News Around Perham Just another Areavoices.com site

Spring is trying to spring into action.

I want to thank Otter Tail County for patching the streets that lead into town, hopefully it stays in place. On the city level we are waiting for it to warm up and dry out.

I would like all of you to come out this Saturday evening for the “Dancing With the Stars” event at the Perham High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. This event is aimed at raising money to fight cancer, which is a monster.

Cancer strikes many people and can strike at any time. We all know of someone who is fighting this dreadful enemy. To me this is not about me showing what I can do, it is for those who are suffering from or have died from and hopefully to protect those of us who may develop this ugly monster.

So please come on out and let’s fill the auditorium. The cost is only $5 at the door. There will be a People’s Choice as well as a Judge’s Choice award. The People’s Choice will be determined by how much money is put in a jar for each couple, so bring a few extra dollars.

Congratulations goes out to all of those students who participate in extra-curricular activities. I attended the 549 Gala this past weekend. All across the state there are talented students, and here in Perham we have many students who participate and develop their talents. It also takes special people to bring those talents out, and that is our teachers and the volunteers who help out in the schools. Congratulations to all of you.

If you have not seen the custom-built motorcycle that was built by a group of students with the assistance of the great group from Lil’ Evil, then folks, make it a point to see this. It is magnificent. So when the water tower on the south side is painted in Yellowjacket colors, it is to recognize all students, not just a select few.

Go Yellowjackets!

Recruiting for volunteers to help out with our museums is taking place. If you would like to know what positions are available or how you can help out, stop on down at the ITOW Veterans Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. There will be an information session along with some great food.

Check out your heating systems everyone, and especially if you are using a wood burner, either in your home or your shop. Make sure your chimney is clean and not building up with creosote, which can ignite and cause a chimney fire, which could become a disaster if not caught in a timely manner. Even if you cleaned your chimney before the season started, please check periodically.

I noticed the other day that the water level in my toilets was not staying at the normal level. I went outside and looked at the sewer vents on the roof to see if there was ice building up. Sure enough, they were frosted over. I poured a little water down them and now the water level is staying where it is supposed to be. Sewer gas can be very deadly and I seem to have caught mine in time, so look and check or have someone look for you.

Some of the intersections can become very icy as conditions change from day to day and hour to hour as temperatures rise or fall. Please pay attention when approaching an intersection and slow down. A few extra seconds is better than a wrecked vehicle, or an injury. Spring is coming, but for now take your time.

Uffda, what about those gas prices? Had to tease us below $3 for just a short time, but here they go again, up, up, up a lot faster than down, down, down. Makes you wonder.

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Be careful outside, everyone. As you know, it is very icy and the ice may be here awhile until it can melt off. The side roads, especially in the country, are very icy, as are some of our side streets.

I am going to give a few tips that may help.

If your vehicle is sliding on the street and will not turn, let off the brake and put the vehicle in neutral. Lightly brake and let off and lightly brake again. If you can’t make your corner or turn, just keep going and go to the next turn-off. Always wear your seat belt. The biggest factor is to please slow down.

Do you have some free time on your hands and would like something to do? How about volunteering? There are plenty of opportunities out there.

One in particular is with our museums in town, the History Museum and the ITOW Veterans Museum. If you or someone you know might be interested, contact myself or the museums.

ITOW is looking for a director and being able to pay a big wage may be tough. Maybe someone out there would be interested, or two or three people could team up and help out.

The museum’s board of directors are open to ideas on how to raise money to fund the museums, and they are looking for people to serve on the board.

The group that currently is on the board is very involved and working very hard. If you have any ideas at all, please come forward, because any idea is a good idea.

Be careful out there and have a great week.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Treat every day as a special one as we never know when it may be our last on this great earth. Please remember those who were tragically taken from us this past week in Connecticut.

A lot of you will be traveling this coming holiday week, please be careful. With the world of cell phones and all the technology we have, we may sometimes overlook some safety features.

Put together a winter survival kit of some sort including a flashlight, extra blanket, cap, gloves, water and some snacks. There used to be kits that you could buy with candles and things, check around – maybe they still do.

Another safety item that I suggest is a reflective safety vest. Buy one of these and store it in your vehicle just in case you have trouble on the roadway and may have to work on your vehicle, such as changing a tire. This will help people see you and possibly save your life.

Love your neighbor, love your family, and better yet, love everyone.  Happy holidays.

Monday evening at 5:15, the December Perham City Council meeting will take place. All of you are invited, as you are to all council meetings.

Discussions have been taking place about the ITOW Veterans Museum. The board members have asked us to help them in their fundraising efforts and also to assist them in finding a new director. The council is interested in what the city taxpayer has to say on this matter. There will possibly be a decision made that evening.

The levy for 2013 will be set at the meeting also. Currently we are looking at a 1 percent levy increase. We did some tightening of the belt and feel we can make it through the year on this slight increase. We set this amount as a preliminary limit back in September, we can lower the limit but we cannot raise it from the September level.

Weather has been nice but snow can hit us at anytime, so I ask you now to familiarize yourself with the winter snow removal ordinance so that you do not receive a ticket. The, “I didn’t know” excuse does not work.

I would ask that when exiting your vehicle, please take your trash to a garbage can. Leaving garbage laying on the ground looks terrible and makes those that live there look terrible.

If you see some garbage please pick it up, even if it is not yours. Let’s keep the city clean.

Christmas is right around the corner, time to get your shopping done.

Have a great week everyone.

Members from Burlington Northern Railroad, MnDOT, Otter Tail County, and the City of Perham on Friday joined a group that is doing a study on what it will take to have a quiet zone here in Perham. They visited local railroad crossings.

It was very interesting to learn what we can and cannot do at certain crossings. Discussion was held at every crossing and measurements were taken. These notes and measurements and findings were taken back to the offices of the study group. They will present their plan on what it will take and a rough dollar amount.

We were at the crossing east of town by Rain Soft and also the crossing west out by West Central. When we were at these two crossings, vehicles came by and, would you believe it, not one of them came to a stop at the crossing. People, that is why there is a red stop sign at each crossing – to stop and look both ways and then proceed. Trains wouldn’t even have to blow the horn if the laws would have been followed all along.

Although arms come down at crossings, people still want to weave their way through to beat the train, and sometimes they don’t make it. Then, to make it worse, the family sues the railroad and a judge decides to rule in the family’s favor. It makes no sense, but that is why the horns have to blow and even at louder decibels than before.

As a pedestrian, did you know that it is only legal to cross the tracks at a marked crossing? Anywhere else is considered trespassing and is punishable by law.

I want to thank all of you who voted for me in the recent election. Keep the engine steam rolling and good luck Yellowjacket football team.

Congratulations to the Fergus Falls M-State womens volleyball team, as they took fifth place in the national tournament. Good job ladies!

What a great season. Proves what hard work can do.

High School National Champions!

That is right, folks, the Perham boys cross-country team not only won the Minnesota State Championship on Saturday, but was also proclaimed Division II National Champions.

Wow, that is just amazing and what an amazing group of young men they are. And they are guided by a class act by the name of coach Jeff Morris. The boys and girls teams competed at the state championships again this year. Congratulations on your accomplishments.

Good luck to the Perham football team as they continue to roll through the playoffs and have now qualified for state.

Congratulations to all Perham athletes who competed in fall sports.

I also want to congratulate the Fergus Falls M State woman’s volleyball team on winning the regional tournament and moving on to the national junior college tournament. They conquered this feat by defeating the two-time defending national champions and the number one ranked team in the nation, Ridgewater College, out of Willmar, Minn.

You may ask why I am so proud of this? My daughter Kelli plays for M State and played for the Yellowjackets of Perham in high school. Play your best, girls, and be proud of yourselves.

Deer hunting was a success and good luck to all who are still looking for the elusive whitetail.

Have a great week.

Ever wonder what you are going to do with your pumpkins once Halloween is over?

Well, do not put them in the garbage. Set them out on the curb Wednesday morning, just as you would your grass clippings, and they will be picked up.

The incinerator does not want these in the garbage, as they do not burn. The compost truck will be running the week following Halloween, and maybe longer, depending on the weather.

You can also deliver them to the compost site yourself on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That’s right, it is open on Sundays for your deliveries.

Remember that the city compost site is for city residents only. There have been some tree stumps dumped at the site that were not from the city and some investigating is being done to find out who dumped them there.

Also, tons of materials that could be composted are being dumped in the garbage, such as coffee grounds, vegetable peelings and other things.

In the summer, composting should be no problem, but you may wonder what you can do in the winter. Freeze them, and in the spring to the compost they can go. It will make the incinerator run more efficiently and will help keep costs down to save all of us money.

Remember safety on Halloween. Keep a close watch for the little ones. And to all you trick-or-treaters and parents: please wear bright-colored reflective clothing and watch for traffic so everyone will be safe.

Have a wonderful end to October everyone.

There are a lot of candidates up for election, from the President of the United States to local judges, school board and city council members, and senators and representatives – plus, there are two constitutional amendments.

Make sure you know your candidates and what they stand for. Vote for who you think will do the best job and who will be willing to work with other people. If someone is going in saying, “It is my way or the highway and I will not take ‘no’ for an answer,” than they may not be the right person for the job.

On the amendment concerning voter ID, if you leave the box blank because you are undecided or you feel it really doesn’t matter one way or another, it will be counted as a ‘no’ vote.

All of us who are eligible should vote. If you elect not to vote, then do not complain about what is going on in the country or state, because you gave up that right when you opted out.

Remember, Fire and EMS Bingo is this Friday night at Mulligan’s. Doors open at 6 p.m. I hope to see you there.

Have a great week, everyone.

I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend.

Holy cow, where did the summer go? Now school is in session and the fall sports season is underway. Good luck to all of the athletes in the area. Remember, if you can say to yourself at the end of the contest that you gave everything you had, then you were a winner regardless of the outcome.

I attended the ITOW Veterans Museum’s new exhibit, titled, “Our Lives, Our Stories: America’s Greatest Generation.” It is something that you will not regret going to, and it only costs $4 to get in. Please take the time to go, and also spread the word.

Another successful Ducks Unlimited banquet was held this past Friday. Thank you to all who attended.

The new interchange on Highway 10 and County 34 is now open, and what a great new entrance into Perham.

I would like to welcome Shopko into Perham. It is a great addition to Perham and I know they will do great. I also want to wish McDonald’s the best and I want to thank all of the businesses in the Perham vicinity for making Perham so successful. I wish all of you continued success.

Remember to watch for pedestrians and especially the youngsters going to school. Until next time, have a great week everyone.