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Community Voices

A stronger city through community generosity

Per Minnesota Statutes, cities can accept gifts of property, including money or land, and use them if they follow the donor’s terms. A city can accept donations “for the benefit of its citizens,” suggesting that accepting donations, like making donations, must be done for a public purpose. A resolution accepting the gift and the donor’s terms must receive an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the council and fully state the donor’s terms. Each year the city of Marshall is fortunate enough to partner with many organizations-both public and private who help ...

Purrington finds a home for displaying art

Last January the Independent reported on the Marshall City Council voting to approve a lease agreement with Marshall Area Fine Arts Council for the use of vacant office space on the second floor of City Hall. The agreement also allowed for MAFAC to use the common area outside the office for ...

Inviting readers, community to be a part of SMSU strategic planning

Southwest Minnesota State University and the City of Marshall have shared a special relationship since the university’s founding. Marshall is the birthplace and home of SMSU, and the university’s history, growth, and future are closely connected to the community that has supported us along the way. As we begin developing our next strategic plan, we recognize that our future is not something SMSU will shape alone. It is something we must build together. We are beginning an important conversation about the future of SMSU, including our mission, vision, values, and strategic ...

A scary season

We’re afflicted with oodles of scariness and creepiness at this time of year. And I’m not just talking about Halloween; Election Day is also looming in the gloom. It’s bizarre that these bizarre things occur at roughly the same time. But I’m OK with that. Let’s get all the frightening stuff out of the way and be done with it. Kids dressed up as superheroes such as Batman or Spider-Man or Taylor Swift are honest when they ring your doorbell and chant “Trick or treat!” Adults who are running for elected office are basically saying the same thing except that they often ...

Political donations should be limited to a thousand per person

When I think about the idea of free and fair elections, my thoughts sometimes turn to my first few days as a Marshall High School freshman. As part of organizing a student council, every homeroom elected a representative. This took place as students from Marshall Middle School, Holy Redeemer, Samuel Lutheran and Lynd were integrating into a freshman class. Even though we came from different schools, many of us knew each other because of church, Scouts, 4-H, community education programs and our neighborhoods. We knew enough about each other to form opinions about who would be a good ...

More than a phone policy: Preparing students for success

One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a school district is preparing students not only for graduation, but for life beyond our classrooms. That means helping students develop academic knowledge, strong character, healthy relationships, and the self-regulation skills they will need to succeed in college, careers, and their communities. This year, Marshall High School took an important step toward that goal by implementing a bell-to-bell personal electronic device policy, which includes cell phones, air pods/ear pods, smart watches, and personal computers. To support the ...