EDITORIALS

Don’t become a statistic

It seems as though there’s a list for everything these days: the best-dressed list, the worst-dressed list, the top 100 best investments list, the top 20 richest people in the world list – you get the picture. Well, now we have Minnesota’s “top 20 counties with the highest percentage of unbelted traffic deaths” list. Released last week by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety, the list points to problem areas of the state that have the highest percentage of deaths among unbelted motorists. And it’s not pretty.

November 18, 2011

Cloquet School Referendum: Positive Reflections on Yes/No

Thank you, citizens of the Cloquet School District, for your support during the recent school referendum discussion and subsequent election that was held Nov. 8. I felt we were going to have a very difficult task informing our public about the election when the decision was made to ask our voters to consider two levy questions to support student learning.

By Ken Scarbrough, Cloquet Schools Superintendent , November 17, 2011

Say thank you to a veteran any day

By Jana Peterson , November 13, 2011

Support the three Rs – Reading, ’Riting, and Referendum

Four Carlton County School Districts are asking voters to approve learning levy dollars on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Here's why we think you should vote "yes."

By Wendy Johnson , November 04, 2011

Parents, take care with your children all the time

The message that parents should always be careful about where their kids go and with whom they spend time is something we should all remember.

By Jana Peterson , October 27, 2011

Teens driving you to distraction? React!

When your child is born, you never consider that you may never have the chance to see him or her graduate from high school or walk down the aisle. And when he or she walks out the door each morning, you don’t stop to think each day that you may never see them again.

By Wendy Johnson , October 21, 2011

Leadership matters

By Dr. Kathleen Annette , October 20, 2011

Our View - What’s in a grade?

Area schools recently got their No Child Left Behind (NCLB) report card, otherwise known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP for short). As usual, schools got mixed reports. Cloquet’s Churchill Elementary got top marks, with third-grade students surpassing state averages by close to 20 percent.

By Jana Peterson , October 13, 2011

The ‘wheels of justice’ could use a lube job

This week, a defendant made an appearance in Carlton County Court for what was to have been a sentencing hearing on charges of criminal sexual contact.

October 06, 2011

In case you missed it: entitlement vs. obligation

The growing debate in Congress over “entitlement reform” is being made more difficult by the use of ill-defined terms. My colleagues are mistaken when they continue to refer to Social Security and Medicare as “entitlements.” Taking the view that these programs are obligations and not entitlements will help all of us clarify what needs to be done. Modifying how we discuss “entitlement reform” would be an appropriate first step in actually achieving it.

By By U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack , September 30, 2011

Our View - Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down

September 29, 2011

A Child is Missing

Today’s world is no longer the sort of world, however, where kids can necessarily play safely outdoors unsupervised after dark or even walk the city streets or country roads alone. Today, a child goes missing every 40 seconds in the United States.

By Wendy Johnson , September 23, 2011

Looking for a few good men (and women)

By Jana Peterson , September 16, 2011

The rest of the story

Isn’t it interesting how a set of statistics can set your mind at ease – or totally derail it. Most of us seem to put a lot of stock in things such as political polls, research studies and yes, statistics. But the truth of the matter is, any one of those things can be used to the advantage – or disadvantage – of whoever is trying to prove a particular point.

By Wendy Johnson , August 25, 2011

Think before you leap

Folks throughout the area are still reeling over the terrible death of the 13-year-old who drowned in “The Deeps” of Duluth’s Amity Creek after jumping into storm-ridden waters, being sucked under by the torrential currents and swept out to Lake Superior.

August 12, 2011