Opinions

Issues our schools need to face

Being on the Kasson-Mantorville School Board has taught me many lessons about the system at large and at the collegial level. I found taking on such a leadership role without much previous experience interesting, especially that I was only 22 at the time. When I decided to run, it wasn’t with any...

Remembering a Minnesota Senator

Minnesota lost one of the state’s great politicians and leaders last week with the death of former Sen. Dave Durenberger on January 31 at age 88. Durenberger first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1978 to replace Sen. Hubert Humphrey who had died earlier that year. He remains the only Minnesota...

I Was Thinking... Winter sounds

Poets and artists have written about or painted scenes of wintery splendor forever. We have a photograph of a beautiful winter setting captured by a local photographer of a snow-covered bridge. A print by Ron Hunt of an old farm located along a snowy road hangs in our living room. With my limited...

Strengthening the fabric of our region

At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we are starting off the new year by reflecting on how we have worked to strengthen the fabric of our region over time. In part, we do this by celebrating a handful of our partners through stories in our Foundation’s annual Impact Report. In the...

Thank you for your Christmas support

To the Editor: I am writing to thank Kasson-area residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Generosity throughout contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation...

Recognizing local business leaders

January is a good time of year to recognize and support businesseses in the local community. Both the Mantorville and Kasson Chambers of Commerce have recently held their annual meetings and yearly banquets. Mantorville Chamber members and friends gathered on January 19 at the Hubbell House while...

I Was Thinking... Embrace It

At the beginning of every year, there is always a lot of advice on how to make this year better than the last one. The most common television commercial at this time of the year is for the newest and most effective weight loss plan. Everybody probably overindulges over the holidays and a new year...

What happens after we say we will pray?

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. — Ephesians 6:18 On January 2, millions watched the freakish events on a football field in Cincinnati. A young NFL football player,...

‘Debt ceiling’ isn’t a debt ceiling

It’s unfortunate that our federal government has named its obligation to pay its debt the “debt ceiling.” It’s like a person calling their monthly credit card payment their debt limit. The federal debt ceiling does nothing to hamper the federal governments ability to accrue debt. Congress can...

Calling ‘We the People’

The events of the past few days and weeks should be making Americans wonder what is going on. In California, there have been three mass shootings in as many days. In Washington DC, the Department of the Treasury says the nation has reached its debt ceiling and House of Representatives is showing...