And we’ll charge by the leaf. That was our plan to become rich beyond belief in the leaf-raking business. “The Foolish Almanak For Anuthur Year” by Theodor Rosyfelt published in 1906, said, “It is said that nothing is impossible; but there are lots of people doing nothing every day.” We were kids from the sticks who had proven capable of doing nothing and doing chores, … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Over the years of serving as president of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), I have noticed that foundations, of which there are many in our state, are often touted as organizations that do grantmaking. However, I know that grantmaking is often just the tip of the iceberg of what foundations can offer the … [Read more...]

By Kristen Asleson Lanesboro, MN Yesterday when I woke kids up in the morning, I groaned as I recalled it was Red Ribbon Week, and the boys needed a red outfit to the kick the week off.  A sarcastic laugh followed as I looked through the rest of the week’s outfits: Tuesday – camo day – really?  Does that make a kid invisible to drugs? Wednesday – Team up – there isn’t a … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com There’s something pretty amazing about getting your written work published in a newspaper or magazine. Back in the late 1970s, following the flood that devastated our family and many others in Rochester, Minn., on July 6, 1978, my mother wrote a piece about that experience that was … [Read more...]

Opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of the Fillmore County Journal. By Pastor Norm Omodt, Ret. Chatfield, MN Most people remain in the political party they’ve always been a part of.  I’d like to challenge the RADICAL REPUB-LICANS to give serious thought to a change, at least in the way they vote these days,  to be more compatible with surely … [Read more...]

By Christopher Conlon Chatfield, MN I had a friendly argument about abortion recently with a candidate who stopped by my home while campaigning.  We agreed that it’s wrong to directly kill an innocent human being, but they argued that abortion can be an individual’s right because it’s not a human being that’s being killed.  We came to an impasse when we disagreed about the … [Read more...]

By George Spangler Chatfield, MN With mid-term elections looming before us, media experts are speculating about how residents of “fly-over country” will vote. Is America’s heartland  peopled with folks who have nothing better to do than argue about farm equipment? Are we gullible or skeptical? Do we value truth over fiction?  The answer lies within you.  We all have our … [Read more...]

Letter about being thankful for the Inflation Reduction Act... To the Editor, I am so thankful both our U.S. Senators who represent us here in the great state of Minnesota voted for the Inflation Reduction Act and that the act passed and was signed into law by President Biden. Because that has passed, if any of my grandma’s prescription drugs are on the list of drugs that … [Read more...]

Letter about should  you vote 3rd party?... To the Editor, Not this year if you want to protect our democracy. This election, the danger is too real to “symbolically” vote for someone to show your dislike of the two-party system. We have actual election deniers on our ballot; we have one party whose platform says they will eliminate Social Security and remove our freedom to … [Read more...]

By Stan Gudmundson Peterson, MN Who do you vote for and why? Are there any principles you firmly believe in that determine which candidate to vote for? Are they key or does your loyalty to a particular party take precedence?  Or is it merely family tradition? Are you a single issue only voter? What are the consequences of a political party’s policies? These are some … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com Since 2010, the Fillmore County Journal team has worked in collaboration with Brad Hoiness, the owner of Harmony Foods, Preston Foods, and Rushford Foods, and his team at the grocery stores, to publish a cookbook titled Tasty Temptations. All of the cookbooks we’ve published can be found … [Read more...]

To the Editor, When going to vote this November, remember that if your mother would have had you aborted, you would not be alive today. Vote for candidates who will protect LIFE from natural conception to natural death! God Bless America! Eleanore Jones Spring Valley, Minn. … [Read more...]