There is a lot of talk today about the effect of social media on today’s youth. But since I did not grow up in the social media era, I’ll let people with a lot more expertise try and solve that problem.

My mother-in-law is in her early 70s, and has been reading her hometown newspaper, the Mankato Free Press, since she was a kid.
Every day, for decades, she has read every single page.
And for a little more than half of those years, Joe Spear was part of it.
Joe, who worked for the Free Press for 35 years, serving as editor for 20 of those years, retired last fall.

It is summer time during an even year, which means election season is underway.
Like we did in 2024, the DCI will begin its weekly election series to help keep readers informed about where the candidates stand, starting after the 4th of July.
Each week we will feature different contested races at the local level along with for our state legislator positions.

Friends and neighbors,
The 2026 Legislative Session has closed.
I am happy to report that Republicans effectively used our tie in the State House to pass many legislative victories for Minnesotans. Similarly, and of equal importance, we used our leverage to block several far-left proposals that would have damaged our state.

My wife and I have been visiting my family back home in Rhode Island, and last week, the weather called for sunny skies and warm temperatures — so we went to the most perfect place on earth: Fenway Park.
Boston is about an hour or so train ride from Providence. My wife, who is an avid swimmer, wanted to take a dip in the bay, so we decided to leave extra early.

It’s with great excitement that we make this edition of the Dodge County Independent available to every household in the county. It’s time to become acquainted with this countywide newspaper.
As a helpful tool, we’d like to share some information with you to help you navigate the DCI and use it to your fullest potential. Many of the questions below come from people who want to know more about our publication.