown.’
Anna, you did a great job and I’ll be looking for more articles from you.

Joy Breidenbach
Ellie’s Grandma

EDITOR: Much has been said in the past couple years about Traill County and its resistance to preserve history.
I have had a unique vantage point few do, owing to the fact that I have served on the County Historical Society Board and have also been a county highway department employee for the past 22 years. It has been personally disheartening to have the county portrayed as not encouraging preservation.
It was in fact the County Commission 42 years ago that allowed a fledging historical organization to have a stable annual income through a county wide mill levy, which has allowed the Historical Society to flourish for the past four decades. (more…)