A couple of weeks ago, I was standing in Root River State Bank in Chatfield, preparing for a meeting with soon-to-be-retired Diane Meeker and recently hired Teresa Narveson. President and CEO Chuck Johnson, Jr., had requested my help with recognizing both of these individuals in upcoming issues of the Fillmore County Journal. As with most community banks, while you stand … [Read more...]
Rules of (online) engagement
By Eric Lee Harmony, MN Here I am, writing, as the 4th of July approaches. I want to talk about one of my favorite things. Civil political debate. I love it. I love this country, and I love exploring where we might take it into the future. This sometimes gets me into trouble, because I even enjoy it online, on social media. And this can be, well, difficult. But I have … [Read more...]
Encourage good media
I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to journalism, I’m a traditionalist. Old-fashioned, even. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that even while confidence in the media drops to new lows and Time magazine feels moved to wonder “Is Truth Dead?” on its cover, huge numbers of Americans have come to believe the media is not as authoritative as it once was. … [Read more...]
By the dawn’s early light!
As we approach the nation’s birthday, we look to our flag waving in the wind, the red and white stripes and the stars in a field of blue, representing our 50 states, and we feel pride and joy. No matter our differences, today we are united, one large family under the dome of heaven! As I was writing this, my husband Glenn reminded me that the stripes in the flag represent … [Read more...]
Letter about America’s healthcare plan…
To the Editor, The Republican House and the Republican Senate have been working very hard to take healthcare away from over 20 million Americans. Trump is supporting these efforts which would kill thousands of Americans. It would also either raise people’s insurance costs and/or give crappier coverage. Seventeen percent of Americans support Trumpcare, but they still may pass … [Read more...]
Why we need to scrap the debt ceiling
Back when I was in Congress, I got a call from a constituent one day. I’d recently voted to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, and the man was more than irate. “Don’t you understand that we’ve got a serious spending and debt problem in this country?” he asked. “Why did you cast this idiotic vote?” He was right about the problem. But he was wrong about the vote. With Congress … [Read more...]
Mental health check: Pregnancy and anti-depressants
Since beginning my own pregnancy journey, I’ve dabbled in the regular online groups, forums, chats, etc. about anything related to having a healthy pregnancy. Sometimes these places are extremely wonderful for having a support group and getting heartfelt advice. Other times it can be a battlefield when discussing controversial issues like circumcisions, vaccines, having a drink … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Birthdays, anniversaries, and memoriams
Throughout each year, at the Fillmore County Journal, our team evaluates what we publish and discusses how we can make improvements in print and online. Our team takes great pride in producing things that may not be so common in our industry. Back in February of 2016, we presented a hardcover book titled Boots & Badges: Honoring Fillmore County Veterans - a two-year … [Read more...]
Letter about recent storm in Lanesboro…
To the Editor, Last Friday night Lanesboro experienced a severe wind storm that brought down numerous large trees and caused property damage across town, including Sylvan Park. Within minutes, our city crews responded and did an amazing job to clean up the park to make it ready for the following day’s Art in the Park. I even witnessed a police officer with a chain saw! Not … [Read more...]
The rural philanthropic version of Itasca Group Minnesota Initative Foundation leaders discuss “the rural impact”
When people try to find Minnesota’s secret sauce to our high quality of life and seemingly common sense (comparatively speaking) approach to government, there’s sometimes mention of the Itasca Group. This is a group of top Minnesota business leaders who get together every Friday morning to discuss ways to collaborate and advocate for a stronger Minnesota. Itasca Group … [Read more...]