Tragedy won't define Malden community
This was expressed by Bob Law, lifelong Malden resident and town of Malden councilor, who's eyes watered when he put into words how much the new Malden Community Building meant.
"It's quite the achievement," he said. "We've been dealing with everything, the small things people don't even realize. It makes you appreciate the things you've got."
The small town located in northern Whitman County celebrated an enormous milestone in its ongoing revitalization efforts. People and officials from across the region came Thursday to get a sneak peek of the facility, which replaces original buildings lost during the Babb Road Fire in 2020.
Malden Mayor Dan Harwood said the accomplishment has been years in the making. Town of Malden Clerk Chandelle Frick said it's the result of neighbors and family working tirelessly to bring pride back to their town.
"Disaster happens," Harwood said. "We want to remember and honor the past, but we're moving forward."
Much of Malden was destroyed by a fire storm that engulfed the town on Labor Day in 2020. Its post office, city hall, library, fire station, old gas station and 67 homes were lost to the blaze.
Law said the town hasn't felt the same since. What used to be a population of 250 before the fire now sits at 155 residents because people couldn't afford to rebuild.
Malden's turning point was in February 2024 when it opened the municipality building, which houses the fire station, town hall and post office. The facility was the first community gathering space in Malden in nearly four years.
Its newly unveiled community building is an equally monumental moment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Trump Labor Department Supports American Workers With Image of AI-Generated Worker
Labor Day is coming up, and to celebrate, the Trump administration's Labor Department recently published a blog post heralding the accomplishments of the American worker while subtly giving us a peek at their vision for the future of the American workforce. 'On Labor Day, we pause to recognize the achievements, contributions, and sacrifices of the hardworking men and women who have carried on the American Dream for future generations,' the post said. When the post first went up a few days ago, it included an image of what appeared, upon first glance, to be a welder. The Daily Beast did some digging, however, and found that the image that the government had used was an AI-generated picture sourced from Adobe, dubbed 'American Welder at Work Sparks Fly Patriotism Metal Fabrication Industry.' Not long after the original blog post was published, the website was subsequently updated, and the picture was changed to what appears to be a real human worker doing real human work. The Wayback Machine, however, still shows the original image. So, the Trump administration apparently thinks so much of America's workers that it can't even take the time to find a real picture of one for its Labor Day promo. That tracks, given that the same administration also has dense ties to the AI industry, which, as far as anyone can tell, is mostly focused on automating away jobs in various fields, thus leading to the replacement, not employment, of American workers. Gizmodo reached out to the Labor Department for comment and will update this story when we receive a response. Trump has always espoused support for America's blue-collar cadres, while representing the interests of organizations and people whose policies are harmful to that very demographic. Trump has also promised a 'Golden Age' in the U.S. that 'puts American workers first.' However, the economy doesn't appear to be in a very good place right now, and, much like the AI-generated worker that formerly adorned the government's website, its gains may be largely illusory.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Let's go have some fun:' APS gets school year started
Aug. 20—The doors were opened wide across the Austin Public Schools District on Wednesday morning as the district opened up its 2025-26 school year. Complete with a celebratory atmosphere, students funneled through the doors of Austin High School on a day that staff sees as always being a happy one. "The building's different," said AHS Principal Matt Schmidt. "When there are no kids it's quiet. It's not as fun in the summer. We get a lot done, but it's so much better when there are teachers and kids in the building. Much different energy." Part of the reason for the energy on display for opening day is to create a welcoming atmosphere that students can get into, which of course includes a new class of incoming freshmen. "We want to make it fun and inviting," Schmidt said. "That's what we're trying to do. You've got kids at all different levels. You got kids in eighth grade going into ninth grade. It's a big building. It can be a little scary so you want to make sure they are feeling welcome. You got seniors that have been here for a few years and kind of know what's going on." "Just creating some excitement," he added. This marks a slightly earlier start from years past and that's because of a pair of things. First, it allows the district to spread more breaks out through the year, especially during long periods of time where perhaps there are no holidays to break things up. "When it comes to the spring, you have two months without a break. Those are hard," Schmidt said. "Holiday breaks are a little bit longer (between) and it helps with learning." However, it's also due to construction on Oakland Avenue West as well as work within the district. After reaching a certain dollar amount in work, districts in the State of Minnesota are allowed to request a waiver from the state to start earlier before Labor Day. To that end, the district has completed a large number of projects over the summer leading into the new school year. In Austin High School alone, Hastings Gym received new flooring, Christgau Hall was newly painted as well as the third floor and the outside of the building was power washed. Looking down the line, Schmidt said that they are eyeing a completion date for the weight room renovation toward the end of October. Funded through the Thielen Foundation, renovation will completely make-over the weight room. "We're getting wall wraps in the next couple weeks and then flooring is going in," Schmidt said. "We're ready to put that down and really, we're just waiting on equipment." All that was left Wednesday was to get the new year under way. "Let's go have some fun," Schmidt said. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Let's go have some fun:' APS gets school year started
Aug. 20—The doors were opened wide across the Austin Public Schools District on Wednesday morning as the district opened up its 2025-26 school year. Complete with a celebratory atmosphere, students funneled through the doors of Austin High School on a day that staff sees as always being a happy one. "The building's different," said AHS Principal Matt Schmidt. "When there are no kids it's quiet. It's not as fun in the summer. We get a lot done, but it's so much better when there are teachers and kids in the building. Much different energy." Part of the reason for the energy on display for opening day is to create a welcoming atmosphere that students can get into, which of course includes a new class of incoming freshmen. "We want to make it fun and inviting," Schmidt said. "That's what we're trying to do. You've got kids at all different levels. You got kids in eighth grade going into ninth grade. It's a big building. It can be a little scary so you want to make sure they are feeling welcome. You got seniors that have been here for a few years and kind of know what's going on." "Just creating some excitement," he added. This marks a slightly earlier start from years past and that's because of a pair of things. First, it allows the district to spread more breaks out through the year, especially during long periods of time where perhaps there are no holidays to break things up. "When it comes to the spring, you have two months without a break. Those are hard," Schmidt said. "Holiday breaks are a little bit longer (between) and it helps with learning." However, it's also due to construction on Oakland Avenue West as well as work within the district. After reaching a certain dollar amount in work, districts in the State of Minnesota are allowed to request a waiver from the state to start earlier before Labor Day. To that end, the district has completed a large number of projects over the summer leading into the new school year. In Austin High School alone, Hastings Gym received new flooring, Christgau Hall was newly painted as well as the third floor and the outside of the building was power washed. Looking down the line, Schmidt said that they are eyeing a completion date for the weight room renovation toward the end of October. Funded through the Thielen Foundation, renovation will completely make-over the weight room. "We're getting wall wraps in the next couple weeks and then flooring is going in," Schmidt said. "We're ready to put that down and really, we're just waiting on equipment." All that was left Wednesday was to get the new year under way. "Let's go have some fun," Schmidt said. Solve the daily Crossword
