5/21/2023 0 Comments Gaylord herald timesBut a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protected abortion rights and in August 2022, voters rejected a proposed change to the state constitution to overturn that decision and give lawmakers the power to greatly restrict or ban abortion. Supreme Court declared in June that states can ban abortion, and the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature has long had strong anti-abortion majorities in both chambers. She can be reached at or by leaving a message at 23.The U.S. Like any other town, Gaylord has its issues, but one thing it has been phenomenal at is having a bunch of people who have a strong desire to help others. I salute Gaylord residents and encourage others to take a leaf out of their book by helping others whenever we can.Īrielle Breen is the assistant editor for the Manistee News Advocate. Part of me just wants to jump right in the trenches like I used to and really see all those faces who are feeding, supporting and looking out for one another. I am trying to figure out the best way I personally can help out Gaylord at the moment and what is going to be most meaningful or impactful on my end at this time. It makes me proud to see all my friends, former coworkers and acquaintances teaming up to tackle the tornado damage while caring for residents and people who are unhoused. Then, I got sucked into all the fun things like helping Gaylord Community Productions, completing the special Leadership Otsego program and so much more. Gaylord is where I really learned how to grow and exercise my community journalism muscles as I paid close attention to the details that mattered and the efforts surrounding the town with new projects and initiatives. I miss the excitement around Alpenfest and being an integral part of revealing who the town’s highly honored pseudo mayor would be and all the other roles that come with that festival that made it feel like a little slice of life from a cozy village. We would speak using words like blumenkranz, Der Buergermeister and say phrases like “See you on the ‘Strasse!” We would help with Swiss soups, pancake breakfast gatherings, stilt-walking contests and walk in parades wearing lederhosen and dirndls. The Alpine Village, as they call it, has a special place in my heart and I still reminisce about how the newspaper and all the other businesses in town - because yes, a newspaper is a business - would gather and volunteer in shifts to cover events during the Alpine-themed Alpenfest in the summers. I need to emphasize that point because I just really have never seen a town that has such a deeply ingrained sense of volunteerism than Gaylord. I even lived in the volunteer state of Tennessee for a period and I don’t remember seeing so many people really come together quite the way that Gaylord always has been while I’ve known it. It felt like community effort is a big part of Gaylord’s DNA in a way that I have yet to find elsewhere outside that town. I learned that Gaylord has a die-hard volunteer spirit unlike any other town I have lived. Each day, I see new social media posts from friends showing the work they are doing and how they are supporting others. Gaylord is home to my friends, former neighbors and acquaintances who all seem to be gathering together to pick up the pieces right now. Leaving Gaylord in 2020 was one of the hardest decisions I made. Otsego County is where I learned how to start enjoying nature more and gain valuable outdoors skills while having fun in the stunning places like the Pigeon River Country State Forest listening for wild elk and seeking new trails to travel. I left Gaylord with a hodgepodge of people I consider friends after making great connections through my reporting work, picking up people along the way. Gaylord is where I learned the importance of having a support system. Gaylord is the place I brag about having my favorite winters, my favorite quirky festivals and is near the headwaters of the locally famous Blue Ribbon trout streams: the Pigeon, Black and Sturgeon rivers. I saw the videos and photos from all the places I used to know and it was so surreal.įrom the chain stores to the road near my old home, Gaylord doesn’t look like the Gaylord I remember in my mind’s eye anymore. News of the large tornado that hit Gaylord last week has really impacted me mentally. Even though I thought it was sad no one else bothered to show up, I knew that at least those topics mattered and I could pull nuanced news that residents could use from that meeting. I felt pretty proud when I was the only member of the audience at school board meetings.
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