One recent FCJ commentary detailed how panic stricken Democrats have become in their desperation to take down President Trump. The current employment and business boom has made the U.S. economy the envy of the world. Democrat leaders are now past panic stage and have entered a phase of full blown hysteria.  But wait: there are some topics to exploit that may help the … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

“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...]

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...]

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...]