BrandonInfo.com

I see the Dec. 3 City Council agenda has “Consider Quality Assurance Committee proposals” as an agenda item under “new business.”

Will you attend the meeting? I plan to be there.

The Sneakers relocation conditional use request is on the agenda also.

I am going to attempt to blog live from the school bond public forum tonight. (I’ll be using a borrowed laptop, so I hope it all works.) The forum will be held at the Valley Springs Elementary band room, beginning at 8 p.m. It should last about an hour.

I will post the questions and comments from the audience. If you post to the blog during the meeting, I’ll attempt to get answers to any questions you have also.

I’ll blog under this heading, so watch this thread beginning at 8 p.m.

Tonight is the first of three school bond public forums. Will you attend? What questions do you have about the $23 million bond issue voters will decide on Dec. 4?

The forums will be held at 8 p.m. at

Brandon Valley Middle School, tonight.

Valley Springs Elementary band room, Tuesday.

Split Rock Fire Hall, Thursday.

Do you know someone who is an everyday hero? The Argus Leader is looking for those special people who inspire us to smile, lend a hand or give back to the community.

To nominate someone, fill out a form at www.argusleader.com or e-mail everydayhero@argusleader.com.

A special section filled with stories of these everyday heroes will be in the Argus in late December.

Are you going shopping today? Do you have a shopping list, or are you just going to browse?

Today is Black Friday, the day where stores get so much business that they can be in the black instead of in the red. Yesterday’s Argus Leader weighed 10 pounds, stuff with advertising from merchants anticipating multitudes of customers starting their Christmas shopping.

Do you do your Christmas shopping on Black Friday?

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I just wrote a story about kids in Brandon Valley who don’t have enough food to keep their bellies full. I am thankful I have plenty of food.

A few weeks ago, I got assigned, by my bosses at the Argus Leader, to be the Brandon reporter for the Brandon Valley Challenger and the Argus. I am thankful I have a job.

A few days ago, I saw parents, teachers and administration congratulate the cheer team for winning the state title. I am thankful I live in a community with people who care.

This afternoon, I’m going to take pictures of the Brandon Lutheran Church choir practicing their upcoming cantata. I am thankful I have a faith family for spiritual support.

Tomorrow, I am going to have dinner with family members ranging from my 92-year-old grandmother to my son’s fiance. I am thankful I have family.

Two nights ago, my deceased father made an appearance in one of my dreams. I am thankful I have memories.

Yesterday at the Taco John’s drive-through, I added an extra dollar to my bill to help pay for diabetes research. I am thankful I have enough to share.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

What are you having for Thanksgiving dinner? Are you traditional and have started to thaw the turkey already, or are you nontraditional and plan to have lasagna?

This year, my son’s girlfriend picked the menu. We’re having corn fritters, apple-and-pear-stuffed pork chops, bacon zucchini, baked yams and chocolate brownie cake topped with raspberries. Sounds like quite a feast.

Tonight, the City Council will hold its regular briefing meeting in the council chambers at 5:30 p.m. One of the evening’s topics will be what to do about ambulance quality assurance. There are varying opinions about whether the city’s ordinance requires quality assurance to be in place on the day MED-Star’s license goes into effect.

That was supposed to happen today, but most likely it won’t. Metro Communications isn’t ready to dispatch 911 calls to MED-Star, and it’s not known when they will be.

Ambulance quality assurance also is on the agenda for the council’s next regular meeting, which will be Nov. 19.

How do you think the city should proceed with quality assurance? Below are some of the options that have been brought up so far. Which of them look to you like the best choice? Why? The worst choice? Why? Do you have any options not listed below that you would like the council to consider?

Can you contain your posts to discussion of the options and their benefits or drawbacks? I hope so.

Possible options (in no particular order):

1. Recruit one or more medical professionals who are Brandon residents.

2. Recruit one or more medical professionals without regard to where they live.

3. Rely on MED-Star’s medical director.
4. Contract with REMSA.

5. Contract with an out-of-state professional agency.

6. Rely on the City Council for review.

7. Go without review.

Fans can congratulate the Brandon Valley Cheer Team Monday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. at the middle school. The team won first place in the first-ever state AA cheer team competition Nov. 10 in Yankton.

Five AA schools competed in this first season.

What words of congratulations and encouragement do you have for the team? Will you be attending the celebration Nov. 19?

The Brandon City Council appointed John Saarloos as Ward I councilman at tonight’s special City Council meeting. It took three votes to get the four votes needed to appoint the new member. Saarloos will take the oath and begin his council duteis at the Nov. 19 council meeting.

Others who applied for the seat were Brent Anderson, Blaine Jones, Karmen Sawh, Matt Sawh, Heath Tople and Darrell Schroeder.

Saarloos moved to Brandon in 2000 from Luverne, Minn.

What are your thoughts on this appointment?

On Saturday, Jim Olsen, project manager for the Holly Boulevard project, said the street would be open sometime Monday, probably later in the day. The project is not done yet, but motorists will be able to drive out of and into town without having to take detours.

Is this great or what? Or if, for some reason, it isn’t great, why not?

This Saturday the community will say farewell to Police Chief Phil Youngdale at an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Brandon Fire Hall.
The longtime chief leaves his job later this month after 25 years.
What will be the Youngdale legacty and how will the department be different without him?

Just when it looked like the long months of deciding whether or not MED-Star should be allowed to operate in Brandon, it appears the issue has hit another roadblock.
The three committee members named to oversee the calls and ensure a quality service have all resigned, citing personal reasons.
Some council members say that without a committee Jay Masur and MED-Star should not be able to start doing business in Brandon.
Others say the ambulance service’s medical director could do that work.
It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

A group of students, parents and educators have been studying whether or not the Brandon Valley school district should join a state program and purchase laptop computers for students to use.
Does this strike you as a valuable education tool or an extravagance that the district can’t afford right now?

Brandon Lutheran Church is starting a couple of new programs for children. One is a bell choir called the Cherub Ringers Choir. The other is a children’s choir for grades two through six.

I remember being in a children’s choir at Brandon Lutheran when I was in the third grade. I enjoyed it and still remember a couple of the songs we sang.

What programs does your church offer for little kids? Do your kids participate? How do their like it?

Do you rake your leaves, blow them or mulch them? Do you leave them on the lawn until spring?

I remember when I was a kid, my father removed a mature willow tree from our front lawn when we bought our house, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with fallen leaves.

My husband got a mulcher mower and goes over the fallen leaves with that in the fall.

If you gather up your leaves and bag them, how do you dispose of them? Do they end up in the landfill?