By Sara Goodman Last Friday we celebrated Catelyn and her teammate, Alora, on senior night and then celebrated their last home game on Saturday. Looking back at 13 years of hockey (it could be 12 but no one seems to remember for sure), I felt a mix of emotions that was not unfamiliar, having been through several senior nights already during Gage’s final season of sports. Whether you’re happy or sad, it’s never easy, no matter how many times you’ve done it. There are always highs and lows throughout the years of any sport, but hopefully, the good outweighs the bad. Such is the case for Catelyn’s hockey career. We’ve been as high as winning the whole enchilada at the state tournament Catelyn’s sophomore year, to the low of almost pulling the plug on hockey altogether her final year as a PeeWee due to some ongoing health issues. Along the way, we’ve made amazing friendships with our fellow parents and players, spent countless quality time together traveling to games and tournaments, and picked up some shiny hardware here and there along the way. There have been tears of frustration on occasion, but most of the lumps in our throats, snotty noses and smudged mascara have come from celebrations and triumphs. We are ready to close the hockey chapter after the state tournament in March and see what the future holds for our girl. Hockey has made her tough, both physically and mentally, and has given her countless other redeeming qualities that will take her far in life.

It’s been a wonderful and cold week in the Borderland area, and to celebrate the obnoxious temperatures, I participated in a very fitting activity not once but twice last week. It all started weeks ago when I was whining in the office to one of our reporters, Rebecca Davis, about how I had been wanting to go ice skating.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia We all feel awful for the thousands of folks that have lost everything to the wildfires in California. Obviously living in paradise comes with a price. The finger pointing has already begun. Liberals are blaming climate change, conservatives are blaming the liberals. A little fact checking - despite reports to the contrary, NO fire trucks from Oregon were denied entry into California because they didn’t meet the states stringent emissions standards. True: Water towers and fire hydrants ran dry. Open for debate – the water shortage was the result of efforts in California to preserve a small fish called the Delta Smelt, limiting how much water can be pumped out of the fish’s habitat and redirected to needed reservoirs. True: Police have arrested several criminals dressed as firefighters burglarizing homes in fire ravaged areas. True: 17.6 million dollars in funding was cut to Los Angeles County Fire budgets in recent months while $100,000 was granted to a Midnight Stroll Transgender Café. Google it. I’ve been to California a time or two, once for a broadcasters convention in Grass Valley where I was introduced to Alan Gratzer, one of the founding members of the iconic rock band REO Speedwagon.

Last week and the weekend were busy - full of basketball in Minot, Warwick and Munich; hockey games at home (thankfully!); NFL football; various board meetings; taking down my Christmas decorations and cleaning. I don’t put up many Christmas decorations because a) I’m a bit lazy about decorating and b) I hate taking them down because then the house seems so empty and devoid of color, and also because then I have to clean. My fake trees leave a mess of fake needle debris, and there’s always glitter. Why is there always so much glitter? I usually leave up a few decorations that are more wintery such as wooden snowflakes (with glitter on them, of course), a lantern decorated with greenery and buffalo plaid ribbon, a cheap little Dollar General owl and some stick figure, gold-colored deer. I might leave out a few winter throw pillows and extra blankets, because you can never have enough blankets in the winter. I leave the fake pine greenery studded with even more fake looking little pinecones adorning the mantle; the birch logs (which are real) stay in my old crocks in the bathroom. It takes a few days to get used to the emptiness in the rooms, but once I’m done cleaning, I don’t mind. I’m a minimalist when it comes to decorating, and once I have things where I want them, they don’t move… sometimes for years. The only decorations I’ve changed recently are new family pictures on the wall upstairs in the family room to replace the ones I had from four years ago. Catelyn kept bugging me for new ones because she had gotten her braces off in the interim years and wanted to see herself on the wall brace-face free.

It feels strange to watch the massive storm causing all sorts of snow emergencies in the southern states and on to the east coast. Seven states have declared a state of emergency.

I’ve got plenty of things on my winter to-do list, the fun kind of stuff anyways. My list ranges from snowmobiling, ice skating, and skiing to the one I got to cross off the list this weekend, which was plenty of ice fishing.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia By now you likely have heard about the latest fire at the golf course in Morden. If not, over the weekend the new restaurant and clubhouse at Minnewasta Country Club was destroyed by fire, again. Yes, they just bounced back with a brand new facility following a fire that claimed the same building two or three years ago. What the hell? The first fire was the result of an electrical short; you can be sure they’ll be taking a close look at what started this most recent blaze. Our thoughts go out to all of our Morden area friends that are disheartened by this devastating fire. Finally, on happenings north of the border, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down. I guess the whole 51st State thing was too much for him.

On January 7, the regular session of the 69th Legislative Assembly will gavel in. In North Dakota, legislative sessions only occur for up to 80 days every other year, so this is a critical time for folks across the state to engage with your government.

Here we are, entering a new year, and hopes are high for a great one! January can bring hope and a fresh start if you need that; we all do whether we realize it or not. Last year’s memories carry over, while new ones are already being made.

As I’m sure many of our readers are this time of year, I’ve been reflecting on 2024 lately. It was a year full of ups and downs for me on a personal and professional level.