Over the past several weeks, many of our readers have probably heard about the data privacy issues relating to Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, and how the information from more than 50 million Facebook users was utilized to influence the election that resulted in Donald Trump claiming the title of President of the United States of America. Yes, Facebook made all user … [Read more...]
Celebrating National Pet Day locally
On Wednesday, April 11, 2018, the world will celebrate National Pet Day. We have decided to embrace this opportunity in our newspaper in the Monday, April 9, 2018, issue of the Fillmore County Journal. For many of our readers, pets are an important part of their lives. In our household, we have an eight-year-old male Yorkshire Terrier named Baxter. We purchased him as a … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… 2018 Teacher of the Year nominations
On May 2, 2017, the Fillmore County Journal presented the first Golden Apple Award to Mary Hoiland, a 42-year veteran of the Rushford-Peterson School District. Historically, this was the first time in which a Teacher of the Year was selected from the six school districts in Fillmore County. As referenced in a May 10, 2017, article authored by Barb Jeffers, “In addition to … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Play video games or go to work?
As of December 2017, the unemployment rate in Minnesota dipped to 3.1%. And, according to DEED (Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development), Fillmore County hovers closer to 2.9%. And, if you ask any business owner about their hiring prognosis, they are less and less optimistic about finding candidates to fill their open positions. From 2008 to 2018, we … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… What killed U.S. savings bonds?
Nearly every adult over the age of 40 recalls receiving U.S. savings bonds from their grandparents when they were younger. That is probably a foreign concept for children of today. Why? In today’s issue of the Fillmore County Journal, you’ll notice several pages dedicated to the “Cute Kids of Fillmore County.” This is a special feature we have been publishing in our … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… We won three awards, but..
I’m proud to share that our team at the Fillmore County Journal won three awards at the 151st annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention held at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloominton, Minn., on Thursday, January 25, and Friday, January 26. Historically, our newspaper staff has never found enough time to submit entries for the MNA Better Newspaper Contest, but this … [Read more...]
Will Kaase run for Sheriff again?
Following Captain John DeGeorge’s announcement that he would seek the seat of Fillmore County Sheriff in the November 2018 election, the Fillmore County Journal reached out to current Sheriff Tom Kaase. Sheriff Kaase was asked if he will be seeking re-election. In an e-mail, Kaase replied “Good morning, Jason! Yes, I will be running!” No further details have been provided … [Read more...]
The two M’s: Marriage and Money
This is purely an opinion piece as it relates to couples embarking upon the unity of marriage. I recall while working at the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, I went to lunch with a co-worker. Let’s just say his name was Jerry, because his name was Jerry Boland. I had recently asked my girlfriend to marry me in September of 1999. Jerry asked me a question I hadn’t been asked … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Was it an eagle or a hawk?
On the first day of 2018, at approximately 9 a.m., I traveled from our home in Fountain to the Fillmore County Journal office in Preston. It was a frigid morning with the combination of wind chill and temperature dipping down around negative 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Just after passing over Watson Creek, on the right (west) side of Highway 52, I saw a large dead bird resting on … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Teamwork and sportsmanship
What are we teaching our kids? I recently attended both seventh and eighth grade girls basketball games in a school district in a land not-so-far away. At this event, I witnessed something quite disappointing. Much to my dismay, the referees didn’t appear to care about the safety of the players. They rarely called fouls, charging, traveling, or double-dribble. As I said … [Read more...]