It will be interesting to see if there will be any public comment at a hearing this Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3, at the Pierce County courthouse concerning a recently approved resolution by the commission to appoint the County Recorder and Clerk of Court prior to the next election for those offices.

The two positions have always been elected, but the commission’s reasoning for a change in selecting the office heads is to insure well-qualified personnel continue to be in those offices. Commissioners have acknowledged voters have done an effective job in the past of selecting good candidates to serve. The issue is whether residents are OK with the commission taking that decision out of voters’ hands.

Shop locally

The Rugby Area Job Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce is working with businesses through a new 3/50 campaign to encourage residents to support hometown businesses.

In a nutshell, the idea is for residents to spend at least $50 a month at three local businesses. If everyone did that, it would assure our local businesses are viable, in turn, helping our community. It’s likely many residents are already doing that, but this campaign is a good reminder to support our local merchants. It’s a reminder we need now and again, especially with Christmas right around the corner.

Well done, Rugby!

Congratulations are in order for the Rugby boys cross country team which earned their first-ever Class B state title on Oct. 24 (See: Top team, Page 13). The Panther boys had five all-state finishers (Kyle Volk, Dylan Yoder, Erik Wangler, Dustin Jundt and Wyatt Thompson). The Rugby girls team had an all-state finisher in Sydney Kraft, and finished seventh. Coach Bill Jansen was also named Class B boys coach of the year.

The sport doesn’t get as much attention as others, but the runners train and compete just as hard. And Rugby is proud to say they are home to the top Class B boys team in the state.