President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Summer is a wonderful time to take a drive through our state. In southern Minnesota you can enjoy beautiful lakes, bluffs and small towns. Chances are, you may already live in one of those small towns. Of the 173 communities in south central and southeastern Minnesota that comprise our region, only 13 have populations … [Read more...]

By Bonnie Haugen Canton, MN It takes a lot to get a farm girl off her farm, but a few weeks ago, I joined a fearless crew of farmers and advocates to make the journey to Washington, D.C. with other farmers from the Midwest. I made the trip to D.C. with the Land Stewardship Project and Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment as the current Farm Bill, which was … [Read more...]

Opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of the Fillmore County Journal. Letter about code of ethics... To the Editor, The recent news about Clarence Thomas’s financial entanglements with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow should be alarming to every American. This is what happens when the highest court in the land is given free rein to police itself. Clarence … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com This is the seventh consecutive year in which the Fillmore County Journal has recognized a Teacher of the Year from our coverage area, and I am so grateful to everyone involved in this recognition. When we initiated this idea, we wanted to show our appreciation for teachers during Teacher … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation As president of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) I travel across our region nearly every day visiting people and places in the 20 counties that we serve. Over the 16 years that I have worked at SMIF, I have watched farming practices change and adapt. As someone who comes from a farming family, I know … [Read more...]

By Daniel Wilson Rushford, MN On March 16 Senator Miller voted against a bonding bill that would have brought 4.86 million dollars to build the Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Collaboration at Winona State University. This project would have brought jobs to the area and positioned WSU to attract more students while reducing overhead costs. He also voted against $2 … [Read more...]

By Jason Sethre Publisher Fillmore County Journal jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com Quite a few people in the area heard about the craziness happening in Fountain, Minn., a couple of Fridays ago.  The town went into lockdown, because there were two felons on the loose who happened to be wanted for murder.  It’s front page news this week, in case you missed it. On February … [Read more...]

Opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of the Fillmore County Journal. Letter about voting matters... To the Editor, Voting matters, in order to insure that Government “of the People, by the People, for the People “ will not perish from the earth! The future of our country depends on making “wise” choices if we wish to preserve our freedom. I was shocked … [Read more...]

By Tim Penny President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation March is Women’s History Month, which is both a time to look back at the incredible accomplishments of women in the history of our country, but also a time to celebrate women who are doing amazing things today. At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we know that there are countless women who … [Read more...]

By Eric Leitzen Hokah, MN For those of you who don’t know, I was on the ballot as an independent third party for the Minnesota State Senate last year. I ran a mostly one-man campaign, took no big money, and instead hit the road and went out to the people to get the message out: for almost 50 years now you have worked harder and gotten less, while the rich are richer than … [Read more...]

Opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of the Fillmore County Journal. Letter about why does Sen. Miller vote against our interest?... To the Editor, Once again, Sen. Miller has voted against the economic and public safety interests of our district, all while hiding behind bad faith straw man arguments. Why would Sen. Miller do this? A wide coalition of … [Read more...]

President/CEO Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation This year at Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), we will reach a milestone of investing more than $50 million in our communities through grantmaking since our start in 1986. While these grants support a wide range of projects – from providing books to young children to supporting small town growth – they … [Read more...]

To the Editor, If I think I am old, I am old. If I think I am young, I am delusional. Someone told me today that I was not old, I was vintage. I felt better immediately. As we move through the decades, each one brings its challenges and rewards. What do we want? What do we need? These seem to change as we go from decade to decade. Wants seem to be greater in our younger … [Read more...]

Letter about questions left on the table... To the Editor, I attended the public hearing on February 16 about the proposed doubling of feedlot limits. I’m not a farmer, I’m a music therapist living in Carimona Township, so I came to learn and left with a few questions. 1. What prompted the proposal in the first place? I was hoping that question would start off the meeting … [Read more...]

Letter about  enough is enough... To the Editor, Last week I attended a meeting of the Fillmore County Planning and Zoning Commission. The public had been invited to attend and the meeting room was filled to overflowing. Prior to the meeting, I had sent a written comment to the commissioners and I was among those who made oral comments at the meeting.  Concerns of … [Read more...]