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...]

Letter about democracy is in danger... To the Editor, In “Democracy is in danger,” September 18, the author claimed that the Republican Party endangers democracy. Here is another classic example of projection (distortion of reality by accusing others of they are guilty of) and the actual truth is closer to the opposite of what leftists say or write. For example: Which … [Read more...]

By Kristen Herring-Asleson Lanesboro, MN This letter is in response to the letters that have been printed since the 2021 Buffalo Bill Days’ festivities in Lanesboro wrapped up. More specifically, to address the complaints that have been made surrounding the annual parade and the units in it. As suggested in one of the letters, silence is not always golden. As the parade … [Read more...]

By Karla Bloem Houston, MN I have a degree in biology, have lived in Houston County my whole life, and have done environ-mental education programs on the proposed Houston OHV Trail site for 15 years. Com-paring the Iron Range OHV Recreation Area in Gilbert and the Appleton Area Recreational Park to the proposed Houston OHV Trail is a bit like comparing apples to tomatoes. … [Read more...]

Letter about narratives... To the Editor, Narratives are parasites eroding truth. Narrative is the representation of a situation in such a way as to reflect or conform to an overarching set of aims or values. Narrative engines of today are known as CNN, FOX, CBS, and NBC to name a few. Though not an attempt to defend one narrative engine over the other, Americans are … [Read more...]