On October 23, 2015, Adele released her record-smashing hit, “Hello.” The week prior, a 30-second clip of the highly-anticipated track was played during a commercial break on The X Factor, building excitement for the single. Upon its release, the song marked the British artist’s second No.1 single, while it topped the charts in a record-breaking 36 countries. In the US, the song became the first track to sell more than a million digital copies in one week (it remains one of the best-selling digital singles ever). The visual for the song, meanwhile, broke the Vevo Record by accruing nearly 28 million views within 24 hours, while on YouTube, it became the fastest video to reach one billion views (87 days).
In 1963, Bob Dylan recorded his enduring anthem, “The Times They Are A-Changin.” Inspired by traditional Irish and Scottish ballads, the song reflected the social and political upheaval of the decade and became one of the singer-songwriter’s signature hits. Over the years, the song has been covered by countless artists, including The Byrds, Nina Simone, the Beach Boys, and Brandi Carlile.
In 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single, a cover of the rock standard, “’Hey Joe.” The song became a Top Ten hit in the UK several months after its release, eventually landing at No.6. While it failed to chart in the US, Hendrix’s rendition of the song became one of his signature hits and, over the decades, has ranked on numerous “Best Of” lists.
In 2006, Amy Winehouse released her rebellious signature hit, “Rehab.” Marking the lead single off the singer’s sophomore album, Back to Black, the song was a Top Ten hit in the US and UK and won multiple awards, including three Grammys and an Ivor Novello.
In 2005, Arctic Monkeys scored their first No.1 hit in the UK with “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.” The song marked the lead single from their debut studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.
In 1976, Chicago began a two-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “If You Leave Me Now.” While it was the group’s 18th Top 40 hit, it marked their first No.1.
In 1962, 12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder recorded his first single for Motown Records, “Thank You For Loving Me All The Way.”
In 1993, Meat Loaf landed his first UK No.1 with his signature hit, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That),” featured on Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell.
In 1989, Nirvana played their first UK show in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
BORN ON OCTOBER 23
1949: Michael Burston (Motorhead)
1956: Dwight Yoakam
1959: Weird Al Yankovic
1964: Roberto Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica)
Minnesota 7th District Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach says the federal government shutdown is now into its 4th week. She says House Republicans passed a clean bill at the end of September to keep the government funded through November 21st, but the Senate has failed to pass a bill after voting 11 times.
Fischbach says they need to find 4 Democrats in the Senate who will vote for the bill. She says the main sticking point for the Democrats seems to be health care.
Fischbach says members of Congress are still getting paid during the shutdown as that is mandated by the Constitution, and the furloughed government workers will receive back pay once the government reopens. She says the Senators and Representatives could ask not to be paid, but they would also receive back pay after the shutdown.
Fischbach says President Trump has transferred $13-billion dollars to the U.S.D.A. to help farmers as the ag economy has been affected by the trade wars, but that money is not available at this time due to the shutdown. She says the U.S. has been dependent on China for buying our soybeans, but other markets should be looked at for using crops like soybeans such as the domestic fuel market. If anyone has concerns and would like to contact Congresswoman Fischbach, her closest office is in Willmar.
The school year is going fast according to Lake Ripley Elementary School Principal Chris Olson. He says it’s been a fun start to the school year and the students have been working hard.
Olson says they do standardized testing three times a year which helps them identify students who may need some extra help, especially in math and reading. He says they have something new called WIN time which stands for “What I Need” so the students can spend that half-hour block of time catching up in certain subject areas, working together with a classmate or maybe just doing some reading on their own.
Olson says the SUN room – which stands for Students with Unique Needs – was completed this past summer at Lake Ripley Elementary School in part of the old cafeteria space. He says students with higher needs utilize the room to get individual help in their learning.
Olson says they are grateful to the public for all of the donations they received in their shoe campaign as Tradehome Shoe Company will match those donations to help children at Lake Ripley Elementary School receive shoes, and their parents will be able to select shoes at the fall conferences – just before Thanksgiving. He says the students have had some fun field trips this fall including the first graders who went to the Nelson Farm, the second graders who visited an orchard and the fourth graders who learned about the maintenance of the Litchfield Golf Course; and the 3rd and 4th graders will get to see a preview of the Litchfield High School Drama Dept. production of “Tarzan.”
The Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Committee met on Tuesday night, with final preparations being made for a group of delegates to travel to Hartford, Alabama the first week of November.
Five Litchfield High School FFA students and two chaperones will be on this year’s trip.
The students include Cade Cervin, Alexis Engelke, Bianca Forsberg, Wyatt Ratike, and Emmett VanDerBill and their hosts are Conner Childs, Ella & Jase Turner, Kaitlyn Harris, Porter Miller and Brayden & Addison West, respectively. Their chaperones are Lane & Abagayle Lysdal who will be staying with Darin & Lisa Moseley in Hartford.
The group will travel nonstop to Fort Walton Beach, Florida on November 1st and will be picked up by the sister-city committee from Hartford. They will spend the week learning about the peanut and cotton industries; will tour other businesses in Southeast Alabama; and attend the National Peanut Festival. They will return to Minnesota on November 8th and will talk about their experiences at the next Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 18th at 7 p.m. in the Litchfield High School Ag Room. Everyone is welcome.
Also Tuesday evening, the Committee selected the dates for this winter’s Peanut Butter & Milk Festival. It will run from January 31st to February 7th of 2026. A group from Hartford, Alabama will visit Meeker County that week to learn about the dairy industry and experience outdoor winter activities. Also on Tuesday, the PB&M Committee listened to a presentation by the FFA Ag Issues Team as they did a skit about eminent domain and power line construction.