It’s a cliché to say that everything’s connected. But we live in a world where this is clearly true. Ideas, goods, services, workers, tourists, commerce, communications, drugs, crime, migrants, refugees, weapons, climate impacts… and, of course, viruses: They all cross borders constantly. This is one reason I’ve come to believe that drawing a distinction between “foreign” and … [Read more...]

By Lee Hamilton One of the great privileges of teaching and working on a university campus is the chance to be in regular touch with young people. Even better, I sometimes get asked to give talks elsewhere and to meet with young people of all kinds and descriptions—sometimes one on one, sometimes in small groups, sometimes with as many as 50 or 60 people. Over the past few … [Read more...]

By Eric Leitzen Hokah, MN Food  should not be a business. Like clean water, clean air, dependable shelter and, yes, healthcare, food should be considered a public good that is guaranteed for everyone. When you look at something like a business, it becomes a competition, and when you have competition you have to have winners and losers. There should be no losers when it comes … [Read more...]

Letter about Convention of the States ... To the Editor, HELP!!! We need our government back in the hands of the people and the states.  Please learn more about Article V of the United States Constitution and a Convention of the States therein.  Our need is more important now than ever.  Ask Greg Davids, Jeremy Miller and other state legislative members to call for a … [Read more...]

Letter about Covid is not done with us... To the Editor, I was pleased to see a letter in your November 1 edition about attention to COVID-19 precautions. I don’t believe most people in Fillmore County realize that COVID-19 is currently more prevalent in Fillmore county than most any other place in Minnesota, including Rochester and Twin Cities. As of today (November 2) the … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation For me, autumn always signals a natural time to slow down and contemplate the past year as we bundle up and move indoors. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we use this time each year to reflect on the partnerships that have resulted in a brighter future for southern Minnesota. We do … [Read more...]

Letter about Fillmore County’s claim to shame... To the Editor, Last week the New York Times said that Fillmore County, Minn., is the hotspot for COVID in the United States. That is some claim to fame. We weren’t mentioned for our beautiful countryside or for our kind people, but for something dark and avoidable. We have had the most COVID cases per capita in the entire … [Read more...]

By Russell Smith Houston, MN The OHV trail proposed for Houston’s South Park is extremely unlikely to yield any significant financial benefit for the community. I’ve taught marketing and marketing research for 28 years, currently at Winona State University; I’ve also conducted a good deal of tourism-related research. Over the years I’ve seen my share of wrong-minded … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), one of the three program areas we focus on is Economic Development. Since our founding in 1986, we have worked to catalyze entrepreneurial activity in our 20-county region by providing early-stage investments, traditional loans, microloans, technical … [Read more...]

Letter about Chatfield school operating levy... To the Editor, Fifty years ago, I was a proud senior at Chatfield’s High School.  I am back at that same school this year as a new school board member.  A lot has changed in 50 years.  I feel the importance of a good education remains a basis for a successful career, a stable and free country, and a strong economy.   As a … [Read more...]

By Sen.Jeremy Miller Mental Illness Awareness Week takes place during the first week of October each year to draw attention to the millions of Americans who struggle with their mental health every day. COVID-19 has been difficult on all of us, for obvious reasons. But one significant toll it has taken is on our collective mental health. There have been countless reports and … [Read more...]

I’ve been thinking recently about what it means to be an American, to have a shared stake in this country and its fortunes. In some ways the question is unanswerable: We are a diverse country, and we each answer the question in our own way. Yet there are traits in common that resonate across communities and political beliefs. You could start, for instance, with a belief in the … [Read more...]

Letter about response to OHV letters... To the Editor, I commend Karla Bloem for presenting facts regarding the proposed Houston OHV trails (FCJ October 11 commentary) in response to Keith Nelson’s Commentary(FCJ, October 4) who presented no real facts to compare the trails he was representing in way northern Minnesota to proposed Houston trails. My first thought in … [Read more...]

Letter about OHV trail... To the Editor, The recent article in the October 4 Fillmore County Journal about Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) was an unpaid advertisement in favor of OHVs. In his one-sided screed Keith Nelson from Virginia, Minn., asserted that hikers, bikers, canoeists, bird watchers and hunters are all “aging out of their sports,” and there are no young people … [Read more...]