By Jeff Erding Wykoff, MN A February 1 article appeared in the Daily Caller, authored by Dennis Prager.  It carries the title  “Transgender Swimmer Display Elites Cowardice.” One example of a nationwide trend, Prager details how Will Thompson, a  former member of the men’s team, disclosed her new gender, took the new name of Lia, and joined the women’s team. Lia has since … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation On the heels of celebrating National Entrepreneurship Week, I am taking some time to reflect on what it means to be welcoming to entrepreneurs in our local economies. Entrepreneurship comes in many forms – from tech companies to home-based businesses. The spark of entrepreneurship also comes from many … [Read more...]

By Ron Scheevel Preston, MN I feel the need to address a few of our current problems facing our nation. The crisis at our southern border with the continuous entry of illegals really bothers this old guy. While most are probably good people, only wanting better lives for themselves and their families, the criminal element also continues to come in. While our Federal … [Read more...]

By Rande Gustafson Eitzen, MN Banning books is big news right now. Some people deem certain books damaging for children – at least for some children, so let’s be politically correct for all Americans, right? The books making this list might hurt the feelings of certain people; they may inform about racism; they may talk about non-traditional women’s rights, or identify … [Read more...]

Letter about accepting election results... To the Editor, Since the day after the election on November 4, 2020, we keep hearing on the national and local news, and from regular Americans who identify as Democrats that President Donald Trump and many of his supporters refuse to accept the results of that election. That is true! But is it fair? Republicans are called poor … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman made a startling suggestion. He proposed a cross-party 2024 presidential ticket: Joe Biden and Liz Cheney, perhaps, or Kamala Harris and Mitt Romney, or another combination of a leading Democrat and an anti-Trump Republican. Friedman’s reasoning is that the U.S. is at a crossroads, and he contends that the main body of … [Read more...]

To the Editor, If there was “massive fraud” in the last election as Trump endlessly claims then isn’t it odd that nothing has been discovered by the many state Republican investigations? If there was massive fraud does that mean that Republicans in general are inept and stupid? Or, of course, it could mean that the Big Lie is just that: a lie. And what should we think of the … [Read more...]

It’s been about a year since Joe Biden took office as President, and though it’s still too early to draw firm conclusions about his performance, it’s not too early to discern some trends. Especially in light of how Biden positioned himself in the 2020 campaign and, I believe, how he still sees himself: as a centrist and a moderate who can unite the country by bringing … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation It is no secret that our child care system is strained. Even before the pandemic, rural Minnesota was struggling with a child care shortage. For parents, this has made it challenging to enter or stay in the workforce. For communities, the challenge is attracting and retaining residents if they do not have enough care … [Read more...]