To the Editor, I’ve heard people say that they are glad to see 2020 over and are looking forward to 2021 with hope that the suffering is over.     Some people want to drain the political swamp in order to fix all of the problems. The problem isn’t politics but rather the heart. Politicians are merely a reflection of society. For example in Jonah chapter 3, Jonah preached to … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com My wife and I pretty much only watch the news on TV when we are getting ready for the day.  Depending on what’s considered newsworthy, we may even skip the news altogether. With that said, our evenings are occupied with a family sit-down supper often followed by an aggressive game of … [Read more...]

Joe Biden won’t become President of the United States for a few weeks yet, but it’s fair to say he’s already feeling the pressures of the office. I think being president-elect may be the second hardest job in the world. For one thing, as president-elect he’s encircled by people who want something from him: appointments, jobs, internal disputes settled. Right now, political … [Read more...]

By U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar As 2020 draws to a close, there are many reasons to be hopeful that next year will be less challenging than this one. Studies have shown that two upcoming coronavirus vaccines are over 90% effective, meaning there is light at the end of the tunnel. And as we look ahead, we must ensure that states have the resources they need to transport, store, … [Read more...]

By Stan Gudmundson Peterson, MN “Tom, do you see that airplane out there?  Do you suppose that he is going try race us?” I asked my pilot.  “I don’t know,” he said, “but I’ve been watching him.  We will find out.” We had just started our northbound leg along the border with Czechoslovakia and East Germany.  We were at 75,000 feet, plus or minus, and traveling at Mach 2.8 … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com As we kick open the doors of 2021, it gives us a moment to reflect on what just happened in the year that was. For me, at the newspaper, I think of all of the stories we published, and how the pandemic changed what we covered and how we covered it. What was most interesting to me was how … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation With the new year just days away, I have been taking some time to reflect on this past year. While 2020 has been incredibly challenging, I have found myself focusing on the bright spots. It was a year filled with incredible stories of people doing amazing things to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. I … [Read more...]

By Pastor Norm Omodt, Retired Chatfield, MN I write this last commentary for four reasons. First: To help a few million people better understand who President Trump is. He has a borderline personality, according to doctors of psychology, which means he can’t function as normally as most people. He can’t introspect, that is, he can’t examine himself to see how he is … [Read more...]

Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com Do you remember around the end of 2019, there were all of these jokes about how 2020 was going to be the year of vision, clarity, and focus?  Boy, did we get blindsided. I heard another joke recently.  If you think 2020 was bad, wait until 2020 turns 21. Seriously, we have been living through historic … [Read more...]

To the Editor, I take it as a personal insult to be called a cult member of President Trump. I simply want a man who loves America and its way of life as my president. You also called us traitors for Trump. I think you need to look at Joe Biden and family if you want to see traitors. You insulted not only me, but all of rural America, by calling us ignorant and immoral. … [Read more...]

To the Editor, On Wisconsin Public Radio, the “Chapter a Day” program recently featured the King of Confidence by Miles Harvey (Little Brown), a non-fiction book about the beginnings of Mormonism in southeast Wisconsin and Beaver Island in Lake Michigan in the 1840s. The leadership developed itself through self-invention and self-promotion as unprincipled and unbridled … [Read more...]

Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com We are all in this together, as has been said many times over the past nine months. With the holidays approaching, this can be a very lonely time of year for many people.  And, the restrictions brought on by the pandemic will only add to that loneliness, as families are discouraged from getting together … [Read more...]

By David Webb, MD Lanesboro, MN “Come now, and let us reason together” – the prophet Isaiah from the Talmud (Old Testament) Mercifully, the contentious 2020 elections are over, but whether you’re breathing a sigh of relief or a sigh of dismay, it should be a short sigh. There are many problems, including some existential threats, which still confront all of us and with … [Read more...]

By Brett Corson Preston, MN Listen my friends and you shall hear a modern story of hope, answered prayers, and Christmas cheer. This tale of Christmas hope is based on real events that happened in a small Southeastern Minnesota town.  It all began three or four years ago when a young man suddenly left his home in a city somewhere out east.  He left without notice and … [Read more...]