WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act to recognize the distinguished service of the Hmong veterans who served alongside American troops in the Vietnam War by awarding them a Congressional Gold Medal.

Even though the holiday displays have been in the stores for several weeks now, likewise Black Friday sales, the holiday season is now officially under way.
Among all the holiday activities that will take place in the next month, shopping will be at the top. There are gifts to buy for family and friends.
There is, however, another aspect to giving that most of us also participate in; giving to those who need a little help.

For 15 years, Minnesotans have been showing up on Give to the Max Day, raising nearly $300 million over the past decade and a half. The thing I love most about Minnesota’s “Giving Holiday” is that all dollars raised stay local, as each donor can select which Minnesota-based non-profit they would like to support.

On a five-day trip to Branson, Missouri recently, we were able to revisit fall. While in Minnesota, we’ve already had snow and freezing temperatures, southern Missouri was still in the midst of fall. Before we left, most of our trees had dropped their leaves and I’d taken four truckloads of leaves to the landfill. As we left Minnesota, traveled through Iowa, and entered Missouri, things looked much the same as home.

It was on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 a. m. that the WWI armistice was signed. On Saturday, we celebrated and honored our Veterans. Every year, we have a responsibility to gather and to honor the brave men and women who serve and defend this nation’s freedom and security; we can honor them with a renewed dedication for living out the ideals they served to defend.

When we travel, getting ready to go usually is more work than the trip itself. Even if we are only going for a short time, like a weekend, getting ready takes considerable effort. Of course, the biggest problem is we take too much stuff.