Fillmore County Journal

"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"

Journal Writing Project: The first Americans

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By Leah Himlie It’s a bit early for Thanksgiving, isn’t it? Why am I writing about the first Americans? The answer is that in our Eurocentric culture, we often forget about those who were living on this continent long before Europeans showed up: Native Americans. October 14 was Columbus Day, but more and more people are rechristening it Indigenous People’s Day in honor of … [Read more...]

Government this week

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Monday, October 21 • Rushford-Peterson School Board, Forum Room,  5:30 p.m. • Preston City Council, Council Chambers, 6 p.m.   • Kingsland School Board Work Session, Kingsland Cafe, 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 22 • Fillmore Central School Board, Preston Media Center, 7 a.m. • Fillmore County Commissioners, Courthouse, 9 a.m. Monday, October 28 • Spring … [Read more...]

America, now the untrustworthy

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To the Editor, There is a group of people (the Kurds) who have been fighting mightily for years as our allies against ISIS, a barbaric religiously extreme group of people in Syria and Iraq. The ISIS group cuts off American heads and is our terrorist enemy, remember?  On October 6, President Erdogan of Turkey asked President Trump to withdraw several dozen of our soldiers … [Read more...]

October 14 headlines

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To the Editor, This morning’s headlines in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “U.S. pulls out of Syria, ISIS prisoners go free!” “Mayhem in Syria after American withdrawal,” “Feeling abandoned by the U.S., Kurds join Syrian forces,” “Trust broken, green berets feel ‘ashamed’ for leaving the Kurds.” I wonder how the right wing-nut contributors to the Fillmore County Journal … [Read more...]

Who judges Heaven or Hell?

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To the Editor, I attended a Representative Hagedorn Town Hall meeting in Winona in early September. I’ve been haunted ever since by his response to a citizen who was asking if he was aware of the relationship between gun ownership and suicide. Mr. Hagedorn’s response was that he believed that “people who commit suicide go to hell.” Why I’m haunted by that response is that as … [Read more...]

Meet the Candidates: Daniel Hellerud Ostrander City Council

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1. Tell us about yourself My name is Daniel Hellerud and I have lived in Ostrander for the past 25 years.  I am married to my wife Stephanie and we have a daughter, Savannah.  I grew up in the Spring Valley-Wykoff area and graduated from Wykoff Public School.  I own a painting company in Rochester. 2. Why are you running for Ostrander City Council? I am running for the … [Read more...]

Meet the Candidates: Dorothy Billmeier Chatfield School Board

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1. Tell us about yourself.   I have been a Fillmore County licensed daycare provider since 2008. I have a three-star Parent Aware rating. My husband Tony and I have two sons. Dominic as well as myself are Chatfield Alumni and Dylan is a sophomore.  My husband and I have lived in the same house here in Chatfield for over 20 years and I’m proud that my family has been in … [Read more...]

Meet the Candidates: Jim O’Donnell Rushford City Council

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1. Tell us about yourself. I am a 63-year-old lifelong resident of the City of Rushford. I an finishing up my first four-year term on the Rushford City Council. I am a member of the Rushford Lions Club and serve on the board with that organization. I also serve on the Rushford Community Foundation board and the Rushford Library Board. I have previously served for 12 years on … [Read more...]

Meet the Candidates: Rick Lowrey Chatfield School Board

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1. Tell us about yourself. I’ve been married to my wife Lorri for nearly 22 years. We moved to Chatfield 15 years ago from Colorado in search of a small-town environment and a better education system to raise our children in. I am a father of three children: Jason (20), Maggie (19), and Aaron (17). I am a heavy-equipment operator by trade of the Local 49. 2. Why are you … [Read more...]