The understatement of the month might have to go to Brainerd School Superintendent Steve Razidlo who commented recently on the status of contract negotiations with the district's eight union groups.

There was no misrepresentation on my part to the council regarding the library budget.

Building a new elementary school closer to where the children live seems like a sensible solution. We should invest in a 21st century elementary school and not rely on stop-gap measures to serve our children. After all they are our future. It couldn't have been easy for taxpayers in the 1940s to raise the money to build our existing schools. Those buildings are out of date now and it is our turn to step up and meet the needs of our kids.

In August, President Obama went to Elkhart, Ind., to announce $2.4 billion in grants "to develop the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and trucks powered by the next generation of batteries."