by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Nothing can prepare oneself for death, according to poet Mark Conway of Avon. Conway is the director of the Literary Arts Institute at the College of St. Benedict. He has just been honored with a prestigious McKnight Artist Fellowship Award. Like most poets, Conway has been pondering death and wrestling with death for years, especially in
Should we really cheer public-private stadium?
After 10 years of cajoling and threats, the Minnesota Vikings finally got its way. The team will get a stadium at a cost of $1 billion, with slightly over half of that cost coming from various forms of public funds. Purple Pride exploded when the stadium deal finally passed the legislature. Even many who were opposed to the public-private deal
Garden Club needs volunteers
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Volunteers are badly needed for the Sartell Volunteer Garden Club. At the first Garden Club meeting recently, only seven people attended. Most of the garden beds in the city’s 40 parks have not been “adopted” yet by volunteers. As a result, those beds – featuring mainly perennials such as shrubs and perennial flowers – are looking
Survey to help prioritize city services
by TaLeiza Calloway news@thenewsleaders.com Condition of city streets. Overall appearance of the city. Quality of services provided by the city. These are just a few examples of city concerns residents can comment on when taking an online survey of city services. The city is participating in the survey, which is offered by the League of Minnesota Cities. The survey looks
Students attempt to walk across America with Walk-a-thon
by TaLeiza Calloway news@thenewsleaders.com Under a cloudy sky and sprinkling of rain, 750 students and 150 staff members of Kennedy Community School participated in a Walk-a-thon May 11. With the theme: Walk across America, the goal was to raise money for the school and see if walkers could actually log enough miles to go across the United States. They did
Take time to notice kids’ goodness
That song, “Kids,” from the musical comedy “Bye Bye Birdie” keeps popping up in my mind. “Kids, I don’t know what’s wrong with these kids today. Kids, who can understand anything they say? Kids, they are disobedient, disrespectful oafs. Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy loafers . . . That song is wrong. It says more about jaded adults than it does
Celebration of icon comes a little too late
King of Pop. The greatest entertainer who ever lived. Inventor of the Moonwalk. These are just three of the many titles given to the late Michael Jackson. He was an amazing singer, performer and one of the most giving philanthropists this world has seen. His death was a loss not only for the music industry but the world. Before I
Spring products abound at ‘Market Monday’
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com “Market Monday,” which opened the growing season in Sartell May 14, offered an abundance of springtime produce and many hand-crafted items. Market Monday debuted in Sartell last spring and, like last year, the hours are from 3-6:30 p.m. every Monday, including Memorial Day and Labor Day. May 14 was warm and sunny as visitors to the