In the September 16, 2019, issue of the Fillmore County Journal, I wrote a commentary titled “One Moment, Please... A population crisis.” In that commentary, I said, “We need to work more diligently to sell our communities as the best place to live and raise a family.” I talked about how we need to promote what we have to offer in order to grow our population.  We have … [Read more...]

So I got some more feedback on my last column, a column where I asked you, the reader, why we aren’t working less hours with better healthcare and more time for leisure despite massive improvements in technology and productivity... and some folks seemed to think that meant I wished I was rich instead, even trying to pull out the Bible to shame me into accepting that nothing … [Read more...]

Much of human behavior is petty4; the most powerful person in the world tweeting nasty things about a 16-year-old environmentalist. Some of it is nonsensical; believing in an imaginary friend with magical powers. Some of it is disconnected from reality; denying the evidence of climate destruction.  I believe in freedom of speech and religion and I would defend anyone’s right … [Read more...]

Every year, our award-winning newspaper team seeks to create more interactive experiences for our readers.  We want to provide more value for our readers and participating businesses. We have members of our team attending newspaper conferences and coming back with ideas.  Our challenge is always committing the time and energy to implement something new into our already busy … [Read more...]

Our society, whether consciously or not, focuses almost exclusively on recycling as the means to curb environmental pollution and decrease solid waste in landfills, but there are two other very important R words in addition to recycling. They are reduce and reuse.  Reduce (consumption): Reducing consumption of non-recyclable single-use products is a huge ask. Convenience … [Read more...]

Not long ago, I was in a meeting to talk about a public policy issue. It was a little complex, and as we considered the various angles I began to think about what it would take to translate talk into change on the ground. I wasn’t analyzing the politics of it — I was focused on the types of people who’d have to roll up their sleeves. What I came away with was a list of … [Read more...]

This past Sunday, I learned from a friend at church that her 20-year-old son just bought a house down the street from our home in Fountain, Minn.  She was asking me who we used for Internet service in town, so she could mention it to him. I couldn’t believe that this young man was already old enough to purchase a home, because I remember when I was his Sunday school teacher … [Read more...]

The talk of the town.  The big joke. That’s the best way to describe the new Dollar General parking lot in Chatfield, Minn. “The engineers must be from Arizona, where they don’t have to deal with ice and snow,” said one person. For those who haven’t driven by the site of the new store opening in Chatfield, here’s the best way to describe it. Imagine placing a … [Read more...]

By Flip Huggenvik Big Spring (Harmony), MN Jason Dahl was the Captain on United Flight 93 that crashed on September 11. Jason was my friend. I was also a Captain for United Airlines. Jason and I worked together as instructor pilots for United at the training center in Denver, Co. The Muslim terrorists that took out the four flights that day were considered “radical” … [Read more...]

The day before Thanksgiving I woke to a world white with snow and the neighbors Christmas lights shining through the grey dawn.  In that moment I felt cheered.  The colored lights made me feel hopeful and optimistic.  In town I saw a city truck piled high with sparkling “snowflakes” to be hung along the main street. On the face of the Commonweal Theatre is advertising for … [Read more...]