“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...]

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...]

By Drew Hatzenbihler Solid Waste Administrator As the weather has gotten nicer this spring, we have noticed an increased number of people dropping off materials from their spring cleaning efforts. As you are cleaning out your homes, basements and garages this year, start planning ahead and boxing up your hazardous materials to drop off on May 7 for Fillmore County’s … [Read more...]

The town I live in recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to help repair a waterfall damaged by last summer’s flooding. Ten miles up the road, it’s not uncommon to see one of the LED billboards advertising yet another person with a medical emergency who needs the community to come together for a benefit or raffle or event in order to, you know, live. Now, I could easily spin … [Read more...]

By Tim Gallagher Alex Teves was born in suburban New Jersey, moved to Phoenix as a youngster, earned his master’s degree in Denver and was shot to death in a movie theater in 2012 in Aurora, Colo., while shielding his girlfriend from a man on a killing spree. About 20 miles away and 13 years earlier, two killers entered a high school armed with automatic weapons and a … [Read more...]