It’s been a rollercoaster of a week. First the ups with the ground breaking for the electrical lineworkers school.
Then the downs with the announcement that Ben Franklin would go out of business. The last thing we want to see is a huge, empty building in our town.
It is happening all over the country, with locally owned businesses unable to tread water until the economy recovers.

Baudette is one step closer to being a college town.  Can you believe it?
Last Thursday was the groundbreaking ceremony with M State – Wadena officials in attendance as well as our local movers and shakers. Minnesota Senator Dan Skogen, who represents Wadena, also attended the celebration.
Next Tuesday, July 27th, the bids will be opened and the contractor chosen to construct the building. There also will be an area outside where the students will learn to work on the electrical poles.

International Falls Journal

Minnesota’s unemployment rate is showing signs that the state is progressing toward economic recovery.
Locally, the news is also good, according to recent figures released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The DEED figures also look promising for the rest of the state: Minnesota's unemployment rate for May is 2.7 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 9.7 percent.

There is just nothing like it.
Baudette hosts the best July 4th celebration around, and this year we were treated to two days of activities.
The July 4th holiday brings many people home to the area. Just walking down Main Avenue can be a family or class reunion, in addition to the structured reunions.
People set up camp to watch the parade in the same places each year, and it might be the only time they see their parade-watching neighbors and have a chance to reconnect.

The road construction season is upon us, and two major projects are happening to our east.
First is the second year of a two-year project to replace the bridge at Clementson. After the I-35W bridge collapse, a study was done of all bridges in the state. The bridge at Clementson was found to be deficient and a new bridge is going in.
Second is the 18 miles of Highway 11 that will be widened and repaved. This is the third piece of a six-piece project between Baudette and International Falls.

Senator Tom Saxhaug was in the area last week for his annual post-legislative session review.
Among the items he highlighted with the city council and county board was the legislation he introduced for enhanced driver’s licenses.
An enhanced driver’s license will have a radio frequency identification chip that collects a RFID number with no personal information. Only the RFID number is passed between border agencies and State of Minnesota. Furthermore, the card will come with a sleeve that protects it from being read.

Again, the small community pulls together to benefit someone in need.
When the Johnson family and their friends decided to come to Lake of the Woods from North Carolina, they didn’t expect their van to catch fire, burning everything they had packed for a week’s vacation.
Think of all the things you would pack to take your family of four on a vacation. The family includes a six-year-old and a 16-month-old. That means kids toys to entertain a child for a week, car seat and crib for the baby and their clothing. It also means groceries for a week, and computers and phones.

The annual Willie Walleye Day was Saturday, June 5. A big thank you goes out to the Women of Today who always do a great job of lining up games, entertainment and vendors for this event.
We know that these community celebrations take months of planning and coordination, usually starting for the next summer right after this year’s is finished.

The motto a graduating class chooses to represent itself is telling about the class’ personality.
Take a look at the class motto of the Lake of the Woods Class of 2010: Life brings us tears, smiles and memories – the tears dry, the smiles fade, but memories last forever.
There are no slams to pencils, books or teachers’ dirty looks.

Spring has sprung and next weekend promises to be one of excitement in the area. Another class will graduate from our school on Sunday, followed by the annual observance of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.
Some believe that over the years the original meaning and spirit of Memorial Day has faded from the public consciousness.