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Fitness clubs riding out slump
STAYING IN SHAPE — Anytime Fitness members use the exercise machines Monday in Fairmont.
January 6, 2009
FAIRMONT — Area fitness clubs are feeling the crunch, but hope to ride out the burn and come back stronger.
Managers at all three of Fairmont’s major fitness centers — MC Fitness, Curves, and Anytime Fitness — expressed concern about the economy’s impact on new memberships during their busiest season.
Tyler Horkey, manager at MC Fitness in Fairmont, said while business could be better, all is not lost.
“Right now, we are not doing as well as we should be,” he said.
» Full Story
Icy roads send drivers sliding
January 6, 2009
FAIRMONT — That feeling of “slip-sliding away,” was in the pit of many Minnesota motorists driving these past few days.
At least a dozen car crashes were reported in Martin County this past weekend, with several more Monday.
» Full Story
Project under renewed scrutiny
January 6, 2009
BLUE EARTH — With local government aid cuts calculated, several Blue Earth City Council members are questioning the need to expand the city’s airport.
» Full Story
Kuehl has wealth of experience
January 5, 2009
Signs along Highway 15 advertise gold, silver, diamonds, coins — everything you can expect to find inside Kuehl’s Coins.
A step through the shop’s front door reveals little floor space but case upon case of collectibles and valuables.
» Full Story
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Megan Alexander
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How can I unleash my anger disco dancing?
Mon, December 29, 2008 @ 1:58PM
"How can I unleash my anger disco dancing?" my third-grade nephew Logan wailed across the table at his Uncle Jarrod, my husband. Yes indeed, it was a wicked game of Apples to Apples taking place Saturday night at my home. Logan at one point was busted with a large stack of cards under the table that well-surpassed the seven each player is allowed. During the same game, the uncle and nephew were bickering over something, when Jarrod finally asked Logan if he wanted to "step outside and ... disco dance." Logan, an exceptionally intelligent kid with a newfound love for karate, was sincerely baffled when he asked the question that is now boldly written across the white board on my refrigerator, to be forever commemorated, at least until someone erases it. And yet, these kinds of conversations are surprisingly common when Uncle Jarrod is around.
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Jennifer Brookens
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good to be back
Sun, January 4, 2009 @ 10:41PM
I admit, after a couple weeks away from the Sentinel office I kind of grumbled about having to go back... After two weeks of vacation and even some genuine "me" time, I really wasn't thrilled about getting back into the daily grind. But with winter storm systems (be it blizzards, or just ice storms like this past weekend) hitting our area every weekend consistantly for the past month, my family is showing signs of cabin fever. This past weekend's bill pretty much sums it up... New Baby Einstein DVD: $15. Replacement of favorite story book (too many tosses down the staircase): $6. Three rolls of extra-absorbant toilet paper (tossed into toilet bowl, some water still left in the bowl, so the commercial lied): $3. More carpet and upholstery cleaners: $10. Diet Pepsi taken without permission and spilled on recliner and carpet: $1. Dustbuster: $40.
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Sarah Day
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Web site of the Week: New Year's
Mon, December 29, 2008 @ 6:21PM
This is more of an accumulation of Web site to help ring in the new year. The first site is TimesSquareNYC.org, which features pictures, the detailed history of New York’s celebration and events for the biggest party of the year. The site is also home to the normal events of every-day-other-than-New-Year’s, but that’s a whole other story. What I find the most interesting is the fun facts, a.k.a. the history. For instance, did you know the celebration in Times Square started in 1904? There is also fun information about the lighted ball and the wishing wall. The next link I have for you isn’t so much the Web site that’s interesting, but the article. It’s from Budget Travel on CNN’s Web site, but it shares the traditions of different New Year’s traditions across the globe and some of the unique things you could do there. As tradition has it, people sing “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight, but many people don’t know the words or the meaning.
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Christine Rupp
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A pleasant surprise
Thu, December 18, 2008 @ 2:13AM
I've never been interested in politics. Many of my co-workers can vounch for that fact, having heard my views on politics in general and sometimes on specific politicians. Part of my dislike for politics, I will admit, has stemmed from ignorance. I didn't really understand what went on behind the closed doors of the state or national legislatures. I also hadn't gotten to know any actual politicians, instead basing my feelings on what I'd heard or read second hand. It's no surprise that after more than eight years working at the Sentinel, I've had to interview several politicians. I managed to hold on to my general distaste for politics until I got to know Rep. Bob Gunther and Sen. Julie Rosen. I have found that while I may not always agree with our local legislators, I do respect their passion for their jobs and for the needs of this area.
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Kylie Saari
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Free and Reduced Lunches
Fri, January 2, 2009 @ 10:54AM
I would like to follow up Friday's Sentinel story about the Free and Reduced Lunch program by commenting on what a good thing it is. It seems like many leads in many publications lately go as follows "With the economy plummeting..." or "With more families tightening their budgets...." Our economy has become big news, affecting everything from business closings to entertainment venues to feeding kids at school. But in this instance, a program was in place before the economy started tumbling. Free and reduced lunches are just an application away for many families, and according to the numbers, many more families are taking advantage of them. It has been proven that hungry students do not succeed in school. Studies show poor attention span, incomplete homework, and failing grades are common side effects of hunger.
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Lee Smith
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Sad, sad legacies ...
Mon, January 5, 2009 @ 5:45PM
I noticed one of those "On this date ..." items today. On Jan. 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outined a goal of "Four Freedoms." They were: Freedom of speech and expression; the freedom of people to worship God in their own way; freedom from want; freedom from fear. I find this confusing and galling. The first two freedoms are outlined in the Constitution. Perhaps the president should have read it. Also, he might have considered the Declaration of Independence, which spoke of tyrannical government; something Roosevelt helped usher in. Freedom from want? Freedom from fear? You've got to be kidding me. Unfortunately, FDR wasn't kidding. He helped institute Social Security and other government social-welfare programs. His acolyte, Lyndon Johnson, did even more harm with Medicare and the "Great Society" war on poverty. Their legacy is the United States' debt and the unfunded liabilities that total tens of trillions of dollars in the next 50 years.
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