Columns/Opinion

Marchant’s has been a fixture for 95 years

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 10/02/2018 - 4:12pm

Marchant's Super Service -- it's been there for a long time!  It has been at the same general location for about 95 years...must have an anniversary coming up!!

The photo accompanying this column is from the calendar of service stations that the historical society offered in 2005 for its 150th anniversary.

Local gas station owned by son of inventor

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 09/27/2018 - 9:48am

A long time ago there was a Phillips 66 gas station along North Broadway owned by Don Henderson.  He also operated the 66 Motel.  In the photo accompanying this column shows the empty lot with a trailer to rent, now the Spring Valley Chevrolet/Buick truck stop, and the Kwik Trip on the corner.  The motel is now rental rooms.

Deputies Association names DeGeorge as choice for sheriff

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 09/27/2018 - 7:00am

In July the Fillmore County Deputies Association voted to endorse Captain John DeGeorge by a 92 percent majority. The association represents full-time employees of the office. The process used was fair and equitable based on association bylaws. Each candidate was presented with the same questions and given equal opportunity to speak. 

Make sure future more important than past, even when you have more past than future

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/25/2018 - 1:50pm

A couple years ago I had come up with a plan for me to eventually phase out of the business operation over several years after potential partners stepped forward. The plan provided succession as well as a gradual pathway to my retirement.

Although I was feeling pretty good about the idea, an older woman who owned a business nearby warned me at the time not to retire. Too many men quit work, she told me, and then they soon die.

Tourist information center was service station in ‘30s

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/18/2018 - 3:09pm

According to the story, the site was once part of the property owned by my great-great uncle, Ephraim Steffens.  He started building in 1874, the fancy High-Victorian mansion on North Broadway, which included the house, stable and carriage house, smoke house and outhouse on 3.5 acres.  It was surrounded by a five-foot wrought iron fence; he had a team of high-spirited horses with elegant silver-trimmed harnesses, befitting a successful businessman and politician.

Science, despite its limitations, is pretty amazing

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/18/2018 - 2:37pm

The discipline of science often gets disparaged when it becomes intertwined with politics, such as the case with climate change or even the number of deaths from a hurricane, as well as when theories change, such as the newest advice that taking aspirin daily to prevent heart attacks isn’t really helpful.

Administration needs to continue honoring legacy of Theodore Roosevelt

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/11/2018 - 3:44pm

Dear editor:

When Donald Trump was elected president, sportsmen had high hopes that the president and his cabinet would commit to, in President Trump's words, "honoring the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt." As our 26th president, Roosevelt worked tirelessly to stop special interests from developing and privatizing our public lands and waters, conserving more than 230 million acres by establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, five national parks and 18 national monuments.

Winning not always apparent

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/11/2018 - 3:42pm

There are a lot of divisions in America today as the gulf seems to be widening between people on different sides. One of the many divisions that has made a recent impact on our society is between winners, or at least people who consider themselves winners, and losers, again, often determined by people who consider themselves winners.

Corner on Main Street busy place in 1966

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Tue, 09/11/2018 - 3:37pm

None of the buildings in the accompanying street scene photo remain today, indicating how things change!  The view shows the corner of Main Street and South Section Avenue.  Once the Burgess & Sons Lumber Co. was wrapped around Allen's Hall with its big doors on Section Avenue but also on Park Street.  The year is about 1966.  

Humor subject to interpretation, examination of ludicrous behavior

Published by lniemeyer@bluff... on Thu, 09/06/2018 - 11:02am

Thank you to the nearly 400 people who attended the Brave Community Theatre's Ag Days production!  The many positive remarks bring a smile to the faces of those who work hard to bring entertainment to the Spring Valley stage.

Humor is an odd thing and subject to interpretation on many levels. "A Thirties Affair" is a farce, which, by definition, uses "broad improbabilities, sometimes ludicrous" for humor.