VOX POP

It wasn't that long ago people were whining about the noisy, destructive snowmobiles. The snowmobiles are far noisier than an ATV. Now, snowmobile riders are treated like pro athletes and movie stars. They can do no wrong, ride where they want. They spend money. The communities and businesses that first recognized this are still the ones reaping the rewards. People are creatures of habit and will continue to go to communities that welcomes them first. The area should wake up and get these tourist dollars coming here.

New planner needed

The school district needs to find a new community regional planner with more accurate and up-to-date information. All projections made by the state since the economic downturn show contracting population in the lakes area not growth. Just ask any business person or real estate agent how much "growth" there has been in the last year. And by the way, no one is planning light rail between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The rail proposal is for traditional "heavy rail" service.

Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submissions are limited to 100 words. To phone in a comment, call (218) 855-5888 and leave a message. To e-mail a comment, write to voxpop@brainerddispatch.com. Comments, which must meet the newspaper's standards of fairness and good taste, may be edited for clarity, length and libel.