Opinions

Good news for Hayfield

There is good news for Hayfield residents this week as Jim Baldus, owner of Ryan’s Foods in the community, has said he is speaking with a potential buyer for the grocery. Baldus announced earlier this month he would be closing the store because of problems with the building. Specifically, the roof...

Keeping Our Kids Safe From Fentanyl

Fentanyl is cheap to produce, easy to disguise as prescription or over-the-counter pills, and can be deadly in doses small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. Cartels have harnessed the power of social media to sell this deadly drug, leaving our kids in danger. In fact, one pill can kill. I will...

I Was Thinking... Nature’s Warnings

I mowed the lawn recently and it looked better than it has during a lot of the summer. But with the green grass, I also collected a lot of leaves. This time however, I didn’t wear a T-shirt and shorts, it was jeans and a sweatshirt. Nature was prompting me to get ready. Daylight getting less,...

I Was Thinking... ‘Stated’ Correctly

While the U.S. shares a common language, if you travel, you find states have unique localized expressions. In Minnesota, everyone knows what “The Cities” are and where “Up North” is located. If you are from North Dakota, Minnesota, or Wisconsin, everyone knows you bring a hot dish not a casserole...

Want to help design a new state flag and seal?

Minnesotans can now officially submit their ideas for the next state flag and seal.The State Emblems Redesign Commission is accepting public submissions on its website: www.mnhs.org/serc. All entries must be original and follow the guidelines outlined by the State Emblems Redesign Commission....

College costs must be brought under control

In her column elsewhere on this page Sen. Carla Nelson addresses the dilemma facing college graduates who are seeing their student loan payments resume after being frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone agrees that the soaring cost of a college education places an enormous financial burden...

As student loan payments resume, borrowers should be aware of options

Student loan payments resumed in October after being frozen for three years due to the pandemic, meaning most borrowers will need to start making monthly payments on their student loans again. More than 800,000 Minnesotans had outstanding student loan debt as of June 30, owing a cumulative $27.1...

Finstad, Craig Introduce USDA Express Loan Act

Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02) introduced the USDA Express Loan Act, legislation which would establish a new Express Loan Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), allowing lenders to receive expedited approval for Farm Service Agency (FSA)...

There is a lot going on in the area

Congratulations are in order to the city of Kasson for being one of six small towns in the 20-county area served by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund’s (SMIF) Rural Entrepreneurial Ventures (REV) program. The three-year program provides resources to help rural communities as they strive for...

A gift to our Dodge County friends

Some exciting things are happening with the Dodge County Independent, and I’d like to share some of them with you this week. This week we’re going out to an expanded audience as nearly every household in Dodge County and western Olmsted County will be receiving the newspaper. In the newspaper...