Martin County Star Newsmakers
Everything you want and need to know about what is going on in Martin County Minnesota.
We look at the paper and talk to the Newsmakers.
Mayor's, City Council members, Coachs, Police, Concerned Citizens, and everyday folk with a story to tell.
Tune in each Friday for a new episode.
Check it out at martincostar.com
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Martin County Star Newsmakers
Mike Ennis brings you the latest happenings across Martin County and beyond.
All right, here we go. Hey, welcome. This is Mike Ennis with Martin County Star's Newsmakers Podcast, and it's been a little while since we've talked, hasn't it? I'll tell you what I have been struggling with. It's either one of three things either COVID, a terrible cold, or allergies, and I could barely talk for a long time. I mean, I could talk but it would cough all the time. And I say it I probably will here in a second. But anyway, see, there we go. But anyway, we're back and happy to be here.
Speaker 1:How's summer going? I got to check this out tomorrow. Rain, rain, rain. That's about all it does around here. It seems like we're trying to get our building painted and you know we can never get enough time to go out and do it. We like to do it in the morning, when it's nice and cool still, but that hasn't been the case here lately. Anyway, it's coming up this.
Speaker 1:Let me see, about a week, week and a half from now, yeah, the fair, the big fair here in Fairmont starts. It's always exciting. Kids love that, you know, especially the kids competing 4-H FFA, all of them, yeah. So anyway, also, a lot of women and men, sorry, enter different contests there at the fair we have. You know, there's canning, there's photography, there's all kinds of stuff you can do. So anyway, the big fair is coming up here in just about a week and a half. I've been working on ads for it, so I've been involved in it that way, but hopefully you'll get involved also.
Speaker 1:Let me see what's going on. Hey, I got a headline on the paper this week. It's called Welcome is Going Gaga, not Lady Gaga. But it's a Excuse me, see what I mean, coffin, let me see when is it? I'm trying to find this here. It's a Gaga pit and what it is is they're going to put in this Gaga pit and it's a place where kids can go and play dodgeball. Basically it looks like fun. Man I'm in.
Speaker 1:I want to commend the Martin County West superintendent, corey Reynolds. She has asked the board to freeze her salary for a year and they said, okay, they were happy to do it, so anyway. So she's going to freeze her salary for a year, so good for her, good for her. What else is going on? The big story on the paper this week? Mayor Dan Schmittke over in, welcome. He gave me a call last week, boy, sorry, see, I've been fine all day. I've been fine all day. I get in here and I start coughing. Anyway, he gave me a call last week, wanted me to come over the. Uh, there's a. There's an aed life-saving cabinet that's been installed right outside of city hall. And welcome.
Speaker 1:What this is is a cardiac restart. This started by a young lady by the name of Faith Ann Larson. Faith, 19 years old, back in 2022, she suddenly went into cardiac arrest and there was no way to get any help and she died. Her dad, terry Larson, has been on a campaign to see that this does not happen to anybody else's daughter. That's great, right there. Anyway, that got picked up by some different folks, and then the people at AED Automated External Defibrillator. They came in on it and together they are trying to put a life-saving AED in every high school in Minnesota. I said so what's that going to cost? He said about $24 million. They're about 10 grand apiece. The units are so you know, you can run the numbers, and so they have one in Martin County West.
Speaker 1:Now, also, where's my notes here on this? It's in the body of the text. Here we are East Chain, huntley and also Martin Luther High School in Northrup, and now they've added welcome, so it sits right outside of the city hall, right there on the wall, and this is available 24 hours a day. I remember I asked, I said so I wouldn't know how to do this they go. Oh no, no, as soon as you pull the screen down man, I'm tired of this cough. You pull the screen down, you open it up, the lights come on and there's a step-by-step what to do next on this little screen there and it tells you how to hook up. It tells you how to proceed. The whole bit is right there. Also, inside this kit is a stop bleed kit, like for a cut or something. So this is really good news and I'm really excited about it. If you get a chance to drive by and take a look at it don't open it up, because if it does, it starts to call 911. But just take a look at it, you know and see where it's at. That way, you know where it's at if this ever would become a need. And I just want to commend the folks at Valero, along with the parks, but the folks at Valero, they foot the bill for this thing, isn't that something? So congratulations to them, congratulations to the city for this thing, isn't that something? So congratulations to them, congratulations to the city of Wellcome. This is getting done and I'm really proud of all of them for doing this. So way to go, guys, way to go.
Speaker 1:A couple of things going on Let me see here. The 1618 Maverick girls team took home first in the Fairmont Cardinal Power Tournament. That was last weekend and they're doing, man, they're doing really, really, really well. Also, federated Rural Electric out of Jackson. They contributed $22,500 to three local fire departments to give them what they need. You know they needed some little extra, this and that and the other. So 22,500 goes a long ways in trying to help that and accomplish that. So congratulations to them also and thank you to Federated Rural Electric. You know they're way involved in the community and they really do step up and help out in so so many ways. It's good to see them. What do you think? I'm going to date this episode by saying this Just this morning Hulk Hogan died 71.
Speaker 1:Cardiac arrest and you know that's kind of wild. We saw him what a year ago on on stage with uh now president trump, but back when he was uh about this time last year I think it was maybe a little bit later anyway in the nominating process and he looked great. He looked great and wow out of the blue. So hulk hogan died a couple three days ago. We lost Malcolm Jamal Warner. He passed away.
Speaker 1:And then there was a third one too. My sons were texting me earlier Let me see if I got that text still and they were saying who else is going to go? I kept saying not me, I'm good. They had one more. Oh, ozzy, ozzy Osbourne. So, wow, you know, they always say they come in threes, don't they? So I guess I'm safe for another round.
Speaker 1:Anyway, also, man, I tell you what our hearts went out to those folks down in Kerrville, texas. I used to work in Kerrville, texas, at the post office. This had been a lot of years ago, about 27 years ago. But I know the area very well, I know the people down there and I don't know these people, I mean, but you know, and anyway, they're good people. Kerrville's a nice town and wow, wow, this is devastating. I have some friends down there, we have some family down there. They weren't involved in this at all, they weren't in any danger, but it just really brings it home, doesn't it, when things like that happen.
Speaker 1:So sorry to see that and sad to hear about all that. Tell you what you just never, ever know, do you? We never know what's going to happen and when it's going to happen or anything else. It's just, man, you better be ready all the time. Hadn't you Going on here in Tremont? Welcome Donnell. Where else? Sherburn, sherburn School they broke ground on the new high school and they're starting to. You know, haven't really done much yet, but they're starting to get their bids in place and get the different people going Football. They're going to play that at the high school, at the school I mean in Tremont this year. So I got to drive over and see if they started working on the field yet, because they've got a couple of months and then they're going to be playing football. They can't hardly believe it already. Right, I'm looking forward to it. Should be a good season.
Speaker 1:Hey, if you are a sports person once again, this is kind of dating the whole thing and you need a job, boy, do I need you? We're looking for a sports reporter here at the Star and we need somebody to cover Martin County West and Fairmont and all the local sports and all the locals that are going on, and all the local sports and all the locals that are going on. So if you're one of those and you're somebody who likes to go to the games and you don't mind being paid for it, well, we wouldn't mind having you on staff. Give me a call, 507-848-3261. All right, I'm Mike. Give me a call and let's talk. I guess I can put that out there on this podcast. Now don't call me from Ohio, because it's not going to do me any good. You've got to be local, you've got to be right here, because I need local stories.
Speaker 1:Also, what else is going on? You know it's summertime. The Summer Events paper is out. Man, we had a 68-page paper this year and it was loaded with all kinds of things going on in the area. And I was looking at the peach today, in fact, and I have in there, and the peach I have in there things still to come this summer. You know a lot of people say, well, man, summer's almost over. No, it's not. I got a whole list of stuff. Let me see. Winnebago's Fun Fest is going on right now. As a matter of fact, until the 26th, martin County the big fair starts August 11th. Lost St Brewery in Blue Earth. August 17th they have an event going on. Ron's Roast in Wells, august 17th that's when Colonel Days take place. Tractor Pole Also in that. I think that's in Winnebago, august 2nd.
Speaker 1:Amboy Day, september 5th through the 7th, truman Days, that's this weekend. They have the best parade. I am not kidding you. We got there a few minutes late last year, like about 20 minutes late, and the parade went on for a whole other hour after we got there. I mean it was that big of a parade and so, anyway, I mean it was great. They have a great parade over in Truman. So pick that up on. That'll be Saturday, a couple of days from now, and we might be in the parade. Look for us, look for the Martin County Star Van. Okay, it's the, we call it the Star Mobile. Look for the Star Mobile and we'll have some candy. We'll be throwing out Not my wife candy, no, no, no, c-a-n-d-y, that kind of candy. I don't throw my wife out. Anyway, sleepy Eye's got an event going on Summerfest, august 15th through the 17th Jackson Pioneer Days, is going on right now at Fort Belmont.
Speaker 1:I Uh, jackson Pioneer Days is going on right now at Fort Belmont. I guess it starts the 23rd, 24th. So that's that's this weekend, next, next week, next week. No, no, no, no, that's today, that's right now. Okay, jackson Motorplex is going on. They they have until September, so they have different things. Uh, let's see here. Uh, brad Morgan will be at the Still and Donnell August 21st. Heritage Days in Fairmont, the Thrashing Day, an antique tractor display, that's August 10th. The Fall Festival is October 19th.
Speaker 1:The Opera House has got all shook up this weekend. You know, that's good. I'm all shook up, right, elvis, remember that. And if you do, then Now that's at the high school, because the Opera House right now they cannot have any programs there, but they're getting back to it. Red Rock Center they got a ton of stuff going on. So you know, if you're looking for something to do this summer and it's not all outside Some of these things are indoor activities, which are always nice. So keep those things in mind, always nice. So keep those things in mind. Jackson County Fair did I mention that? It goes on, let me see Tuesday, next Tuesday, until August 2nd, which is Saturday, and so that's, it's in the peach. You can check that out. Grab a peach from the newspaper.
Speaker 1:Also, we've been sending out papers now since January. Each couple of weeks I pick a different zip code and we saturate that zip code for two or three weeks and then you get a subscriber card at the end and it's paying off for us. We're exposing our newspaper to a lot of people who didn't know anything about us and they're liking what they're seeing, and we're gathering and getting new subscribers all the time and we're happy to have that and we're happy to have you. If you would like to be a subscriber, give us a call 507-764-6681. All right, or you can, of course, listen online to the podcast. Oh, and, by the way, if you're a subscriber, you also have online access to the newspaper. Yeah, you can sit there and read it right, wherever you are. You know, on your phone, when you're on a bus or something, you can just read the newspaper. It's kind of fun.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, we have lots going on. You know, keep us informed If you have something happening in your neck of the woods and we need to know about it. You know what to do, right? Yeah, give us a call 507-764-6681. Give us a tip. We'll look into it and see if we can, or you can look into it. Either way, we'll see what we can come up with. Anyway, nice talking to you again. I'm back, I'm feeling. I'm fine now. I got that little coughing smell, but about three weeks ago that wouldn't have happened. I would have just coughed for most of this interview time. Anyway, talk to you guys later. I'll see you next week. All right, bye.
