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🌱 Smaller kindergarten classes put pressure on Grand Rapids schools

Grand Rapids, Minnesota Patch AM: a 4 min read

Hey hey Grand Rapids! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Smaller kindergarten classes put pressure on Grand Rapids schools
  • Pokegama Lake access honors fishing guide Tom Neustrom
  • Holiday Book Boutique brings gift hunting to Grand Rapids library

Also on today's calendar: Memory Support Group- Grand Rapids and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What are the two sides of a circle? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: Cooler; a stray a.m. shower, with a high of 41 and low of 26 degrees.
  • Thursday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 35, low: 19. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Friday: Sun and some clouds, with a high of 36 and low of 18 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Declining kindergarten enrollment, sub pay top agenda at Grand Rapids School Board meeting (tncontentexchange.com) — Grand Rapids school leaders say a kindergarten class of just 198 students will bring financial and staffing challenges as early as spring. With elementary sections already shrinking, board members also debated a proposed $15 daily raise for substitute teachers, weighing tight budgets against the need to fill classrooms.
   

2. ‘A unique act': DNR names Tioga Public Water Access after late fishing guide Tom Neustrom (kaxe.org) — A Pokegama Lake boat access will carry the name of longtime Grand Rapids fishing guide and radio host Tom Neustrom, who died in July at 77. The DNR dedicated the Cohasset site Nov. 6, while a $500,000 renovation is underway to improve accessibility, safety and usability.
   

3. Holiday Book Boutique offers gift ideas and winter reading in Grand Rapids (tncontentexchange.com) — Grand Rapids readers can shop for gently used books, puzzles and games at the library Friends' Holiday Book Boutique on Nov. 23. The sale runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the library's community room, with proceeds supporting library programs and special projects, particularly the Children's Library.
   

4. From rink rats to a new varsity team (tncontentexchange.com) — Before Grand Rapids had varsity hockey, Jerry Witherill and his fellow youngsters played with borrowed skates, repaired sticks and homemade shin guards. In this recollection written in 2016, the late 1954 graduate describes how coach Cliff Kauppi and community support helped turn those outdoor-rink beginnings into a high school program.
   

5. Monitoring helps tell the story of Mississippi Headwaters water quality (walkermn.com) — The Mississippi River's northern reaches are generally healthy, but monitoring still flags sediment concerns between Grand Rapids and Brainerd linked to soil composition. The broader headwaters assessment also offers evidence that conservation work helps: Lake Irving's phosphorus load has declined compared with conditions about a decade ago.
   

📸 Around Grand Rapids

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Great Lakes Management Company posted a job opening for Maintenance Assistant in Grand Rapids. Apply here.
  • Servpro posted a job opening for Cleaning Technician in Grand Rapids. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Grand Rapids here.

Ok Grand Rapids! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "What are the two sides of a circle?" — The inside and the outside ! (Thank you James M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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Stay in the loop with what's happening in Grand Rapids

Never miss out on local news and events that matter to you.

Stay in the loop with what's happening in Grand Rapids

Never miss out on local news and events that matter to you.