The Litchfield School Board will be approving of some reductions in the 2025-26 budget during the March 10th meeting. When the budget forecast came out, it was evident that about half-a-million dollars would need to be trimmed.
Superintendent Susan Burris says $514,399 in reductions are being considered and details of which programs, personnel and services will be revealed on March 10th. She says one of the factors affecting the budget is that the District is no longer receiving the COVID relief funds from the federal government.
Burris says the Board is updating the policies related to personal electronic communication devices and a second reading will be held on March 10th. She says Minnesota statute requires an updated internet use policy by March 15th and the Litchfield School District has already included this in the student handbook each year, so any changes will be included in next year’s handbook.
Burris says the Litchfield School Board has approved of the 2025-26 academic school calendar which will include a staff development day the day before Thanksgiving so students and their families will have an extra day for any travel plans they may have. She says the Litchfield School Board will have a work session on March 10th following the regular meeting as three consultants will be there to help with strategic planning.
Burris says she’s been having “soup with the super” in each Litchfield School District building as a way to get to know the staff better. She says state tournament time is beginning with wrestling this weekend, and the other winter sports in March so it will be a busy time leading up to spring break the final week of March. The Litchfield School Board will not be meeting on March 24th due to spring break.
The American Red Cross Bloodmobile took place in Cokato at First Baptist Church on Monday. The goal was 85-units of blood and 87-units were actually collected.
There were 4 first-time donors, 8 deferrals, 1 walk-in and 11 no-shows. The next Cokato blood drive is scheduled for Monday, June 23rd. To schedule an appointment, go to redcrossblood.org.
On this day in music, February 26, 1983, Michael Jackson’s Thriller topped the Billboard Album chart – and was well on its way to becoming the best-selling album of the year, worldwide. Produced by Quincy Jones, Jackson’s sixth studio album marked his creative and commercial breakthrough as a solo artist and, eventually, spent a whopping 37 non-consecutive weeks at No.1. Thriller also produced a record-breaking seven Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while it later earned an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards. Today, it remains the world’s best-selling album of all time.
In 1966, Nancy Sinatra scored her first No.1 hit in the US with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” Written by Lee Hazlewood, and featuring instrumentation by The Wrecking Crew, the song marked the beginning of a long creative partnership between Sinatra and Hazlewood. The swinging track – which also topped the charts in the UK, Australia, and South Africa, among other territories – became an anthem for female empowerment.
In 1980, Island Records’ Rob Partridge and Bill Stewart offered U2 a recording contract after watching their performance at Dublin’s National Boxing Stadium. A month later, the Irish rock band signed a four-year, four-album contract with the label. Their first single with Island, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock,” dropped in May, followed by their debut LP, Boy in October.
In 1965, not long before he joined the Yardbirds, session musician Jimmy Page released his first single, “She Just Satisfies,” in the UK. The future Led Zeppelin guitarist played all of the instruments (aside from drums), produced the song, and sang lead vocals.
In 2011, a survey from royalty-distribution service BMI announced that Queen’s “We Will Rock You” was still the most-played song at US sporting events, more than 30 years after its release. BMI further calculated that US radio and TV performances of the 1977 hit added up to more than 18 years of continuous airplay.
BORN ON FEBRUARY 26
1928: Fats Domino
1932: Johnny Cash
1945: Mitch Ryder
1953: Michael Bolton
1968: Tim Commerford (Rage Against The Machine)
1971: Max Martin (Producer and songwriter)
1971: Erykah Badu
1979: Corinne Bailey Rae
1982: Nate Ruess (Fun)