Opinions

Inching Our Way Back To Normal

If there’s such a thing as normal life anymore, we seem to be inching our way toward what most would consider normal. Last weekend my wife and I had a garage sale. People actually showed up. Some of the garage-salers wore facemasks, others did not. No big deal. After wrapping up the sale, I was...

Curing The Corona Blues With Redlin Art

As I’m sure many of you are figuring out, it’s tough to find anything to do this summer in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a love for art and specifically Terry Redlin, I have the perfect respite for you to enjoy. Take a short road trip over to Watertown, S.D. to visit the Redlin Art...

Who Would Replace Police?

There’s continued hysteria coming from various groups in our nation to abandon those who protect all the people of this nation. One must ask…and replace them with what? Having two nephews in law enforcement, I am concerned for the safety of them and their fellow officers. Theirs is a dangerous...

Back With A Smug Smile

How can someone accused of murder be smiling? That’s what many people were asking themselves after they saw last week’s newspaper offering the most recent booking photo of Lois Riess from the Steele County Detention Center. I know I was one of them a little taken back by her smug smile. Though she...

Minnesota Leaders Failed To Act During Riots

Our nation watched in horror, via television, as a Minneapolis man was allegedly killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Riots broke out. Stores and homes were looted and burned. Police were forced to abandon the Minneapolis Police Department’s third precinct because of George Floyd’s death had...

Powering my way to better health

Of all the fruits I love to eat, strawberries would have to be my top choice. I always love this time of the year because you find fresh berries. You can either go out and pick your own or grab some at stands and farmer’s markets around the area. Last weekend, I got the chance to take my mom...

Apple, Android team up with Big Brother to track you

Smart phone companies have partnered with coronavirus contact tracing, whether a users has an iPhone or an Android. By merely flipping a switch, on a smart phone there will be contact tracing, which is called “Exposure Notification.” However, the “COVID-19 Exposure Logging” toggle is disabled by...

Kasson visits Kasson; time to celebrate July 4th

Last weekend a young boy and his mother visited Kasson. Usually, that doesn’t make headlines. However, this young boy’s name is (wait for it) Kasson. He came to Kasson, Minnesota to view our fair town for which he shares the name. It’s not often that an individual has a name in common with a town....

A scary moment while in search of fair food

By now, everyone probably is aware of my love for the fairs. As many fair lovers are finding out this year, the COVID-19 pandemic is crimping our lifestyle for the summer. On Saturday, I set out in the search of fair food to at least wet my appetite with some treats. I brought my oldest daughter...

Postal blues with paper delivery

Our readers in Owatonna got a dose of the postal blues a couple weeks ago, most likely without even really noticing it except for a delay with their delivery. As we do every week on Wednesday (unless it’s a holiday), we delivered the newspapers to the Owatonna Post Office. The newspapers are tied,...