CELEBRATE — Anna Schlaak, second from left in the back, celebrates yet another national championship for the Concordia College volleyball team. Schlaak is a 2012 graduate of NRHEG High School. (Submitted photo)

By MARK DOMEIER

Contributing Writer

Volleyball used to be a sport confined to the late summer and fall time period. However, as it has grown in the last couple of decades, so too has the time commitment it takes to play at a high level. Anna Schlaak of New Richland discovered this at an early age, and it has led her to a college experience unlike what most kids know.

Anna, the daughter of Neil and Jill Schlaak, recently finished her third year at Concordia College in St. Paul as a member of the volleyball team. According to her mom, Anna started playing club volleyball at the age of 13 in Mankato. She continued to progress at a rapid rate and moved up to more competitive squads, including the Northern Lights team out of Burnsville.

Anna was a great athlete while at NRHEG, but always placed volleyball at the top of her love of sports. At first she thought she wanted to play college volleyball out of state at a large school. However, she realized that would take her farther away from her family, and she knew she’d miss too many activities that were important to her.

Plans are being finalized for New Richland's 2015 Farm & City Days set for July 9-12.

With that in mind, the Farm & City Days committee is still seeking volunteers for:

• Pancake breakfast - setting up, working at and cleaning up

• Bouncers (actually workers) to monitor the inflatables for the kids

• Street Dance - (the biggest need) help setting up for the dance, workers for the gates - 3 gates - 2 per gate - 8 p.m.-midnight, can work one hour or all four, whatever

Children are needed to enter the Little Miss/Little Mr. New Richland Pagaent, teams are sought for the Family Fued event and participants are sought for the Hillbilly Fun Run/Walk.

If interested in helping or entering, contact Pam Goehring at 507-461-9253, Kelly Martens at 380-2414 or Tina Schmidt at 383-2070.

The search for the 2015 Farm & City Days medallions did not last long.

Ashton Raimann found the first one taped underneath a picnic table at City Park. The 11-year-old is the son of Jackie Moen and Daryl Raimann.

The second medallion was found by Malcolm and Emily Meyers, children of John and Melissa Meyers. They found it underneath the plaque in front of the memorial by the post office.

They’ll both $50 in New Richland Bucks.

NRHEG’s Altrichter qualifies for state tournament

The NRHEG High School clay target team finished the season by traveling to the state Class 4A tournament in Alexandria June 14.

Twenty-nine of the team’s 54 athletes made the trip to compete in Novice, Junior Varsity, and Varsity level competition. Also at stake was the opportunity to return to the MSHSL State Clay Target Tournament. Last year, NRHEG was part of the inaugural year of this event.

Almost all shooters shot near or above their season averages with some turning in personal bests, but it wasn't enough to bring the team back to Prior Lake. Of the students who participated, Tyler Raimann of NRHEG turned in the top score with a 96/100. This was good enough to place Tyler in the top 10 for the varsity shooters. Tanner Alfson (Albert Lea) was in the top 10 for JV shooters with her score of 91/100. The varsity team placed in the top 10 of Class 4A teams they needed to be in the top four to advance to the MSHSL state tournament in Prior Lake.

The New Richland Jazz American Legion baseball team is off to a 1-3 start for the season.

The Jazz upended Adams 7-6 in the season opener at Legion Field, then fell 8-1 to Stewartville, 4-1 to JWP and 6-2 to Dodge Center. The team is again coached by Jake Staloch, assisted by Drew Paukert and Ed Dahle.

Jazz 7, Adams 6

John Hubly led the Jazz to victory Tuesday, June 9, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run. Sam Prigge, C.J. Schiltz, Trai Wicks and Eli Lutgens also hit safely, with Prigge and Lutgens driving in runs. Prigge drew two walks and scored twice.

Jack Schultz started on the mound for New Richland and pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and four walks while striking out eight. Prigge fanned two in relief.

The Jazz opened the scoring with two in the bottom of the first, adding one each in the second and third, two in the fourth and capping the scoring in the fifth.

He didn't mean to do it but it is something that will haunt him the rest of his life. It was such a little thing at the time - it was just one second. He looked down at his cell phone and then he heard a thud. A mother will never hold her two little girls in her arms again. They were riding in a carrier behind her bike when he hit their mother in that one moment of time. He can look at his two children and know how tragic it was. He will always tell people about what had happened to him in hopes it would help prevent it from happening to them.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reports that distracted driving contributed to 61 deaths and 198 serious injuries in 2014. Law enforcement officers conducted a study in April and the officers cited over 900 drivers for texting while driving in six days. People really should put their cell phones out of reach, so you aren't tempted to answer it while driving.

If you do receive a call on your cell phone while you driving down the road, believe it or not, the call will wait. Once you have stopped, your cell phone will reveal who called and you can return the call. If you must use your phone, pull over along the side of the road, stop, use your phone, and then carefully get back on the road again. No call or text message is worth another person, or your own life.

It is not just cell phones that cause accidents. How many times do we get distracted from our driving by something we shouldn't? I am guilty of eating an ice cream cone or taking a sip of water while driving down the road. It seems pretty innocent but how would I feel if something like this would happened to me? As there is more and more traffic on the roads and faster speeds are allowed, the easier it is to have an accident.

In addition to talking, or editing, on their cell phones, I've seen people eat, tune their radios, apply makeup, reach for something in the seat, on the floor, in their purse. How well I remember a friend who bragged that he read an entire novel on a trip to another state. Or there was the bread man who used the wide space in the front of his truck to read the newspaper on his daily route. They were lucky nothing happened, but it certainly could have. 

Isn't it just as important to pay attention and drive as it is to click that seat belt? It is a something that we all need to start doing, even if it is just for a short distance! One of the first things we all learned in driver’s education was to put your seat belt on. The fancier the automobile, the more gadgets and gimmicks there seem to be to distract us as we drive.

Seatbelts do save lives; let’s hope it saves your life. It is also very important to obey the speed limits. They have been developed for a reason or we would not have them. The few minutes you save you can lose somewhere else and you gain nothing.

We also need to remember to adjust our speed in regards to the weather conditions, road conditions, as well as in regards to the amount of traffic there is on the road. It is especially important to remember that during this season of road construction, especially for those people who are traveling Interstate 35W this summer. We need to be especially careful, meeting the amount of traffic we are faced with. We need to keep two eyes on the road, two hands on the steering wheel and avoid all distractions, as there is currently only one lane of traffic in each direction.

There is a lot of power in that moving vehicle. Driving 55 mph translates to 90 feet per second so if you look away even just one second, you have driven at least 90 feet without seeing anything.

And one more thing. Before you get in your vehicle, take time to observe where you are parked and be aware of things around you, especially if there might be things that you will not be able to see when you look in your mirrors or out your windows. Once you get in your car and turn on the key, look again.   Recently, newscasters reported that a one-year-old child was killed when someone was going to move their vehicle. Little ones can travel fast so it pays to look twice at least.

I recall a friend who let nobody eat, drink, smoke, etc. in his car. It wasn't just that he wanted his car clean at all times, he wanted to safe as well. Makes sense.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements. In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us. Also if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest to our readers, please contact me. 

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like include, or news to share please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P.O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, June 25th: Paul & Deb Wallace, Brad & Jannell Tufte, David & Lori Lembke, James & Mardelyn Thompson, Boyd & Jeanene Reese, Brady Nelson, Rachel Lerum, Michael Bell, Hugh O'Byrne, Brady Nelson Heimer, Marilyn Nelson and Boyd Reese

• Friday, June 26th: Michelle Marie Leeman, Marissa Ann Leeman, Brock Nelson, Tony Muri, Richard Holmes, Michelle Davidson, Tiffany Olson, Ray Jepson, Pennie Ladlie, Tristan & Michael Ingvaldson, Chuck & Ann Southworth and Tom & Wilma Arbogast

• Saturday, June 27th: Eugene & Phyllis Hagen, Carlyle & Judy Hagen, Jamie & Kim (Weckwerth) Farr, Stormi Hagen, Mary Groth, Karrie (Newgard) Moen, Marge Trandem, Michelle Vangen, Milton Nelson and Sandi Serdahl

• Sunday, June 28th: Warren & Bonnie Nelson, Jenny (Broskoff) & Chris Dutton, Danielle (Wagner) & LuVerne Zacharis, Amanda (Reese) Beavens, Shane Reese, Margaret Dobberstein, Zack Kromminga, Sara Hoyt, Sara Jensen and Noah Peterson

• Monday, June 29th: Nate VerHey, Courtney Haugen, Jacob Peterson, Brenda (Janka) Tschann, Jane (Jensen) Bratten, Berniece Whelan, Barb & Dale Mrotz, Brent & Valerie Christensen, Brent & Michelle Meiners, Wally & Marge Wobschall

• Tuesday, June 30th: Tammy & Jeff Busho, Susan (Schmidt) & Jon Anderson, Ann & Brent Wiersma, Nate & Kristine VerHey, Julie Vanden Heuvel Horiban, Robin Eder, Nathan Robertson, Steve Jensen, Barb Wright, Lorrie Kelly, Roger Shaunce and Makenzie Lynn Vreeman

• Wednesday, July 1st: Keralyn (Paulsen) Powers, Eugene Hagen, Mary Edwardson, Linda O'Neil, Joanna Ruth Vermedahl, Jill Hanson, Chris Ihrke, Jason Churchill, Marjorie Otterson, Deb Schimek, Rachel (Eaker) Lee, Gary Carlson, Tristan Bangert, Robert Christensen, Roger & Joyce Wayne, Heather (Krause) & Dion Quiram and Frank & Marilyn Cuden

• Thursday, July 2nd: John & Wendy Schultz, Delbert & Judy Karsjens, Leslie (Gatton) & David Hecker, Sidney Skroch, Christopher Matthew Wacek, Mary Ann Ewing, Stacy Shaunce, David Beck, Chad Ritz, Wilma Arbogast, Melissa Quaintance and Tony H. Seykora

• Friday, July 3rd: Danika Marie Jensen, Lorry Pelzl, Amy Storlie, Amy Walterman, Cynthia Nelson, Sara & Chris Ihrke, Rachel & Michael Schmidt, Phillip & Karen Briggs

With each passing year, grow stronger, grow wiser, and grow richer in spirit. May the year be filled with new discoveries.

Although the calendar says we have just now started summer, it seems that we have already been experiencing summer for some time. June 21st is officially the first day of summer. My question is: where has the time gone? I guess I have always felt that if the weather turns nice and pretty much stays that way, it is summer. I have to sympathize with my brother-in-law Lynn Johnson in Nome, Alaska. The last time I spoke with him, which was only a few days ago, the high temperature was in the low 40s and he was putting another log on the fire.

When I think of summer I like to think back and remember the days of summer I spent fishing Fountain Lake. I would get up fairly early and grab my fishing pole along with the can of worms I had dug up the day before. I would then hop on my bike and ride to town to do a little fishing. I had a little treat money on me for later on that I had earned by mowing lawns and from my paper route. I would usually treat myself to a chocolate marshmallow sundae at the Northside Creamery or a cherry Coke at Northpark.

I would start the day at the dam on the Northside which offered plenty of fishing opportunities for this kid. It was fun climbing on the walls of the old waterway that ran along the north side of the dam. Fishing was always fun under the bridge because you never could tell what you would catch. Bullheads and rubber tails were the most common, but once in a great while you’d catch a crappie or a pumpkinseed. Whenever I’d catch a crappie, to me, it was like catching a gamefish like a northern or walleye because there didn’t seem to be an abundance of them.

After I’d had my fill of fishing by the dam I would move on to Katherine Island by fishing the whole shoreline before ending up at the island. The old metal bridge was noisy to walk on but a person could catch enough bullheads and rubber tails to make it fun.

My dad told me of this old gentleman who had a secret crappie hole somewhere behind the old Albert Lea greenhouse, which sat along the shore east of the beach. After hearing those stories I witnessed firsthand the fruits of this old fisherman’s labors. My dad had a service station on East Main and this old gentleman, whose name was John, drove in to put in gas. My dad asked how fishing was and he was happy to show me the bucket that held a mess of the biggest crappies I had ever laid eyes on. As I grew older I could still envision that bucket of slab crappies and, although I did on a couple of occasions try, I never was able to find that “honey hole” that only old John seemed to know about.

I have from time to time had people ask if I knew when the dredging on Fountain Lake was going to start. From what I’ve gathered by articles in the paper I don’t think that anyone has a definitive answer to that question. Some of these folks have gone on to say that once the lake is dredged, Fountain Lake will become a good fishing lake. I don’t know what constitutes a good fishing lake, but I feel that if you have a lake where you can catch nice panfish, bass, northern and walleye, then fishing is already pretty darned good.

As a kid I fished pretty much every inch of that lake at one time or another and over the years I caught crappies, sunnies, northern and bass. In the ‘80s I started to catch a few walleye in Edgewater Bay and today it is no longer unique to catch a nice walleye or two on any given day. I do feel Fountain Lake is a pretty darned good fishing lake already and there is no doubt the steps being taken to clean up our waterways is working. I also feel that making the lake deeper will increase the numbers of gamefish while cleaning up the lake.

Although I am no marine biologist and do not pretend to be any kind of expert, I have never been a fan of using chemicals on my yard because of the runoff. Over the years I have fished many of the lakes in our area and have seen the effects that runoff from manicured lawns has on a lake. When I fish a lake that seems to have no real vegetation and you reel in a jig or lure with green slime on it, I attribute it to chemicals and too many rough fish.

I do that we are headed in the right direction when it comes to cleaning up our area’s waterways, but there is no quick fix. In the meantime we can take advantage of what we already have. We have many nice parks located on our areas lakes and I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a little family time than a picnic and some fishing.

— — —

A few observations: we are now going to take Broadway down to three lanes and add bike lanes on both sides. Before that happens someone needs to enlighten some of our area drivers of how the lanes work, especially at Broadway and Front. I have noticed quite a few folks who think the bike lane is for folks in cars that are going straight across Broadway. Luckily there is not a lot of bike traffic so the only danger would seemingly be a fender bender. Summer is in full swing and we who drive motorized vehicles are reminded we must watch out for bicyclists because they have the same rules as vehicles. This should also pertain to bicyclists when it comes to intersection etiquette and riding on the right side of the road. Speaking of roads; I know some of the sidewalks in our city are not the best, but I do wonder why some folks insist on walking down the middle of the street.

That’s enough whining for one day, so until next time, pack the picnic basket, grab the fishing poles and head to your favorite park to enjoy some family time.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

I’m glad our roads are being upgraded, but all those orange barrels are driving me crazy.

Well, you know what they say in France.

No, what?

How would I know? I don’t speak French.

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: I was passed by a Smart car. The driver was using a smartphone that was nearly as big as the car. He was typing while driving. When people are left to their own devices today, they are left to their own electronic devices. I’m a lucky man. I struggle with texting while sitting at my desk. There is no point to me trying to text while driving.

The cafe chronicles

The place was old and battered. If the building could tell stories, it would likely choose to remain wisely silent. It was my kind of place.

I did my double-check to see if it was a proper eatery. I checked for dried food on the silverware and talked to a stranger. No food remnants and a friendly fellow. I was good to go.

"The food is as good as it looks," said the man confidently, no longer a stranger.

It was South of the Border Day at the Minnesota cafe. The staff was dressed as Iowans.

I grew up in a time when a measure of a man was how many pancakes he could eat at breakfast.

I ate two. I’m both tall and wide enough.

Cleaning house

My lovely bride did some spring housecleaning. Things had to go. Two of the things were lightsabers. I think they were just toys, but you can never be certain about such things. I don’t know much about Star Wars, I’d seen only the first movie of the series, but the lightsaber was the weapon of a Jedi knight, an elegant weapon of a weirder age. It could be used to cut through doors if you lost the key or to blast enemies.

I carried the two lightsabers into a location where charity donations are made. It was a busy place with folks coming and going. My arms were filled with many items other than the lightsabers. I’m a guy. "Somewhat ill-advised" is my motto. I want to carry everything in one trip. Women, much wiser, will make multiple trips.

Somehow, both lightsabers lit up. I don’t know why. I do know that people scurried out of my way. Perhaps the Force was with me. I felt like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

How do you spell "dilemma"?

I taught a writing class at a college far from home. The students were incredible, as smart as they come. Yogi would have said that each was smarter than the average bear. We talked about words that are often misspelled. I don’t believe "misspelled" to be one of them. I didn’t consider texting shortcuts. The first word that came to my mind was dilemma that is often spelled "dilemna." I’ve talked with many people who have stated that was the way they were taught to spell the word in school.

I’m not sure if my teachers ever taught me anything that was incorrect. They probably did. Everyone makes mistakes. What I do know is that I went to Disney World once. I met Goofy there. I greeted him and I’ll never forget what he said to me. Goofy said, "You’re calling me goofy?"

There is no doubt that I’m goofy, but I know that I’d be much goofier had I not had such wonderful teachers.

Nature notes

What size prey does a red-tailed hawk eat? This handsome hawk looks much larger than it really is. A red-tailed hawk weighs 1 1⁄2 to 3 pounds. These hawks want to catch prey and carry it off to eat in safety, but they can only lift about half their weight. Mammals make up the bulk of a red-tailed hawk’s diet. This includes voles, mice, rats, rabbits, hares and ground squirrels. They eat birds such as pheasants, starlings and blackbirds. They also feed on snakes and carrion. Individual prey items can weigh anywhere from under an ounce to 5 pounds.

Meeting adjourned

"Be yourself. Well, maybe someone a little nicer." — Barbara Bush. Be kind.

While at the top-of-the mountain home of Dan and Laurie, I got to play lumberjack by cutting and splitting wood, as their main source of heat is wood.

I hiked up to a gravesite of a mountain man who passed away of cancer at age 40.

There is a gazebo out in the woods looking out at Camel’s Hump. In a plastic bag is a notebook in which you are supposed to leave a message of your experience of being there – this I did both times. Camel’s Hump is a climbing challenge, as for the last leg you’re on your hands and knees going up sheer rock. (I made it to the top on the third try.)

Genie and I got to see a male woodcock performing for a female woodcock in a grassy opening in the woods by their house at dusk. He would do aerial displays, fly in circles, make a funny call, land, and repeat the process.

The hot water heater decided it was done heating late on Saturday. Our thanks to a young feller named Justin from Falcon Plumbing, who replaced it late Saturday evening.

Their location is so beautiful, we didn’t go down the mountain very much. We bought groceries in the small neighboring town of Hinesburg. The store, like everything else, is built on rock. (Part of the floor is rock.)

We attended the community church in Huntington, a small Baptist church built in 1861. It was a very friendly congregation in a quaint setting.

We drove over to the local 18-hole golf course on a dairy farm. The dairy farmer liked to golf so at retirement he turned the dairy farm over to his son. He then built the golf courses with a driving range. The neat thing is, all the yard markers are wooden Holstein cows.

Somehow a wood tick found my back and enjoyed Norwegian blood for about two days.

Dan and Laurie were to be back Sunday evening, May 31, and we would leave their home to stay at the Quality Inn in Colchester, Vermont. Late Sunday afternoon Dan called from the emergency room at the hospital in Syracuse, New York. Laurie had a TIA (transient ischemic attack – a small stroke) and they were running tests while keeping her overnight. She was released to her primary physician in Burlington the next day for further tests. Please pray for her. Thanks.

They returned to their home on Monday and Genie and I checked into the Quality Inn in Colchester, where we stayed for a week.

We noticed the cost of living is a lot higher in the Burlington area compared to Southern Minnesota.

While at the Quality Inn we toured Church Street in Burlington, Vermont (so named because of a big church at the end). It is a blocked-off section of streets (about six blocks) with pedestrian traffic only and no smoking. The stores are small on three levels. Macy’s department store is at the end of a building a block long off Church Street, thus you have to walk past a lot of small stores to get to a big store – smart protection for the small stores.

A building was removed, thus leaving two exposed walls off Church Street. The walls were then painted with small murals about Vermont. One was John Deere (the person, the founder of John Deere), being a resident of Vermont.

On our last Sunday we attended the community church in Huntington, Vermont. At the end of the service the attendees formed a circle while holding hands. The pastor (Rev. Larry Tetweiler) asked for prayer concerns. Genie asked for a prayer for Laurie, which was honored. Thank you to those present.

———

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.

The very first “boss” I had at a paying job was my friend Steve’s dad, John Hoffmann. He hired me to walk beans when I was a youngster. I thought it was fabulous. Steve and I walked down rows near each other, searching for weeds. John and his wife Kathy never yelled at us for dilly-dallying, but gave subtle encouragement. We got soda and candy bars for break and then a home-cooked meal every day for lunch. At the end of the season, they took us out to eat at the pizza buffet in town.

Wow – what a great boss! This work thing wasn’t going to be so bad.

And then I started working for Heritagefest, the former big polka festival in New Ulm. First-year workers got to walk around the grounds emptying garbage and keeping bathrooms stocked with supplies. After that, we could move up to preparation and take-down. This involved a few weeks to get things ready (it was a big deal in New Ulm!). For that, my bosses were some of my teachers from school; this was their summer job. That was a little more difficult. I didn’t really want to see these people during the summer! Plus, they weren’t afraid to get after us if we weren’t pulling our weight.

I recall having an argument with one about the best way to move some bleachers. I wanted to put extra people on the back since that part was heavier, while he thought we could just put one person at each corner. After his idea failed miserably, we went with mine. (This small victory was probably a bad sign for all my future bosses – I wasn’t afraid, even at the age of 15, to challenge an idea!)

Turning 16 was a big deal because I could get a real job! I followed in Dad’s footsteps and worked for Randall Foods, your one-stop shopping center. I started out selling Christmas trees and decorations before moving into the main store and bagging groceries and finally joining the stocking crew. Through all this, my main boss was Dick “Here I Go A” Ginn. (Yes, my fascination with nicknames started in my teens…)

Dick oversaw the entire operation, so my interactions with him were limited, but he would always mix a friendly greeting with a list of 10 things I should do before my shift was up; his eye was always on the prize. The key was to always at least have an empty cardboard box in your hand if you saw him, to make it look as if you were in the middle of something. Dick’s focus to get the job done was admirable.

When I headed off to Winona to further my education, I merely shifted to the Randall Foods there. I ended up working in frozen and dairy for much of my time there under the helm of Duane DuBois. Duane was the best of all bosses – he taught me what I had to do and then just let me do it. I had a very flexible schedule around my classes; all I had to do was make sure my job got done. When Duane had to take a medical leave, I assumed his role for a couple of months. Suddenly I was a boss myself and had to make some decisions. It was a startling couple of months, but I’m eternally grateful that Duane trusted me with that at the age of 22!

And now I’ve been through three superintendents at NRHEG. This, plus two principals, isn’t a bad number going into year 20 of my career. And the range of personalities has been tremendous with the top man. As I wrote this, I realized how I could compare each of the three to former bosses. Rich Lorenz, for whom I had the highest respect for his managing of this district through both good and tough financial times, was a lot like Dick Ginn. Kevin Wellen, who had a turbulent six years here, reminded me a lot of my Heritagefest bosses – we didn’t always agree, but the job got done.

As Dr. Goodwin departs for Arizona, I realize that he reminds me a lot of Duane DuBois. While some staff didn’t always appreciate Dennis’ outgoing personality and the passion he had for students, I found it refreshing and a lot like my final years in the grocery game. I had input into the product if I desired, but I was also encouraged to do my own thing and not be afraid to take chances. While the biggest chance I took at Randall Foods might have been rearranging the pizza freezers (it was a big deal!), having a boss who appreciates me and lets me work is the best kind.

Best of luck to Dr. Goodwin (I saw it was 114 degrees the other day in Arizona. Dry heat…), and I hope we can find the next boss to be of a high caliber as well.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is turbid, which means unclear or muddled, as in, “The future of the school was turbid as it searched for a new superintendent.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!