By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com Newspapers started it all with subscriptions. Readers have subscribed to newspapers for more than four centuries.  The first weekly newspapers were printed in Germany in 1609. In the early days of newspaper publishing, Europeans sought news about politics and war.  I guess some things … [Read more...]

By Stan Gudmundson Peterson, MN Over the years I’ve learned a few things about health.  More often than not, the hard way.  In 1997, my wife noticed a nasty looking spot on my neck.  I feared that it might be a dangerous skin cancer.  A USAF flight surgeon removed it and confirmed that it was.  Melanoma.    Don’t worry he said, we caught it early, you have an 86% chance … [Read more...]

By Gerald Wolf Spring Valley, MN Securing an electronic voting system is rocket science.  Counting votes on paper ballots by hand with your neighbor is not.  In a lawsuit filed on June 8, 2022, against the Arizona Secretary of State, (frankspeech.com/article/smith-declaration-and-any-supporting-exhibits) Colonel Shawn Smith (Retired) USAF explains how Advanced Persistent … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Some of you may already be addicted to Wordle. The brainchild of Wordle, Josh Wardle, who sold his platform for $1 million to the New York Times, invented one of the biggest games of the year. And, the New York Times made a smart move with making this acquisition.  A May 4, 2022, Bloomberg article titled, “Wordle Brought ‘Tens of Millions’ of New Users to the … [Read more...]

Letter concerning abortion... To the Editor, The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the 1973 decision to allow women to abort an unwanted pregnancy.  Women throughout history have sought to control their reproductive health. They experimented  on their own or relied on willing amateurs, which resulted in botched abortions and frequently death.  Roe v. Wade was passed to … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Throughout the month of June I had the pleasure of visiting with folks from across Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s (SMIF) 20-county region during our Sprout events. These events, which were held in New Ulm, Dundas and Winona, were an opportunity to directly share SMIF’s resources and stories so … [Read more...]

Letter about what are you doing about it?... To the Editor, Find yourself blaming our elected leaders?  One issue after another?  What are you doing about it? Are you a citizen of the U.S.? You have the most important position in this country.  If you are a voting citizen, what are you doing for your community and your country?  In this coming election? First, make sure … [Read more...]

By Pastor Norm Omodt, Retired Chatfield, MN There’s a destructive force in our society, that we must not ignore!  A book by  former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is titled “A Sacred Oath.  “On May 15,  in an interview on “60 Minutes,” Mr. Esper said he had worked diligently to prevent Trump from taking foolish dangerous actions, like Trump wanted to send missiles into … [Read more...]

In the wake of the leaked draft opinion by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade and holding that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, there’s been a tidal wave of commentary on the Court’s politicization. Much of it recently has come from the left or from abortion-rights advocates, arguing that the Court has fallen prey to the same partisanship … [Read more...]

An interesting thing happened after Russia invaded Ukraine. Though U.S. standing in the world had taken a knock after the much-needed but chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was no question where the world’s democracies would turn for leadership in the Ukraine crisis. As much of Europe and Asia has found a new resolve on behalf of democratic values, in the time since the … [Read more...]

By Mary T. Reisner Fountain, Minn. This is what my 13-year-old told me when she got home from school.  She was still angry at her classmate who had said this.  She so wanted to punch him, but another classmate also heard this statement, grabbed her arms and held her back.  This happened in 1999 after the Columbine school shooting and two and half years after her father was … [Read more...]

Minnesota State Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) has officially filed for a fifth term in the Minnesota State Senate. Miller will be running in the newly formed Senate District 26, which includes Fillmore, Houston, and Winona Counties. He was first elected in 2010, and reelected in 2012, 2016, and 2020. He currently serves as the Senate Majority Leader and previously served as … [Read more...]

Letter about Are our friends and neighbors liars?... To the Editor, That’s what the GOP would have us believe. By showing the movie “2000 Mules,” the JEM Theater and Jeremy Munson are saying the election workers in our communities cheated. They are saying your vote didn’t count. I am proud to be a Democrat and I believe that, like me, most Minnesotans consider our votes … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation As any farming family can attest, every farm has its own special history. The small farm that I was raised on outside of Kiester is no exception. Our lives were rooted in the connection between land and community. Because of these important ties to the land, it concerns me that the average farmer is close to retirement … [Read more...]