View Point - Editorial

Newspapers aren’t allowed vacations, per se.

At least, that’s what we tell friends and family, anyway.

They feign understanding.

People on the street, regular readers, subscribers are a different cat; they expect their weekly paper to be there every week, much like they expect their daily newspaper to be there every day.

So, we oblige.   (more…)

Weighing all the facts.

Hillsboro city commissioners are presently confronted with a pair of on-going problems — an aging water treatment plant that needs attention and the search for yet another police officer.

First, the water plant issue — We encourage the commissioners to take the time and effort to fully investigate a partnership with Traill Rural Water Users. On the surface, it appears a no-brainer. Grants for municipal water systems are nonexistent while money is readily available to “regional” systems like TRW.  (more…)

Making a good impression.

Hillsboro’s Plummer House has a reputation. Over this past weekend (five days to be exact), the 14th annual Christmas Extravaganza again served nearly 250 people from all parts of the Red River Valley — from Gardar to Fargo from Cooperstown to Minnesota Lake Country.

The first — and lasting — impression was “Wow, what a wonderful place!”

Hosted by the Traill County Historical Society and the Hillsboro Women’s Club, the dinners were delicious, the house was spectacular and the hospitality warmed even the guests who weathered a snowstorm to dine on the best prime rib around.

What makes the annual fundraiser so special is how far-flung the guest list has become. We checked the guestbook and the secret is out. Many guests have a Hillsboro connection — long time residents or a native back home for a visit. Others come because a special invitation was extended or a parent dragged them along. Others gambled on the recommendation of a friend. Whatever the impetus, guests marvel at how a small town can pull off a four-course meal for 50 people every night. The staff — about 25 per night — is strictly volunteer. They keep coming back year after year, night after night — both to eat and to serve.

“Just how do you do it?” one Fargo woman asked.

“Simple,” came the reply. We live in a small town and people here understand the need to volunteer, to help when they’re asked. For some working is more fun than being a guest. Some will do both ­— dine one night and work the next.

It’s being a good neighbor. That’s what we’re all about.

It’s only neighborly.Winter weather has a way of bringing out the best — and the worst in people.

The best — You come home from work and find that someone has already cleared your driveway of snow. A pleasant surprise, something a kind neighbor will do without expecting so much as a thank you.

The worst — Someone who thinks they own the road and drives without care or caution when the weather makes travel a hazardous adventure in and of itself.  (more…)