Students in the Litchfield School District will be returning to classes on Monday, January 5th. With some hazardous winter weather earlier this week, there were no concerns about having to close school as the students were on their holiday break.
Supt. Susan Burris says part of her job that can be challenging is trying to determine what the weather will do and how it will impact the roads as they want to make sure students can get to and from school safely. She says they did have to use an e-learning day in December before the break and there are 5 e-learning days built into the calendar, but if they have to use any more than that, those days need to be made up as there has to be a certain number of student-teacher contact days.
Burris says there was a situation in December in which they held students at school and parents had to pick them up and she received more positive than negative feedback about that situation as she wanted to make sure the students were safe. She says she appreciates parents being patient with her and giving her some grace.
In other Litchfield School District news, Burris says the pool project at Litchfield High School should be complete by the end of January. She says the Litchfield School Board approved of 2-year teacher and paraprofessional contracts at the December 22nd meeting, and also agreed to work with ICS in getting a scientific survey conducted as they try to make a decision about going to voters in November with an operating levy or building referendum.
On this day in music, December 31, 1970, Paul McCartney filed a suit against the rest of The Beatles to dissolve their partnership. His reasons for doing so included the fact that the band was no longer performing together, as well as his bandmates’ choice to appoint business manager Allen Klein (without McCartney’s consent). The Beatles’ breakup had already been in motion, however, with John Lennon privately announcing his departure in 1969. The band made their final recordings together in August 1969, while the split was legally formalized in 1974.
In 2015, singer Natalie Cole died at the age of 65. The daughter of Nat King Cole, Natalie rose to fame in the mid-70s with hits like “This Will Be” and “Our Love,” but she found her greatest success with the 1991 album, Unforgettable… with Love. The album, which featured a virtual duet with her late father, sold more than seven million copies and earned the artist seven Grammy Awards.
In 1966, The Monkees began a seven-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the Neil Diamond-penned song, “I’m A Believer.”
In 1963, The Kinks made their live debut, playing a gig at the Lotus House Restaurant in London.
In 1961, The Beach Boys made their live debut using their now-famous name when they appeared at Long Beach Civic Auditorium in Southern California.
In 1973, AC/DC made their live debut, appearing at Chequers Bar in Sydney, Australia.
In 1984, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen suffered severe injuries in a car accident outside of Sheffield, England. While Allen lost his left arm in the accident, he remained the group’s drummer.
In 1982, legendary New York City venue Max’s Kansas City closed its doors. The club became an in-the-know gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, politicians, and more in the 60s and 70s.
In 1996, Paul McCartney officially became Sir Paul McCartney after he was listed in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
In 1999, The Manic Street Preachers performed for 57,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The Guinness Book of Records confirmed that the concert set a new record as the biggest indoor show ever staged in Europe.
BORN ON DECEMBER 31
1930: Odetta
1942: Andy Summers (The Police)
1943: John Denver
1947: Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)
1948: Donna Summer
1951: Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
1960: Paul Westerberg (The Replacements)
1963: Scott Ian (Anthrax)
1972: Joey McIntrye (New Kids On The Block)
1977: Psy
With New Year’s Eve being celebrated this evening, Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze wants to remind everyone to celebrate safely. He says it’s important to plan ahead if you’re going to be drinking – make sure you have a sober driver, or spend the night at your party location.
Sheriff Cruze says so far this year in Minnesota, there have been 368 traffic-related deaths and 96 of those have involved people driving under the influence. He says if you get a DUI, it’s not only costly to the driver, but to several other people who are involved at no choice of their own.
Sheriff Cruze says people using marijuana can also be under the influence and that now accounts for about 25% of the DUI-related offenses. He says motorists were good about staying off of the roads on Sunday when no travel was advised, and there are still some icy roads, so be careful when you’re driving.
