Opinions

Thinking of moving to the country in Dodge County?

To the Editor: Tired of city life in Dodge County? Want to move out of town, buy a few acres to relax on, enjoy the wildlife? Good Luck! Dodge County leadership has made that dream a nightmare. How? Overly strict, and outdated zoning ordinances. Agricultural zoning has made splitting properties in...

Our ‘to do’ list for the State Legislature

Minnesota’s State Legislature is schedule to begin the new session, today, Thursday. As always, it will prove to be an interesting session and if the past is indicative of the present, the big decisions will not be made until the final days of the session which must conclude in May. A factor that...

I Was Thinking... The Best Laid Plans

There is probably no season that is fret with more plans than Christmas. It starts even before Thanksgiving and continues through the new year. Cards and letters to write, gifts to buy, decorations to put up, meals to plan and schedules to arrange. The idea is to plan your way into the perfect...

Recognizing our partners that made 2022 a success

At the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) our motto is collaborating for regional vitality, and we do our best to live up to that commitment. In each area of our work — early childhood, entrepreneurship, and community vitality — we are mindful of partners in the state and region with...

Looking back, looking forward

It seems hard to believe but here we are, ready to turn the calendar from 2022 to 2023. As we get ready to move into a new year, it is natural to take a look at the year soon to be but a memory and the excitement of a new one to come. 2022 saw a continuing return to the “normal” of the pre-Covid...

I Was Thinking... Christmas Past

I’ll continue my past Christmas memories for another week since we are still in the holiday season. I grew up at a time when there was no Amazon, UPS didn’t deliver gifts to your door, and no one gave gift cards as presents. This was also before the advent of shopping malls with all the big stores...

Legislation helps families locate missing loved ones

For so many people, the holidays mean a break from routine—and while many look forward to this time of year, it can also be stressful, especially for people living with dementia or a developmental disability, such as Down syndrome or autism. Those moments of anxiety or commotion can result in them...

Century old editorial still resonates today

The most famous editorial in American journalism was published 119 years ago in the New York Sun, as a reply to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanion. The editorial was titled “Is there a Santa Claus?” and its most memorable passage was this reassuring declaration: “Yes, Virginia, there is a...

I Was Thinking... Christmas Memories

There is probably no other holiday that conjures up more memories than Christmas. But it isn’t just the day, it is the anticipation that accompanies it. In Advent we celebrate the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Stores start putting out Christmas displays even before Thanksgiving and keep...

New type of headlights a big problem

I’m old, but it wasn’t age that caused my problem, it was the headlights I have seven different woman friends that I go out to lunch or dinner with on a consistent basis. They range in age from 41 to 85. Three of them go out with me on a regular schedule and they help me with my writing. One of...