By Kristin Gudmundson Peterson, MN Living in rural Minnesota, we often hear about the challenges of declining population when a school referendum is discussed. But according to the website https://center-for-rural-policy.shinyapps.io/Atlas_2025/ it is projected that Fillmore County’s population will remain basically steady looking out as far as 2035, with a change of +0.0 … [Read more...]

To the Editor, Whatever your stand on immigration, there’s probably another aspect worth considering. I just finished reading the book “Milked,” by Ruth Conniff, which gave me a new perspective on the global economic forces affecting the Midwest farm bankruptcies and the contentious politics around immigration. What’s so captivating about the book is the stories. Stories from … [Read more...]

To the Editor, Hello, my name is Greg Smith.  I am a graduate of Rushford High School.  I was on the Board of Directors of the Rushford-Peterson School District.  I was on the Board for eight years prior to building the new school.  We qualified for state cost share on building a new school because of the damage from the August 2007 Flood to our tax base.  As part of the … [Read more...]

By Zech Sindt On January 13, my wife and I attended a Fillmore and Houston County Republicans event in Mabel featuring several Republican candidates seeking the party’s endorsement for governor. The event gave voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, without sound bites, commercials, or filtered messaging. What stood out was not that the candidates … [Read more...]

By Drew Evans  Superintendent, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension On January 7, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was notified that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel were involved in a shooting in Minneapolis that resulted in a woman’s death. That morning, after consultation with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal  jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com The United States Postal Service ended the 2025 fiscal year with approximately $80.5 billion in revenue, a 1.2% increase over 2024. In 2025, Amazon represented $6 billion of the USPS total revenue -- less than 7.5% of the operating income pie chart. I was actually surprised to … [Read more...]

By Senator Jeremy Miller I’m not surprised by Governor Walz’s announcement to drop his bid for re-election. The long-running reports of rampant fraud here in Minnesota are extremely concerning. Many of us have been sounding the alarm on fraud in government programs for years with minimal response from those responsible for oversight. The administration’s lack of oversight … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]

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...]