To the Editor, A scratchy throat and itchy eyes aren’t the only results of wildfire smoke. Invisible 2.5 micron particles are so tiny they penetrate lungs and enter the bloodstream to organs, including the brain. Effects include inflammation, heart disease, lung cancer, COPD, and respiratory infections. Even on clear days, 2.5 PM levels can be dangerous (airnow.gov). Little … [Read more...]
Letter about Applaud Aspirations, Admit Shortcomings…
To the Editor, In Fillmore County, we reside on the ancestral lands of the Dakota Nation. On July 4th, we celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of the brilliant persons behind the country’s founding to forge a new kind of social contract on the premise that “all men are created equal” and that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Continued USPS Delays Will Lose Customers
In recent months, we’ve noticed significant mail delays and lost mail. As one example, we’ve had customers mail our newspaper a payment dated May 29 and not arrive until June 30. It literally took more than 30 days to go from Lanesboro to Preston. We’ve mailed payments to our vendors and noticed it takes up to 30 days. This has been an ongoing issue since about March … [Read more...]
Klobuchar Urges USPS to Reverse Plan That Will Slow Mail Delivery
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to abandon its Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan in a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner. The RTO plan would lower service standards and eliminate end-of-day mail collection, slowing mail delivery and disrupting mail service. Read the full letter to the U.S. Postal … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Scammers Using Google Searches
Just when you think the scammers can’t get any worse, they raise the bar. And, artificial intelligence will only make their methods more deceptive for all of us. About a year ago, I was locked out of my personal Facebook account. The funny thing is that I prompted the lockout because I received a suspicious e-mail from Meta. I questioned whether it was legit with Facebook, … [Read more...]
Community Foundations
By Benya Kraus President and CEO, SMIF June 25, 2026 - In a world that often asks us to be in a hurry, Wendell Berry – a Kentuckian farmer poet – asks us to slow down and to pay attention. “We have the world to live in on the condition that we will take good care of it,” he writes in one of his essays. “But to take good care of it, we have to know it. And to know it and to … [Read more...]
We The People
To me, this country is ours because of the service men and women who fought for it, whom all gave some, and some gave all for what they believed in and willing to protect that right even if it meant dying for it, and they still did it! When we were young, like the history our our country, we learned right from wrong, we put our trust in the Lord, we were respectful of others, … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Wanting a Better Life
As I look at the content of this week’s newspaper, I recognize that we all play a significant role in what makes America unique compared to many other countries. Our ancestors came to this country because they were leaving a situation in which they felt oppressed. It would have been easier to stay in their comfort zone; stay where their family had established roots, even if … [Read more...]
Land Legacy
By Benya Kraus President and CEO, SMIF During the summer of my junior year of college, I had what I now call my “quarter-life existential crisis.” I was 21 years old and spending the summer in Waseca on the family farm, a stark departure from the life I was living in Boston during the school year. Instead of cocktail bar hopping in the city with my new 21-year-old status, I … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Celebrating 250 Years
Starting in late 2025, we started seeing more conversation at city council meetings regarding plans for communities to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. When planning for these types of events, there is no playbook. This hasn’t been done before. The last time I recall a significant anniversary for our country was in 1976 – our 200-year … [Read more...]