Jeers to those members of the Frazee-Vergas School Board that rushed through a three-year contract extension for Superintendent Deron Stender July 12.
And shame on Stender for allowing it.
There was no need to hurry with the superintendent's contract, since the current contract does not expire for more than a year.
Board members Rich Ziegler and Steve Jepson should have been given the time they needed to read the proposed contract.
Instead, their legitimate request to slow down the process was steamrollered by the board majority.
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And the bitter animosity among board members, apparent favoritism, lack of free-flowing information, and hostility towards teachers by some on the board are all signs of serious dysfunction.
For this, too, Stender must be held accountable: A good administrator remembers that he serves all board members equally, and takes direction only from the board as a whole -- not individual members.
Hopefully, the upcoming elections will help improve the situation in the Frazee-Vergas School District.
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Cheers to the Detroit Lakes Jaycees for all the work they do to organize the wonderful Northwest Water Carnival every year.
From the grand parade to the water fights to the bed races, and all the events in between, Jaycees members worked hard to make them happen.
Detroit Lakes wouldn't be the town it is without them.
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Jeers to Hubbard County commissioners, who recently got carried away with jokes at the expense of a pregnant county employee.
According to an editorial in the Park Rapids Enterprise, the commissioners acted like good old boys at the July 7 Hubbard County Board meeting.
The meeting deteriorated when Assistant County Attorney Erika Randall announced she would be taking maternity leave in November.
That prompted guffaws of mock disbelief at the obviously pregnant woman: "How'd that happen?"
"They say you get pregnant when you use your spouse's toothbrush," said one commissioner who should have known better.
"Have you used his toothbrush?"
"No comment," Randall replied, obviously trying to keep her cool.
"Is this gonna happen often?" queried the county coordinator.
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It went on and on.
The board sometimes engages in tasteless jokes and bad humor. But this went much farther.
Randall, to her credit, exhibited class when faced with this barrage of lowbrow comments.
She tried to steer the conversation back to where it started - the necessity for the county to hire a third full-time prosecutor.
Every commissioner shares in the blame, whether he voiced a comment or not. Not a single man stepped in to say, "knock it off" or to stop the laughter.
It's conversations like this that undermine the good works the board does and give it a reputation it may not deserve.
So next time an ill-conceived bit of humor spontaneously arises, zip it.
Because good old boys can get counties in trouble when they make thoughtless remarks.
