OUR VIEW: Week in review: The best and worst

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CHEERS to the new addition at Douglas County Memorial Hospital in Armour. The hospital broke ground last week on the new addition and renovation, which is expected to cost about $4.5 million. This is a great sign of progress, and we commend the people of Douglas County for taking on the project, which will be paid through a $3.5 million USDA mortgage, a $500,000 state grant and $500,000 from the hospital.

CHEERS to the uptick in revenue at the Mitchell landfill, caused by an influx of old shingles being dumped at the site in the wake of the May 5 hail storm. The Daily Republic reported last week that tipping fee revenues at the landfill are up at least 50 percent since the first of the year. It may not sound like such a big deal to John Q. Public, but we were told that the windfall probably will stave off a rate increase, at least for a while.

CHEERS to the attendance at Dakotafest, the annual farm show held near Mitchell. Wednesday’s attendance of more than 10,000 set a one-day record for the event, which runs three days each August near Mitchell Technical Institute’s south campus. Along with the great crowds, there were 612 vendors at the event this year. The combination of attendees and vendors hints that our region’s agriculture industry is hanging in there, even in times of drought.

HISSES to the report that Americans throw away up to 40 percent of their food every year. The Associated Press reported this last week, and noted that American landfills are crammed each year with as much as $165 billion worth of produce and meats at a time when millions of people suffer from chronic hunger around the world.

CHEERS to the Corn Palace Festival, which has ended another run in Mitchell. We are big fans of the annual gala, since it serves as a chance for us to celebrate our agricultural heritage, to see some great musical shows, and to endure some gut-wrenching carnival rides on the midway.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials