Opinion

First off, dear readers, thank you for your love of the great outdoors, your readership, and your correspondences with me. It’s been a long relationship that I’ve so enjoyed for so many years. I’m blessed.

Coffee by my side, I sit on the dock, overlooking North Arm Bay of Lake Minnetonka. It is 6:02 a.m. Everyone who writes about these sorts of times describes it as quiet and peaceful. They deliberately ignore the Hitchcockian quantities of birds hellbent on their morning song. It’s loud out here. A family of geese paddle somewhere slowly, honking. A loon calls someone, maybe his mother. I face east which means the sunrise is directly in front of me, just above the horizon. Sunrises are a bit like the Minnesota Vikings, best enjoyed with a gaze that I’ll call indirect. I do not wish to be the guy wearing sunglasses at six a.m., but I suppose we all have a cross to bear.

Question: I really liked your recent article about the dangers of putting your feet up on the dash while driving and air bags. With the way vehicles are changing, can you talk about the other air bags, like side curtains and such? Thank you.

Watching male common nighthawks perform their aerial courtship displays near my home recently, reminded me of the summers that I conducted my undergraduate and graduate wildlife research work on the Great Plains of North Dakota. I was constantly observing nighthawks throughout the expansive grasslands and prairie pothole landscape.

Greetings from Crookston Public Schools! Every year we work to improve how we serve students as we continue our commitment to excellence. Excellence is a journey and we know that it takes a lot of work and dedication.

Question: It seems there are far too many wrong way drivers. On 4-lane and 2 lane roadways, what should drivers do if they encounter a wrong-way driver? Answer: Great question as this is a very dangerous situation.

Summer is a time for kids to kick back, take a break from routine, and enjoy lazy days. It also, in many cases, is when learning loss- aka “The Summer Slide” can take place. Summer setbacks are nothing new regarding academics and the phenomenon has been researched by educators since the beginning of time. On average, student achievement can decline over the summer by up to a third of a prior year’s learning gains. Loss is usually greater in mathematics than reading, and higher grade leveled students are more noticeably affected than younger learners. The summer slide can be measured in both social skills and classroom discipline, in addition to academics.