Morris seems on the sleepy end again

Here we go again, with cause to wonder why Morris has trouble "cutting it" with certain things. So over the weekend with holiday spirit building at least in theory, we learned about a very thoughtful church in Herman offering a community Thanksgiving meal. Is Herman close enough for this to be considered a real option? 

Many might say so. Others would find it a burden. And it might be a burden just because of the aftermath of the recent harsh weather. Some ice on the highway perhaps. I certainly was not up for it. But we're dependent on Herman for this service and so that's the issue, or it ought to be. 

I noticed someone on the "Anonymous" Facebook site floating the question of whether there was a "community Thanksgiving meal." A lot of people really appreciate this. I live alone and it is not practical to do meal prep at home, I mean to get the basic ingredients at the store. And y'all know what's happening with the price of groceries now. 

The obvious question I'm posing here is, why can't a community meal be offered in Morris? Why can't one of our several churches get fired up enough to do this? This in a community of 5000 people. 

The churches by and large get fired up with encouraging people to push "conservative" political beliefs and to vote for the right people. You know the "right people" I'm referring to. And the list might not even include Congressperson Michelle Fischbach because some people will prefer the hardcore righty Steve Boyd. This is who we have become now. 

The churches that have tried to avoid this political trend - First Lutheran and Federated for example - have been thrown on the ropes. It's an "existential" dilemma, to use the newly popularized term. Man, when I was in college, "existential" was out there with the most obscure "50 cent words." Same with "kerfuffle." Usually this changes when a well-known person chooses to drop the word a few times. 

With "kerfuffle" it was Chris Matthews. Not sure who primarily got "existential" in front of us. 

But First Lutheran and Federated of Morris have gone into this bizarre new "pairing." People would have fainted if you had told them 50 years ago about this. First Lutheran was such a mainstream institution, it could support two services on Sunday. When the decline began setting in, I just knew it would get worse. Then sure enough, step by step the decline got exacerbated. 

Hey! There's another word that was once confined to the academic stuffed shirts: "exacerbated." Perhaps the Internet has been responsible for our vocabulary expanding. 

First Lutheran has been offering a Christmas Day meal to the public. Shall I assume it's on again? Perhaps I should stay away because I am not a church member anymore. The pairing with Federated is strange because neither building is set to close, to my knowledge. The two churches will retain their names, their identities. Two separate mailing lists. 

Normally I would have expected more controversy. Because, well we're talking about church, pilgrims! Church is all about opinion formation. And then throw in a few personality conflicts. Oh, the stories ministers could tell if they opened up about things. 

For example, the old guy at my former First Lutheran Church who went to the pastor and insisted that the American flag be displayed at the front of the sanctuary, and he was not going to take "no" for an answer! I talked with the guy about that. I said the flag may deserve reverence but that it was separate from church and the faith. Of course he was unyielding, prone to emotions! "Men died for that flag!" 

Well then how do you explain conservative judicial hero Samuel Alito flying the flag upside down at his residence? Of course this was a protest message after the 2020 election. Hey, "men died for that flag." 

I was once warned back when I was with the Morris newspaper, that I'd "get in trouble" if I published a photo I took of a kid wearing a cute little hat on Memorial Day, a hat made of images of the U.S. flag. Oh my, I could "get in trouble." And then Justice Alito goes and flies the flag upside down. Mercy. 

 

The void 

No one in Morris had the inspiration to try to plan a community Thanksgiving dinner. Del Sarlette and I have always had the idea that Morris should have an "apathy festival." 

Oh but the situation has improved here from past times. I remember back in the 1980s that Wheaton had the undisputed reputation of having the really big county fair out here. We in Morris sat back and allowed this for a long time. And if I were to start asking questions about this, I'd be attacked. 

The peak of this phenomenon came when shortcomings in our Morris public school system finally could not be ignored anymore. People finally realized that it was time to rise up, be confrontational, even at the risk of hurting their own family and business interests. And some people definitely got hurt. 

I had been through several years of observing from my newspaper position how the very small schools in our region were out-performing Morris in extracurricular. I thought it was grounds for some embarrassment. And why should I care so much? I had no children in school. I deserved some credit for trying to point things out. Of course the opposite happened. I was the target for ridicule, often with a biting personal edge. 

Sometimes I'd be tempted to think: Why don't you come at me with some actual facts? The teachers union here, or at least a "rabid" faction of it, did tremendous harm. Obstructionist, political. It reminded me of the corruption in the movie "Walking Tall." It was as if only certain entitled people even had the right to express their views. 

Perhaps I was just seen as the wrong spokesman, the wrong messenger. And hey, "I knew too much." 

There was a problem element of public school teachers who actually fought the development of the sport of hockey. There is a truism at play here: People who work for the government fear change more than anything else. Sheer change. 

We in Morris have recently seen the rapid deterioration of the U of M-Morris. Finally it took people in "the press" - MY people - to come to the fore and say "the emperor has no clothes." "Houston, we have a problem." The article in the Star Tribune was the turning point. But is it too late? 

Morris develops these concerning issues and then the wheels turn so cotton pickin' slowly for corrective change. Can First Lutheran Church be saved in any form? Can Federated? Won't they have to come up with a new combined name? Consolidate into one building? Save the money of having two buildings? Would that be a bridge too far for some people? 

Can more Christians retreat from all this conservative Republican political support? Have more of a big tent? Don't worry, Kamala Harris is not going to hurt you. She might even let you keep your Obamacare subsidies and SNAP payments. 

If we lose these things, well then good luck as you desperately try to fill the gap. In the meantime, Steve Boyd will continue telling us that "life begins at conception."

   

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

A Thanksgiving greeting goes far

Nice to get a "happy Thanksgiving" greeting from my Bonanza Valley newspaper friend Randy Olson. He is quite the community press practitioner. Has high ideals and standards, as with his belief that a newspaper's website should be dynamic. 

Is this counter-intuitive? I mean, to believe that a dynamic newspaper website is not in conflict with wanting to sell lots of your paper "newspapers?" Well, Randy certainly thinks not. I think we'd all agree that the Morris newspaper is rather the opposite with their approach. There was more interesting stuff on the website when the paper was owned by Forum Communications. And I really hate to give the Forum credit. 

Local sports fans, if their brains are programmed like mine - an assumption I'm not willing to make - should want online-based reporting on the MACA Tigers that is reasonably timely. Oh my it does not have to be flawless. The paper has a person who specializes in sports, this Sam fellow. I wish he'd sit down once or twice a week and just "riff" on sports happenings and then click on :publish" for the website. 

Sue Dieter when she managed the paper for the Forum had real aspirations for the website. 

Randy did not contact me to just share a holiday greeting. I appreciated the greeting since at this stage of my life I'm alone. We hear how everyone eats so much on Thanksgiving. Well, I had two bacon bagels at Caribou Coffee in the morning and this got me through the whole day. I did drink a bottle of Glucerna in the evening. 

Glucerna is recommended for diabetics. But I'll have you know the news is good for me: I am now "pre-diabetic" according to the recent blood test. I am not a diabetic per se. And for what it's worth, I feel totally fine. 

We must thank God for every day when we feel totally fine. We are sort of marking time in America now with Donald Trump still in office and commanding our attention every day. He often spews language and invective that should cause all of us to hang our heads. For some reason we put up with it. Active "Christians" may be starting to feel ashamed that they had so much to do with Trump's rise to power. 

Two terms as president. Dragging down our culture with disgusting behavior. Using holidays as occasions to attack his perceived adversaries. I guess I'm part of the "radical left." I'm one of the "radical left lunatics." I choose not to go along with our congressperson Michelle Fischbach who is absolutely joined at the hip with Trump and his minions. Democrats are evil. Maybe it's nice to have such a simple world view. It reduces stress? 

We are headed for another interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve which is feeling enormous pressure from Trump. He'll attack Fed board members personally. I learned long ago that the Fed is independent and that the proper order of things was to have the president not even comment on it. 

When will all this misbehavior catch up to the United States? Will another blast of inflation begin to cause real unease? I think there is unease now, especially in the major population centers. Of course the political right responds to that by just attacking the people in those population centers. Hey, the big cities are where the people are! They certainly aren't out here in western Minnesota. We continue to be somewhat isolated from the national angst. Lots of older people getting generous Social Security. That of course is an entitlement. Conservatives are supposed to be skeptical about government entitlements. 

 

UMN-Morris in focus 

Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley isn't just an exemplary newspaper person, he is very attuned to how UMN-Morris is doing. He won't hold back if he notices something disturbing. So he noticed the fan turnout figure for the UMM men's basketball win over "Martin Luther." Ahem, the turnout was 73! Game was played on Nov. 24 at the Gremmels Court. 

Let's feel happy about how the Cougars came on so strong in the second half. We trailed at halftime 46-34. But then presto, we outscored the foe 54-35 the rest of the way. Coach must have discussed some adjustments. 

I wrote for the Morris newspaper back when UMM was in the Northern Sun Conference and the bleachers were pulled out on both sides of the gym. The new norm is just one side. Some decorations are on the other side. (So we won't notice?) 

Fewer people are going to remember when bleachers were out on both sides. Fewer people remember when the place got "packed" at times like for the high school tournaments. Morris had games there. My, how convenient for Tiger families. Today we'll get a home game at the high school gym if we're seeded higher. After that the fans have to go out on the road. One or two more wins and we end up playing at Southwest Sate University. 

I remember when this arrangement was first announced. The distance I'm sure discourages lots of fans from attending the games. Times surely change. 

 

Transition 

We have a new chancellor at UMM who I expect will take a close look at everything. Might it cross his mind that we have "lost something" with our departure from the Northern Sun Conference? And, into this bottom-tier UMAC thing that gets little attention from top-tier media? I mean media like WDAY Radio out of Fargo. It's another Forum company. So I hate giving the Forum credit but WDAY has extensive commentary on college sports above the UMAC level. We are backwater. 

I often think how neat it would be if we could hear references to the UMM Cougars again on WDAY as they go over the Upper Midwest college sports scene. Wouldn't it be great of we were in there with Moorhead State et al.? There is no mystery about Moorhead State. We all know what the institution does. My goodness, with some of the UMM opponents now, it's almost scary to look up online what they do and what they stand for. You best not do it, really. But I do. I will share more on this in my future writing. 

Michael Rodriguez

In the meantime, I just hope this Rodriguez fellow is paying close attention too. Remember that we are part of the University of Minnesota which has great resources. And now there is a strong push to get UMM performing better, to attract more students. Hey let's go for 2000 again! Let's somehow get back in the Northern Sun Conference. Our Cougar Sports Center is truly top-notch, too good for hosting mere UMAC teams. So let's go for it! 

My Thanksgiving was totally uneventful but don't feel sorry for me. I have the rich memories of when my whole family was still alive. We'd get together with my uncle and aunt from Glenwood. 

God bless Caribou Coffee for being open on Thanksgiving morning! It's a lifesaver.

 

Addendum: So contrary to the holidaytime spirit: Trump's response to a female reporter's question, by saying "are you stupid?" And to think the nation's Christians were responsible for getting Trump elected twice. Trump is a crude abomination of a human being. I am glad that I have severed my membership in a Christian church.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Diane Keaton acted ashamed of this one

The passing of Diane Keaton brought one memory to mind. It was instant. And this was the movie "Looking For Mr. Goodbar." It was a "hot" movie at the time it was current. The east coast-based highbrow critics anointed certain movies as such. This was long before the "democratization" of media caused by the Internet. Mostly we sat back and accepted the judgment of the east coast folks. 

The people out in Flyoverland harbored skepticism I'm sure. But the judgments seemed too difficult to resist. So "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" became a gem in the eyes of the prime critics. Looking back I have to resent that. All a movie had to do was present "conflicted characters" and "moral ambiguity" and the highbrow crowd was most approving. 

So what's my problem with "Looking for Mr. Goodbar?" It's that it has the veneer of sophistication and depth while really being little more than titillating. I'd share the same assessment of Jane Fonda's "Klute" with Donald Sutherland. "Klute" came out a few years earlier. I paid to see both movies in the theater. Was I responding to the titillating aspect? I will confess "yes." 

Males had to jump through hoops to get access to pornography back then. A male actor from the "Golden Age of Porn" said the nature of the product then was "underground." I'll be very frank here: males including the adults - maybe especially the adults - could feel starved for sexually stimulating content. Are you offended by that? Well I won't back off because I am merely stating reality.  

Fonda posed in suggestive photos to promote "Klute." The movie pushed her fame forward. I believe this was after her "Hanoi Jane" phase. Well she sure became big-time. 

It is the definition of "quaint" to describe how young males found it to be a turn-on to watch "Klute" and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." Shall we admit that sex was the big selling point? But the powers-that-be in Hollywood would strongly avoid "selling" the movies as such. 

There had to be the pretense of art and depth. So let's present "conflicted" characters. Anyone can be made to look conflicted. Once this gets woven in, the "Oscar" hype can set in. Such was the case for both movies I'm writing about here. Hollywood can be thankful I paid to see both movies. 

Oh, but the sex as seen on the screen was so tame. I mean it's tame compared to what can be called up on the free Internet today. Some Republican politicians are fighting that, like the guy from Utah. Remains to be seen how successful they will be. Enjoy it while you can? Maybe that's the attitude. 

Once a young man consumes some of the new stuff - would be called "hardcore" in the old days - he is relaxed in knowing he isn't going to be "teased" (toyed with) anymore. Man, it's all right in front of him. 

And this gets to the point where a male gets "desensitized." The shock value is gone. The feeling of watching something "taboo" is completely gone. 

We used to hear the term "triple-X" along with "hardcore." In fact wasn't George C. Scott in a movie called "Hardcore?" All of this was discussed in restrained terms as if with a whisper. Forbidden stuff in the eyes of many. Young males would go to Hennepin Ave. in the Twin Cities to see "Deep Throat" and "Debbie Does Dallas." Wide-eyed of course. It was an "adventure." And they'd feel sexual arousal. 

The "sex" in "Klute" and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" was not very open or revealing, as I recall. A contemporary review of "Goodbar" used the term "fake sex." 

I became somewhat wide-eyed, because what else was there to satisfy one's, well, urges? We filled in some blanks with our imagination. 

Adolescent boys went to the Annette Funicello "beach" movies of the early '60s and developed an erection. Many of them were probably mystified. "What is this thing that is happening with my body?" And I assure you this could bring feelings of discomfort, even anxiety. And my goodness, it didn't help that the moms of the time would be horrified if they knew their sons were having sexual feelings. 

I'll point to another movie: "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise. Maybe the best movie to show the tragedy of the Vietnam war. But the subject here is sex. Crisis, as a lad in his teens experienced every boy's worst nightmare: Mom discovering a hidden-away "Playboy" magazine. I would argue that this type of thing inflicted real psychological harm. Am I a case study? Perhaps. This would make me a victim. 

I guess we were dealing with Victorian attitudes. 

Our fathers knew what was up. But they totally held back. Maybe they just assumed with a wry smile that the boys would turn out OK. In the meantime, hell had no fury like a mom "cleaning out her son's bedroom" and discovering a Playboy. I have read the old account of main street barbers having a Playboy tucked away for the pleasure of male customers when no women were around. 

My God, why all the stealth? Of course there must have been psychological reasons. It's just the way God created us. The inhibitions. The actual fear that boys could feel. The anxiety. 

I'm with those women who feel that porn has been totally liberating. 

In "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" we see Keaton "cruising the singles bars" to hook up with men, transitory of course, and then you-know-what. The critics told us it was a story about the excesses of the sexual revolution of the '70s. With a wink the critics were telling us this was a deep movie with a message about cultural change. Well I think the producers knew full well that people would come to the theaters because of the titillating aspect. Same with "Klute." 

Diane Keaton

So these movies had the blessing of the east coast intelligentsia. So then why did Diane Keaton want to distance herself from "Goodbar" in later years? I nodded my head when reading about that. She's really just a dreadful whore in the movie. And just because Fonda as "Bree Daniels" presented herself as a "high-priced call girl" doesn't mean her character wasn't also a dreadful whore. There was absolutely no example to be set by the characters played by Keaton and Fonda. 

Strip away the Hollywood pretension, a pretension required for marketing, and these were soft-core porn flicks, actually rather poor soft-core porn flicks. Sadly, for the young male population of the time, the movies were turn-ons. The young men just had to add their own imagination to "fill in the blanks." 

Today? Oh my Lord. A simple Internet connection is all you need to surf for the explicit stuff in the privacy of your home. Oh it is absolutely endless. Certain politicians disapprove. But I must say, males get "desensitized" and I think this is healthy for them. Hey, they are more likely to appreciate women as real people! I can't think of anything that would make "women's libbers" happier. The libbers can move on to other areas of grievance which I'm sure they'll find. 

 

Less-enlightened 

Hollywood had a way of treating prostitutes in a light way in the 1970s. An example: "The Poseidon Adventure." Remember Ernest Borgnine's squeeze? Another example: "Harry and Tonto." Remember the woman saying to Art Carney, "When was the last time you 'made it' with someone?" 

Any level of prostitution can be described with just one word: bad. It is dangerous. We were more naive in the 1970s. 

Well we lost the actress Diane Keaton recently. Talented, yes. And I can't blame her for not wanting to put forward "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" as in the forefront of her career.

 

A commenter on Reddit: "Plus it doesn’t seem like Keaton wants any involvement with this film."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Mylie Fehr scores 14 in season opener

High school hoops is underway just as we all are finishing plans for Thanksgiving weekend. The weather has stayed pretty mild. I plan to again use my standard walking route which includes a good portion of the biking/walking trail. Big doings out along the trail recently. Heavy equipment is out there to widen the open space along both sides of the trail. The nature-y feel is being reduced. Whole trees are coming down. 

The possible reason for all this? Safety? Will the new arrangement give people a better view for spotting wildlife that might not be entirely friendly to them? I can't think of any other reason. Well, it won't be quite the same, that's for sure. 

On to basketball: here we see that the MACA girls got going on a new campaign Friday night. We all knew it'd be tough: the opponent was New London-Spicer. NL-Spicer has been a top-tier team for as long as we can remember. I wasn't betting on Morris doing particularly well. We lost by 22 points and I actually thought it could have been worse. So let's anticipate some success down the 2025-26 road. 

Things were sure worse for Lac qui Parle Valley which was taken to the woodshed by those Lakers of Minnewaska Area. Minnewaska cannot pass a school referendum but they sure dominate in girls hoops. They did likewise in volleyball. 

What's the problem with referendums? Well I have had my theories. The State of Minnesota today would not even allow the school to be built as it is, as a "cornfield high school." The state put its foot down after the 'Waska and Lac qui Parle schools were built. They were built in the oddball way they were, because of such intense fear of the parochial emotions from the communities - common (and sad) in those days. The 'Waska school could not be built one foot closer to Glenwood than to Starbuck, and some people were ready to get out their rulers. 

I worked in the community press in those days and I could see the emotions at work. I remember the "Cyrus task force." It chose Hancock. Then the move got roundly stomped on and rejected. Hoo boy, what a faulty system. The state just needed to step in, assert itself and say "this is how it will be, accept it." 

Oh, here's the score of the 'Waska versus Lac qui Parle girls hoops game Friday: 90-27! Sort of the lions eating Christians. 

There is a miracle on this Saturday morning: The West Central Tribune article on the Tigers' opener actually includes some Morris names! Eureka! I could have done a double-take. Almost always the West Central Trib has "stats not available" for our Motown. Time after time I write with chagrin about this. I wonder if the Nl-Spicer coach supplied the Morris info to the WC Trib last night. Whatever, let's appreciate. 

The Tigers fell to the Wildcats 72-50. the halftime score was 40-27. I can report that Mylie Fehr led us in scoring with 14 points. I'm very pleased to report that my neighbor Addie Cihak was next-best with 13. The trio of scoring leaders is rounded out by Samantha Konz, 12 points. The trio was complemented by: Leah Berlinger 5, Ryla Koehler 4 and Olivia Huebner 2. 

The WC Trib further reports that Konz made two three-pointers and Berliner one. Wow, this is a wealth of information compared to what the WC Trib normally gives us. 

The  paper reports in more detail about the Wildcats. The big gun in scoring for the visitor was Taylor Munsch with 30 points. Ezri Boelter and Paycen Rutgers each scored eleven. Let's complete the list: Ayla Caskey 6, Katelyn Delzer 4, Roxanne Klein 4, Korbin Tanner 3, Kyla Vick 2 and Addi Peltier 1. 

Munsch was a crowd-pleaser from 3-point range with six makes at our Tiger Center. Rutgers made three long-rangers, Boelter two and Caskey one. 

Tanner was a huge presence on the boards with her 14 rebounds. Klein followed with eight. Here's the assists story: Caskey 6, Tanner 4, Munsch 3 and Rutgers 3. 

Rutgers was tops in steals with eight followed by Munsch 5 and Caskey 3. And in blocks we see Tanner as the top force with four. Klein and Caskey had two each while Munsch and Rutgers each had one. 

The Minnewaska effort over LQPV was led by Lauryn Ankeny with 29 points and ten steals. The Lakers led the Eagles 61-12 at halftime. Last year's Lakers led MACA 58-4 at halftime. I frankly think that after a game like that, the athletic director for MACA needs to call the coach into his office for a constructive discussion. It does not need to be unpleasant. 

 

What could have been 

I have long thought that a high school should be located on the outskirts of Glenwood. If Hancock can support its own high school, no reason that Glenwood could not also. I think it's hard to "sell" a referendum when the school is not directly tied to either Glenwood or Starbuck. Glenwood and Starbuck are located just a little too far apart IMHO. 

Is there still a strong sense of rivalry between Starbuck and Glenwood? Or has that become an antiquated way of thinking? I hope the latter is true. But the school was built with the idea of appeasing both towns. Appeasing? That's political. It is not inspiring. 

When you leave the Lac qui Parle school at night, the atmosphere is so desolate! Almost foreboding. There is a political reason for why the school is called Lac qui Parle "Valley." There's no valley over there. I will share the story again sometime. 

Dawson almost got sucked in to the LQPV school. Dawson ended up thankful they did not.

   

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Rodriguez begins introducing himself here

Mike Rodriguez

UMN-Morris would be relieved to have some "quiet" now. An event of last night (Monday) showed that calm can prevail. A student government meeting was held at Turtle Mountain Cafe. I'm not sure that's even still the name of the place. Does "UMM" still have currency for referring to the institution? "UMN-Morris" has come along. I remember the days before Oyate existed. 

The Monday night event was not known to many outside of student government. I did my good deed of giving a heads-up to friend and fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson. So Mr. Anderson showed up. He and I appreciated the opportunity to meet the soon-to-be UMM chancellor. 

UMM's recent turbulence has included this "shakeup" in leadership. "Shakeup" is the right word. I was not present for U President Cunningham's recent appearance at UMM. I did read about that in the Morris newspaper. There was some tension during Cunningham's appearance because someone tried to "corner" her on whether the outgoing chancellor had been "asked to resign." 

Well the answer was not "no." Therefore I presume the answer to be "yes." The line of questioning suggests some contentiousness. It can't be pleasant to discuss that. 

Of course this was such an abrupt change in UMM's leadership. And - ahem - it came soon after the, well, sensational article in the Star Tribune that might have been seen as suggesting a 5-alarm fire for our campus. And I'm sure the article wasn't just embarrassing for here, it had to be just as embarrassing for the Twin Cities-based U leaders. What happens at a coordinate campus reflects on top leadership. So Cunningham took action. 

And now at the forefront of UMM we have Mike Rodriguez. Rodriguez was a guest for the Monday evening student government gathering at TMC. I was struck by how overwhelmingly pleasant the atmosphere was throughout. The name of the outgoing chancellor was not even mentioned. 

I couldn't help but think that the outgoing person would have support or sympathy simply because she is a woman! Stepping aside for a man now! Well, maybe the local feminists are not so rock-ribbed anymore. The most assertive feminists or "women's libbers" have always unsettled me. 

No one cornered Rodriguez on whether he's here as the result of a firing or any particular hot-button issue. The attendees were not just students, they were the student government type. Such kids can get a little carried away with the contentious stuff. Oh don't act surprised by that! In fact I can remember decades ago when I'd grab a copy of the UMM student newspaper and feel rather disgusted at the letters to the editor full of vitriol between students on matters of student government. Really, it made me ask if student government is more trouble than it's worth. 

UMM's leaders might say that student government is a "lab" in government experience. Well if it is, I wish the kids could be guided toward a little more temperate demeanor. You might say bridge-building instead of bridge-bombing. 

I can be effusive here with positiveness and say that the students at the meeting were totally pleasant, a joy to be around. They also reflected UMM's diversity and I thought that was wonderful. 

Rebecca Cunningham

The closest Rodriguez came to explaining the transition in leadership was to say "I serve at the pleasure of the president." In other words, I got tasked to do this and let's not allude to any uncomfortable circumstances. We can assume that Rodriguez is going to deal with some unpleasant issues. Isn't that the nature of school administration in the public sector? You are serving the public but how exactly is this to be mapped out? You can't make everyone happy. 

I found it refreshing that Rodriguez did not seek to be flamboyant with talk about the "liberal arts" and all its virtue. UMM people have been rather wont to do that. Go ahead and respect the liberal arts but we don't need flowery (or I might suggest pretentious) speeches. Isn't it a fact that the liberal arts are a tougher sell now anyway? I believe my friends at the Star Tribune had an article on this just recently. 

As a matter of principle the liberal arts are peachy-keen. But in the age of the Internet, people can be self-starters doing all the exploring they want to gain fulfillment. I personally do. 

So whither UMM's future if the liberal arts are not quite the slam-dunk they used to be? Well, I expect this will be an important challenge for Rodriguez. 

How would I size up Rodriguez's disposition? I mean this totally positively when I say he came across as a very capable "technocrat." I think this is just what UMM needs. So I could not have been more impressed by the guy. 

And let me repeat, I could not have been more positively impressed by the students too. These were student government kids and they were all dispassionate/friendly. I might have expected them to push Rodriguez on what kind of "shakeup" might be in store for the institution. Some suspicions might have been vented. Anyone with chip on shoulder? No, there wasn't! This was an exemplary student government group. 

 

Hello sir! 

Warrenn Anderson and yours truly spoke briefly with the new guy afterward. So of course I was happy to tell him about my family background. Morris people will tell you I have no "creds" of my own in connection to UMM. But I have to be proud in pointing out that my late father started the music program here. Dad was the only music faculty in UMM's first year of 1960-61. 

Family legend is that he did more than his contract called for. (Don't tell the union.) 

I told Rodriguez I was concerned about how, starting about a year ago, UMM music groups have come to be a combination of students and community. I told him that has been a letdown for me. 

He'll be glad to know about the family fund named for Ralph and Martha Williams. I did not mention the fund to him. He said during his presentation that private giving was important to him. The purpose of the fund is to keep the memory of my parents alive on campus. Mom managed the campus post office. She was "famous" for walking with a brisk gait across campus. 

So the fund's purpose is to remind of my parents, whereas my only role has been to sign the checks! Mom lived long enough that I brought her to campus once for a formality in connection to the fund. I think the officials wanted me to state in front of her just how much money was involved. I didn't quite cross the line to do that but I explained to her the purpose of what we were doing. 

I think she would have been OK with the amount although she and Dad were both frugal by nature. Just consider the times when they grew up. 

We got through the formalities and launched the fund. That was when Bill Robb was still alive. Our "go-to" person since is Erin Christensen. What a mainstay she has become. If communication ever breaks down at any level, just go to Erin! 

I made a trip to the Twin Cities campus one year for the Heritage Society banquet. This was at the McNamara Center. It blew my mind to be treated as a VIP because this is not my lot in life! There I was wearing a white suit coat no less! I mingled outside the building among the typical-looking college students. There I was, the donor with the white hair and white suit coat! It was really neat. Although I must say that driving through Minneapolis at 5 p.m. on a weekday was no joy! 

We'll see what develops now with Mike Rodriguez. He'll probably have some difficult things to do. Good luck.

Oh and he shared about how he was in concert choir in his UMM days! Maybe we can get music on the front-burner? The humanities?

Dad with the UMM band in the first year of the school, 1960-61. He obtained the uniforms as hand-me-downs from the Twin Cities campus. Concerts were at Edson Auditorium.
  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Advisory about coyotes from Breckenridge

Caution advised

Well, this caught my attention: "Wilkin County authorities are warning residents to watch for coyotes after multiple sightings." At first I thought: Is there really any novelty to this? Don't we in Morris hear coyotes outside of town in the evening? 

When I was with the newspaper I'd cover the annual "predator hunt." I didn't actually go out with the guys but I'd visit their gathering at the end of the day. The newspaper got complaints after a photo I took one year. It showed dead wolves or coyotes on the floor. 

The hunters met at a garage type of place. I remember the year that the baked beans got burned! We all make mistakes. 

A letter to the editor voiced a complaint. I will not say the letter was completely out of bounds. I can understand why children might be disturbed at the sight of these dead animals which can look like standard dogs. I have probably heard coyotes out north of where I live and thought they were regular dogs. Kicking up a fuss about something. Actually I live right down the road from actual dog kennels. But no, coyotes/wolves are quite different from "man's best friend." 

Wilkin County: that's not far from here. If authorities there feel they have to issue a warning, it might well be pertinent for us. 

I remember discussing the book and movie "Into the Wild" with Liz Morrison. A point she made that I have not forgotten is: "We tend to romanticize the wilderness when in fact the wilderness is a dangerous place." 

So correct. And so many people underestimate the dangers of water. Look what happened to the former pastor of Faith Lutheran Church on Lake Superior a couple years ago. He was enjoying some ice skating. We lost Pastor Greg Garmer, RIP. Bodies of water of all kinds are to be respected. I feel it's just best to stay off them. I would advise not snowmobiling on them! One mistake and your life will end. And what a terrible way to go. 

A couple years ago I emailed an attorney friend about whether the City of Morris would have liability if someone were to be attacked by an animal out along the biking/walking trail. He responded no, that the city is protected by "government sovereignty." 

The surroundings are sure wild along the trail. And recently the city sent its mower equipment to create a wider open area along the trail. Perhaps they got a complaint from someone who was startled by a deer bounding out in front of them. One complaint would probably do it. But if you're so jittery about wildlife, maybe stay away from the trail. 

A couple years ago there were skunks along the north end including the young ones. I observed a couple of the young ones playing with each other: cute. And skunks themselves might seem cute and agreeable - like cats really - if it were not for the one big issue we associate with them. "Pepe LePew!" 

The trail is right by the Pomme de Terre River. It is bound to be a magnet for wildlife. My former pastor at First Lutheran Church likes to take nature walks. I put him on to Niemackl Park near Herman. And he has told me he has seen coyotes from the biking/walking trail east of Morris. 

Taylor Mitchell

Well, I had read about the Canadian country music singer who was attacked and killed by coyotes in Canada. I read that the coyotes were actually part wolves. They had become deprived of a normal food source. Well I can imagine that could happen anywhere in the delicate ecosystem. The singer's name was Taylor Mitchell.  

If coyote attacks cannot be ruled out, well it has to be worrisome. And now we have the official advisory out of Breckenridge about coyotes. If it can happen there, we must be mindful. The news report on "Valley News Live" stated "the coyotes are reportedly approaching people and pets." 

Pets: I remember photographing the eagle that had its nest along the shore of Lake Crystal. Magnificent bird of course but you wouldn't dare leave a small pet outside. 

Liz Morrison said we can romanticize the outdoors too much. Well it certainly didn't help that Walt Disney gave us "anthropomorphic characters" out of the wild. Totally charmed us like with the "sea otter." Playful little creature, right? In reality, be careful about ever "taking a dip" in a wild setting. I have seen news reports of people getting severely bit by otters. Walt Disney gave us an otter creature that had a name! So deceptive. 

Don't you think that if you noticed some coyotes east of Morris by the bike trail, you'd be nervous now? Maybe your heart would skip a beat? I have wondered if people get heart attacks when "flushing" a pheasant within a few feet. My it's a ruckus. We can't even rule out coming upon a bear. Odds are very low but we can't rule it out. But the city has "government sovereignty" to protect itself. 

I live in a semi-rural place. We get endless reminders about the natural world and how it can encroach. 

You know, the last two winters have been essentially snowless and we had a very wet summer, so I would think that wildlife is really multiplying. I had a woodpecker on side of house recently. So I dove into YouTube and found I'm hardly alone with such a thing. That's a great thing about YouTube: if you think you're alone having a certain type of problem, you are corrected immediately. I picked up some tips about woodpeckers. 

Remember the anthropomorphic character "Woody Woodpecker?" I employed two or three of the tips so now maybe it's problem solved. We on Northridge Drive get a fox darting through our backyards sometimes. Just once have I seen a fox lying down for a few moments in the yard. 

The person who complained about the "dead animals" photo in the Morris paper was Ken Hodgson, bless him. There are two sides on that. On the one hand, predator hunts are really called for. But I can understand how kids seeing the photo might be disturbed. 

I enjoyed the complimentary baked beans. I remember Keith Kirwin with his all-white outfit which is standard for predator hunters in winter.

I miss the days when I made the rounds taking photos. All that was suddenly taken away from me. I was told suddenly (in effect) that my sports section was a disgrace. And I was immediately made into a pariah in the workplace, a "toxic workplace" as they say. That whole experience bothers me to this day. 

At least I was working hard. That brought no guarantee of respect. Many people leave their jobs under duress. While it's common I'm sure, our nature is to not talk about it much. The late commentator Ed Schultz understood that. He said that being a commentator on TV was "all about pacing." Did you know he played quarterback for Moorhead State?

I'm sure Ken Hodgson is watching developments at UMM closely now. He once directed the choir when music was in its salad days. Right now it appears the sharks are circling for UMM. We're just waiting on the details. An excruciating wait.

A friend told me that life will go on at UMM but with fewer fields of study. But that would only mean fewer students, right? 

 

Taylor Mitchell died at the age of 19 of injuries and blood loss after two eastern coyotes (coywolves) mauled her while she was walking along Cape Briton Highlands National Park's Skyline Trail.

 

= Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Banner volleyball season for the Jaguars

Wow! Look at how the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa volleyball team performed through the section tournament. The Jaguars or "Jags" are a Class A team. Such high-flying performances keep my old newspaper friend Randy Olson busy over there. But it's a joy I'm sure. Randy had the pleasure of following the Jags' perfect performance over the Section 6A affair. 

Nothing but wins. Not only that, nothing but wins by sweep! Yes, a succession of 3-0 outcomes. The first two of these matches were played at BBE. The Jags swept Pelican Rapids 3-0 on Oct. 22. Success continued with the 3-0 outcomes against Park Christian, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy and Parkers Prairie. The last two of these matches were at Fergus Falls. 

   

Bring on state! 

Fans had to feel buoyed as the stage was set for state. First the task was to get past Clevelend. Well Cleveland MN of course! That job was accomplished 3-1 at Grand Casino Arena. 

It blows my mind that high-level high school sports events are being played at a place named for a casino. This fact might not surprise you a bit if you're considerably younger than me. I assure you that when my generation was young, gambling was taboo. It was sin! Times change and maybe it's for the better. I still have reservations about gambling. And I speak as someone who once took trips to Las Vegas. Well, keep it out in the desert. 

But today the activity has spread pretty far and wide. Normalized? Well maybe. Good luck y'all. No I don't mean that in the gambling context. 

Having dispatched Cleveland, the Jags then squared off against Mayer Lutheran. The Jags finally got turned back. The outcome was 1-3 but the BBE journey was not over. The match for third place awaited. And here the Jags took on Ada-Borup-West. 

Kacey Fischer

What an exclamation point to the season! Not only did BBE win, they were back at it with sweep success, 3-0. A triumphant trip home for the whole Bonanza Valley crowd, to be sure. The third place honor was quite to be savored. 

All three of the Jags' state matches were at the place named for the casino.  Hey kids think twice before gambling yourselves! When I was in my 20s, newspapers were on thin ice if they even promoted a raffle! Randy might be too young to remember that. 

BBE finishes its season with the stellar record of 26-7. The Jags were 7-0 in section, 7-0 conference, 6-1 away from home, 12-5 at neutral courts and 8-1 in front of the friendly home fans. 

The West Central Tribune reported that "the BBE volleyball team wrapped up its first state tournament appearance in three years with a win." That's rather odd wording. Two appearances in three years means the team is rather a mainstay. First in three years? People might talk about me in teasing terms if I wrote such a thing. 

Let's look at the scores from BBE's triumphant final match, the 3-0 sweep over Ada-Borup-West. Scores were 25-21, 25-18 and 25-14. 

Kamie Fischer

The cog in the setting department was Kamie Fischer who recorded 37 assists. In serving aces it was Macey Roering leading the way with four. Fischer supplied one as did McKenna Lieser and Josie Buckentine. 

We see a different Fischer, Kacey, leading the way in kills with 16. She was followed by Roering 11, Mya Worms 5, Kadynce Haider 5, Teagan Dingmann 4 and Kamie Fischer 3. The ace blocks story had Dingmann and Haider each with 1 1/2. Kamie Fischer and Worms each had one. 

Four Jags put in digging totals of note: Lieser 14, Roering 13, Kacey Fischer 11 and Makenna Roelike 9. 

The Class A state champion is Mayer Lutheran. They downed Russell-Tyler-Ruthton at the end. It was a sweep. 

The stat report for Ada-Borup-West - the "Cougars" - shows Malayna Syverson leading in kills with 16. Syverson was team-best in blocks too with 2 1/2 aces. Leighton led in digs with 14. Their top setter was Morgan Engel with 13 assists. Syverson sent two serving aces over the net. 

Now let's get ready for basketball! Be prepared to work hard again, Randy! I can relate.

 

- Brian Willliams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

So the Minnewaska referendum failed

A welcoming entrance

Will Minnewaska ever attempt another school referendum for extracting more money from the citizens? Is it true the lakcshore property owners would get socked? I heard that once but then I hear lots of things. Minnewaska is developing a losing track record for trying to get referendums through. Another one bit the dust last week. 

The "Minnewaska" school name might throw people outside of the area. They might say they are not familiar with any community being named Minnewaska. Would be a reasonable take by them. 

Just as the MACCRAY and BOLD school names can confound us, we have "Minnewaska" which is a lake rather than a town. 

Maybe it's harder for he citizenry to get fired up about a referendum for a school that does not directly represent a community. "Glenwood High School" would get the Glenwood people aroused more, I would presume. If you have hung around Glenwood, you'd get the impression that the place is easily viable enough to have its own K-12 school. I presume it would be on the outskirts of town as most new schools are. 

In my Morris we had the building right smack in the middle of town for so long. Starting in 1914 in fact. Seemed like a real big accomplishment when it got built. It turned into an erector set type of place as additions came along. We had the quite distinctive art deco auditorium. We were told it could not be preserved by itself. 

That piece of land has been transformed for other purposes. I like the new purposes. Older people attach lots of memories for when the place was the school hub. The auditorium doubled as a gym. And that's where the 1955 basketball team worked to the state tournament. That was in the old one-class system for basketball. Imagine Gene Hackman as "Coach Dale." 

Minnewaska is doing super at present in the girls sports of volleyball and basketball. I had the opportunity to blog about volleyball in the fall. I had a better opportunity to blog about Minnewaska than Morris, would you believe. The info is accessible online most of the time. It looks like the Morris coaches have gone along with letting the Morris newspaper have a monopoly. Problem with that is that the paper only comes out once a week. It was twice through all the years when I was involved there. 

Anyway it's a pleasure for yours truly to stay connected to Minnewaska Area. I'm assuming that girls hoops will be boffo this winter. We'll see about the boys. 

I attended the Minnewaska Showstoppers musical "Newsies" during summer. It was really a thrill to take that in. But in spite of all the neat stuff happening over there, they can't get a referendum through. Looks like it wasn't even close. 

Am I downbeat about that? Not at all. Maybe I have a subconscious skepticism about referendums because of my long-time bias against teachers or specifically the groups or cliques they form. They of course are unionized. A pox on teacher unions everywhere. 

We saw the Morris teachers become real troublemakers in the late 1980s. They were so unyielding. They didn't care if they plotted ruination of certain people and their businesses. So I guess if teachers are going to benefit in any way from a referendum passing, I'm thumbs-down. 

Are my feelings really subconscious on this? Maybe let's put it in different terms: it's conscious.

 

Receipts 

Oh I know I'm not isolated with such thoughts. And I can get totally specific: I remember a conversation I had with a Minnewaska school parent many years ago. This was right after a failed referendum. This individual worked at the Lowry printing plant for newspapers where I was involved as rep of the Morris paper. 

This employee told me she wanted to celebrate because of the referendum's failure. And why would she feel this way if she was a parent? She explained. She said the 'Waska teachers were known to be talking about how they looked forward to an anticipated enrollment drop. The presumed idea was that the teachers' job would be easier with fewer kids. 

You don't want to talk like this and have such feelings be known to the school parents. The parents want the school people to be thankful for each and every kid, period. 

"They (the teachers) should have been happy they had them," I remember her saying. 

 

Can't forget this 

Yes, some of my feelings about teachers are based on the struggles I had in school. The baby boomers found the school environment more harsh than the kids of today, I'm sure. We had irrelevant/arcane subject matter thrust on us. And then if we acted bored, teachers would assault us emotionally. As if we had issues of character. 

I strongly assert that once a kid has gained mastery of reading, writing and arithmetic, that kid is equipped to go out in the world and do all sorts of things. 

I was a "Cold War kid." Our national leaders pushed this idea that we had to "compete with the Soviet Union." We about went nuts seeing "Sputnik" in the sky. Why? Oh it got worse as we sent tens of thousands of young men to their deaths in Vietnam due to our insistence of "fighting communism." Is there anything more stupid from all of world history? 

And I'm sure the national government felt our public schools had to be seen as an extension of our national defense. But the government rationalized (or imagined) that so many things were part of our national defense. Eisenhower sold the Interstate highway system this way. Bureaucrats dug in and used the prevailing arguments to of course get more money. Because it always comes down to money and self-interest. 

The boomers "survived" school. The kids of today have it better or so I gather. Schools are supposed to lift up kids' self-esteem. Imagine encouraging basic happiness and sense of self-worth among kids. And toward this end I think extracurricular is very important. 

Morris went through excruciating pains in getting extracurricular improved back around 1990, after years of agony. The success came with a pricetag. There was oh so much conflict. Certain people got dug in on the regressive side by saying "academics comes first." And in a perverted way they were comfortable with seeing extracurricular held back. That attitude had to die. Then finally it did.

Teachers do not wield the clout they once did. But it was bad enough at one time, that to this very day I root against school referendums. I don't trust the system enough. 

 

Tale of two towns

Whither the relationship between Glenwood and Starbuck? If the school was in Glenwood then what of the Starbuck people? Well they could send their kids to Hancock if they wanted. I believe some have done that. 

Even Glenwood might not have it made, because parents there might want to send their kids to the fabulous new Alexandria school. But I think Glenwood ought to have a school on the outskirts of town. Complete with a football field. And I think a referendum would be an easier sell because the school would be a part of real civic pride. 

The way it is now, whether you live in Glenwood or Starbuck, the 'Waska school has an "out-of-town" feel to it. It's not a token jaunt. And it's necessary for motorized transportation to be used for everyone going to or coming from the place. That in itself I find discouraging. 

The Minnewaska school would not be created today. The legislature put its foot down many years ago and determined "no more cornfield high schools." Another mistake was made with the Lac qui Parle school - same as 'Waska. A school should be in a community to take advantage of established infrastructure. Also, to be in close proximity for people to visit.

 

Oh, Starbuck 

But what about Starbuck? Well first of all they should congratulate themselves on the influence they had for getting the school situated where it is. There has been a consensus that Starbuck had way out-sized influence. Someone I know said "it was the tail wagging the dog." So apt. 

Why? A good question to hash over. My friend and colleague the late Ron Lindquist was a Starbuck person who asserted himself. He ran the Starbuck paper after he left Morris. There is no Starbuck paper now. 

The recent referendum vote was not even close. That did not surprise me one bit. Minnewaska is a beautiful lake to behold as one exits the 'Waska school. But the lake does not produce kids, it is the towns that produce the kids. 

Will 'Waska ever attempt a referendum again? Maybe not, but you can bet there are scheming individuals at work trying to change the system so the schools can get $ without having to go through the voters. 

In conclusion: education is not part of the USA "national defense." The schools prepare kids for life. And toward this end they should have the kids' self-confidence and self-image lifted up, not battered down. 

I'm saying this as a boomer who grew up in the Cold War. I'm a casualty of the Cold War? Maybe. It became a hot war in Vietnam. And we lost the war.

Boomer kids got "grades" according to an onerous system. That situation has improved 100 percent. Congratulations. Our generation had parents who experienced the Depression and World War II. So maybe they felt suffering was just a natural part of life. 

The beautiful Minnewaska school csampus

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com