There are considerable benefits to being able to speak well. People who can present their ideas clearly, persuasively, and with confidence will usually be more successful than those who cannot. This starts with fundamentals like good grammar and a decent education so that you will have something worth saying and be able to say it properly, but then one must work on putting one’s thoughts into a concise and persuasive form. This isn’t easy, nor is it something one can just decide to do. One has to work at it. Students can join debate clubs and take public speaking classes.

JANUARY NOVEMBER Wolbach Parks and Recreation, a committee formed in June of 2022 with the stated goal of bringing a splash pad and new playground equipment to Wolbach rang in the new year with its first formal fundraising event, a New Year’s Eve Casino Night at the Wolbach Community Center. A crowd of 114 people had attended the event, and about $4,800 in profit was recorded. --- FEBRUARY

Those who were pining for a white Christmas in 2023 saw their dreams become reality last week. Across the area, on Christmas Day, December 25th, a major winter storm pushed across the Cornhusker State, leaving in its path multiple inches of snow locally and, elsewhere in the state, over a foot of fresh powder.

The past year was filled with memorable headlines generated in St. Paul and across Howard County, and the Phonograph-Herald is kicking off the new year by looking back at the biggest news stories of 2023. --- JANUARY

Howard County received between five to seven inches of snow on Christmas Day, leading to a white Christmas and dicey travel conditions..