4 BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL
www.burnettcountysentinel.com
NOVEMBER 4, 2015
The return of the white stuff This time of year I’m always reminded of an old golf joke but I adapt it accordingly to fit the season. “You know why they call it snow? All the other four-letter words were taken.” Obviously, I’m not a big fan of snow and while I’m never fully ready for half a year of the white stuff, it seems to have started early this season. It began last Wednesday when I was getting gas at Connor’s in Webster. “You know, they are calling for a wintery mix tonight,” Paula tells me as I’m paying for my gas and a bag of cashews. Sure enough, I’m headed to bed and the staircase window, which looks out over the porch roof and the back yard, gives me a front row picture to a covering of snow. Good thing I mowed on Tuesday and chopped some leaves — but that said, this early white stuff really caught me off-guard. First, I wasn’t expecting it — after all, when are the weathermen ever right? Second, I haven’t made the time to stow the porch furniture plus I still haven’t put up plastic. Third, the oil in the mower Seems has yet to be changed — I made a to Me mental note of that a month ago Todd Beckmann but my mental calendar isn’t always too reliable. Fourth— well, I could go on and on and on, but I think you get the picture. Of course, we all had a reprieve Thursday morning when we woke to slightly warmer temperatures and no snow on the ground. Actually, I think Wednesday night was just a warning. Kind of like at the theater when they flash the house lights to let the audience know intermission is almost over and the second half will soon be beginning. Of course, the audience is eager for plays to resume so they can see how the story ends. That’s not necessarily the case with winter although there are a few exceptions. I’m sure deer hunters would love some powder in advance of the 9-day gun season to help in tracking their prey, just as I am sure there are snowmobilers just chomping at the bit to get enough of a base to ride their machines. And business owners, most of whom live and die by the tourist trade, are looking for a long, snowy winter. For all the good a decent winter of snow does, from rebounding area lake levels to keeping maand-pa businesses in the black , I guess I can handle it — except for one thing. Wouldn’t it be nice if the snow that fell never touched the roads? How great would it be to travel all winter and never have to worry about the drive to work? The drive to the grocery store? Or wherever else your vehicle takes you ? Well, excuse me for now — I have to go tune-up my shovels.
BURNETT COUNTY
Bringing back Watney I make no bones about the fact that I am a fan of science fiction and space exploration. I watched the moon landings as a child, and firmly believed that one day I would live on the moon. Sadly, none of that has come to pass. After successfully landing and returning seven missions on the moon, the Apollo program was scrapped. Even the mission that didn’t make it, Apollo From the 13, was a success Publisher’s because it showed the ingenuity and Desk tenacity of the astronauts and engiTom Stangl neers who found a way to bring the crew home alive. President Nixon, faced with a choice between pushing on to Mars or approving a reusable spacecraft that would be used to assemble a space station, went with the less expensive option, the space shuttle. President George W. Bush proposed a return to the moon with the Orion program, using the moon for launches deeper into the solar system. President Obama nixed the Orion program, which was plagued
with cost overruns and delays, and chose to focus to privatizing launches to the International Space Station and building better boosters to reach the asteroid belt and eventually Mars. Wernher von Braun, the former Nazi rocket genius who helped NASA get men in space and eventually to the moon, was an advocate of advancing on to Mars in the 1980s. I bring up all of this history because I recently read the novel, “The Martian” by Andy Weir. Some of you may have seen the movie that is currently playing in theaters starring Matt Damon. I hope to see it soon, but like to read the novels before seeing the movies. It’s my thing. The novel details astronaut Mark Watney’s struggle to survive on the red planet. When a large and powerful dust storm threatens to destroy the crew’s habitat and their return vehicle, the mission is scrubbed and the crew evacuates. During the slog to the spacecraft, Watney is hit by a piece of equipment that breaks loose and blown away. His spacesuit shows no life signs and the mission commander makes a gut wrenching decision to leave without recovering his body because she has no other choice. But Watney isn’t dead. Using his engineering skills, a great deal of duct tape and impro-
HOW TO REACH US: Our office is located at 114 W. Madison Ave., Grantsburg, WI 54840. We are open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday - Friday. Call: 715-463-2341; Fax: 715-463-5138; Mail: P.O. Box 397, Grantsburg, WI 54840 website: www.burnettcountysentinel.com
© Sentinel Publications LLC 2015
“Your Best Source For Community Information” Active member of
Active member of
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $37 annually in zip code areas 548 & 540; $43 elsewhere; $85 for Alaska, Hawaii & foreign countries. Subscriptions are non-refundable.
Tom Stangl, Publisher tstangl@theameryfreepress.com
Jessica Johnson, Production design@burnettcountysentinel.com
Todd Beckmann, News Editor todd@burnettcountysentinel.com
Glen Skifstad, Production glen@burnettcountysentinel.com
Teresa Holmdahl, Sales Manager sales@osceolasun.com
Meg Rod, intern
Stacy Coy, Sales stacy@burnettcountysentinel.com Terry Nordrum, Front Office office@burnettcountysentinel.com
Russ Erickson, Courier Mark Smith, Courier Terry Fry, Courier
ADVERTISING & NEWS DEADLINE IS MONDAY AT NOON
vised solutions, he finds a way to survive and eventually communicate with NASA. Plans are formulated to get more supplies to Watney so he can survive until the next mission arrives. Being a novel, there are plenty of complications that arise. Watney is a resourceful person, finding a way to get things done with the items he has on hand. But it seems the odds are stacked against him. As I read the novel, I couldn’t help but think of Apollo 13 and actor Ed Harris’ portrayal of Mission Director Gene Kranz. Kranz calmly and effectively navigated through the chaos and found a way to get the crew of Apollo 13 home. I hope “The Martian” helps us as a nation find a way to get our mojo back for manned space exploration. Brilliant people have solved what seemed to be insurmountable odds to do the impossible. We need to aspire to greatness again, even if it means working with the Chinese (something that is done in the novel). As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@theameryfreepress. com, telephone 715-268-8101 or write me at P.O. Box 424, Amery, WI, 54001. Thanks for reading. I’ll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.
Guarding Your Right To Know Since 1875 The Burnett County Sentinel was the county’s first newspaper when Matthew Westcott began publishing on Feb. 19, 1875. The Sentinel continued weekly until its building and presses were destroyed by fire in 1909. The business was sold to its competitor. The Journal changed its name to “Journal and Sentinel”, but later reverted to the Journal of Burnett County. When the Journal folded in 1962, Wilbur A. Nelson revived the Burnett County Sentinel. Following his death in 1975, his wife, Marjorie Nelson and son, Gary Nelson operated it until Feb. 1, 1994, when it was purchased by Mainstream Publications. It was then purchased by Eugene Johnson on Dec. 1, 1998. The Burnett County Sentinel makes every effort to insure accuracy in all classified and display advertising, but will not be liable for errors beyond the cost of first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. The Burnett County Sentinel is published every Wednesday by Sentinel Publications, LLC. USPS No. 080020. Second-Class Postage Paid at Grantsburg, WI 54840. POSTMASTER: Send change of address form to the Burnett County Sentinel.
www.burnettcountysentinel.com