To the Editor, Thank you for your recognition of Good Earth Village’s anniversary. However, one of the visionary’s name, Ham Muus, was misspelled. Lutheran historians will note that he descends from an early Norwegian pastor who was one of the visionary founders of St. Olaf College (Muus chapel). Thank you, Ham Muus, Dr. Barr, and the many local people who volunteered to … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… Getting the next generation involved
On May 8, our newspaper office was graced with a bright and talented group of writers. These were the Fillmore County Journal Student Writers, participating in the 20th annual Journal Writing Project. Every school year, starting in September, Assistant Editor Ellen Whalen contacts all seven school districts in our circulation area to let administrators and English … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate… The lies they tell U.S.
When you truly know someone, you can generally tell when they are lying or not telling the entire truth. It’s more difficult when you don’t know someone, and harder still if you admire them and often agree with their point of view. It’s easy to let our guard down, because let’s be honest, trust isn’t a bad thing. That doesn’t mean too much trust can’t get us into trouble, … [Read more...]
It’s crunch time here at the Capitol!
By Senator Jeremy Miller Fillmore, Houston and Winona Counties The Minnesota House of Representatives, currently lead by Democrats, and the Minnesota Senate, currently lead by Republicans, have each passed their proposed budget bills and they are headed to conference committees to work out the differences, of which there are many. Prior to the House and Senate passing … [Read more...]
Soil compaction – An annual springtime issue
Soil compaction is an annual spring time concern for farmers, gardeners and anyone else working on wet soils. But what is compaction and why is it such a concern? First, think about what a healthy soil looks like. If you could dig up a column of healthy soil without disturbing it, you would find a balance between solids and pore space. The pore space would be partially full … [Read more...]
Changing times
“Change is often desirable, frequently necessary, and always inevitable.” While much that happens is not in our control, some events evolve from choices we have made. Sometimes these choices are driven by love and hope. Regrettably, some are the result of fear and hate. Ideally, our emotions should be modified by reason. I remember putting on eye glasses for the first … [Read more...]
How politics have changed
I became active in politics in the late 1950s, got elected to Congress in 1964, and have remained engaged in one way or another every year since then. I’ve had a ringside seat for a long time. So I suppose I should not be surprised that I get asked a lot these days how American politics have changed over the last six decades. A few things stand out. When I first arrived in … [Read more...]
The most monumental non-nuclear explosion
By Donna Buckbee Rushford, MN One of the habits I learned from my mother: special newspaper articles are to be clipped and filed. This past winter I went through 50 years of those special clippings — reviewing, sorting and tossing. One of the few I held back from the burn pile was a book review from February 27, 2004, written by David E. Hoffman appearing in the St. … [Read more...]
Early childhood programming
As the final snow melts away and spring flowers appear, our staff at Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) is looking ahead to a busy year of programming for our 20-county region. This spring, our Early Childhood team has already been focused on providing trainings to area child care providers, while working with several communities on addressing the child care … [Read more...]
Local water source crisis: Silver carp
Fishing is a huge outdoor activity for many Minnesotans. Unfortunately, our native fish are being harmed by some unwelcome invasive species. One such fish is the Silver carp. The Silver carp, Hypophthalmichtyhs molitrix, is a species of fish that is native to eastern Asia and was imported from China to the United States during the early 1970s to help fish aquaculture operations … [Read more...]