By Senator Amy Klobuchar As 2025 draws to a close and Minnesotans enjoy a holiday season filled with family, friends, and, yes, snow, I wanted to take stock of what we’ve accomplished this year, reflect on some of the challenges we’ve faced, and look forward to the work ahead. This year started with the transition of power from one President to another. I chaired the … [Read more...]
Letter about checking your older financial accounts…
To the Editor, I had a commodity brokerage account I hadn’t used/traded in for the past 4-5 years, which had a small but significant balance. I received a letter from that business stating “The State of MN recognizes this as unclaimed property that will be transferred to the State.” The only reason given from the State of MN: inactivity. I’m still alive, I’m aware of the … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – Christmas: Soulless and Commercialized, or Just as Jolly as Before?
By Micah Steffens Christmas has always been a big part of my life, as anyone else. From the MANY family gatherings to waking up early and running to the tree to see what Santa left. As a little kid, it always felt magical. But as the years went by, it lost its magic. I still had the same family gatherings to go to, the same tree to put up, yet something was off. Was it … [Read more...]
Good Neighbors
By Benya Kraus President & CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation This holiday season, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) has teamed up with the McKnight Foundation to distribute $100,000 in rapid response “Good Neighbor” grants to support immediate needs like heat assistance, food and other essential supplies. We are doing this through a group of … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project: Why We Can Succeed – A Generation Of Hope
By Mila Friske “I feel sorry for your generation. You have to live in such a difficult world.” I hear this sentence surprisingly often in conversations with my fellow human beings. And although it is well-intentioned, there is something about it that bothers me considerably: the assumption that there is hardly any room for hope in my generation. That we are being left with a … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – Should Men be Allowed to Use Women’s Bathrooms?
By Davian Koren In recent years, some people have been pushing the idea that trans women (biological males that pretend to be female) should be allowed to use women’s bathrooms. In this essay I’m going to lay out why I disagree with this and how I think it should be handled instead. To start I think we need to address the question of why women’s and men’s bathrooms are … [Read more...]
Finstad, Hinson Urge Trump Administration to Prioritize Domestic Vitamin Production, Strengthen Supply Chain Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) led 14 Members of Congress in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and his administration urging immediate action to strengthen domestic production of vitamins and other critical nutrients and review vulnerabilities in the current supply chain. Cosigners of the letter … [Read more...]
Senator Steve Drazkowski Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election in 2026
ST. PAUL, MN – Senator Steve Drazkowski (R–Mazeppa) today announced he will not seek re-election to the Minnesota Senate. The 2026 session will mark the end of his nearly two-decade legislative career in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate. Senator Drazkowski represents Senate District 20, which includes Wabasha and Goodhue Counties and parts of Olmsted, Winona, … [Read more...]
Quiet! Quiet, Piggy!
By Eric Luoma Fountain, MN Have you been wishing for some “common sense” in government? How about demanding some common decency first. Common sense requires common life experiences, which vary even amongst friends and family. Common decency, however, can be seen and delivered among complete strangers. One soul seeing another, recognizing a truth that is self-evident: … [Read more...]
Letter about Minnesota Somalis…
To the Editor, I am appalled at the president’s comment, “Minnesota Somalis are garbage.” I wish my voice heard as one of the Minnesotans standing up for our fellow citizens who happen to be Somali. Please do not let the bad behavior of a few individuals be attributed to a whole population who are then persecuted just for being from a specific country. Yes, there are Somalis … [Read more...]