Americans like “new beginnings”!  I hung this year’s calendar on the wall and admired the picture for this month of two cardinals in the snow.  (January 1, 2019 ) We pause to assess where we are,  who we are and what our goals will be in the coming year.  We are grateful to the holidays which renewed the spirit of hope.  The power, the engine that has provided the impetus to … [Read more...]

By Flip Huggenvik Big Spring, MN I am compelled to respond to the commentaries written by Judy Ellestad Sayed and Aaron Schwartzentruber on interfaith dialog conversation...compromises between the Christian faith and the Muslim faith. “Can’t we all just get along?” Ha! Members of both faiths have strong convictions and some, like Judy, believe we can listen to the other … [Read more...]

By Judy Ellestad Sayed Charlottesville, VA While perusing the online December 31, 2018, issue of the Fillmore County Journal, I read the commentary by Aaron Schwartzentruber in which he contends that interfaith dialogue compromises the Gospels of the New Testament, especially if dialogue is between Christians and Muslims. My personal experience with interfaith dialogue … [Read more...]

This past week, members of our newspaper staff attended a funeral at Root River Community Church in Rushford, Minn., to pay our respects to Peggi Redalen. Peggi worked in advertising sales for the Fillmore County Journal since way before my wife and I purchased the company in 2009. And, she had worked for the Rushford Tri-County Record for many years prior to joining the … [Read more...]

Winning an election could be as simple as taking stands that are in agreement with the majority of citizens. There is significant consensus on many important topics. Polls consistently show approximately 70% support for the following. 1. Aggressive action on climate change is what the majority want. This could be achieved by ending subsidizes for fossil fuel companies and … [Read more...]

By Aaron Swartzentruber Greenleafton, MN Anti-Semitism, of any kind, should have no place in the church, as I stated in my last letter. Perhaps I should explain what I mean by that statement. The “church” is being swept up into Islam at an alarming rate. Many “church” leaders are claiming they are finding common ground with Islam and are working with Islam (interfaith … [Read more...]

Today with “fake news,” alternative truths, political hypocrisy and lying by our highest officials, it can be hard to believe anything. Sometimes, though, we need to believe what has been said; below are a few examples: • November 10, 2016 – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Interfax news agency “there were contacts” with the Trump campaign staff and, “I … [Read more...]

I’d like to thank MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine for listening to the hundreds of us in Newburg Township, Fillmore County, and the entire southeastern Minnesota. He listened as we expressed in hundreds of letters and many impassioned speeches our concerns about the environmental risks posed by an enormous hog farrowing operation proposed by the Catalpa project in a region … [Read more...]

So... rich people have a LOT of money right now. Like, “a lot” alot. Just for perspective, the ratio of CEO to worker pay in the 1950s was 20 to 1. That was about $3,500 per year for the average worker in 1950, which is just under $25k a year in 2000 dollars, according to Stanford. Now once upon a time, I went to school to be a History teacher, not a Math teacher, but I know … [Read more...]

The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question. My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: the ongoing effort by politicians to suppress votes. Yes it’s gone on for years. And in some … [Read more...]

My thanks to Fillmore County neighbors for standing up and defending their right to clean water. Water is not forever. Water is finite, diminishing. I grew up on a Burt County, Nebr., farm (not all that far from the Ogalala aquifer) where we of the third and fourth generation, needing to dig a second well, held our breath as we plumbed so much deeper than anyone could have … [Read more...]

Recently I felt a secret joy as I watched snowflakes fall like feathers from the sky.  Soon a white blanket covered the scene outside my window.  Through the snow I saw the colored lights decorating our neighbors homes, bringing a message of cheer and good will.  It was an invitation to celebrate and revisit the past. My favorite memories took place in Huntingdon Valley, Pa., … [Read more...]