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AI, data centers create need for technology regulation

Community Voices

The expanding national debate over technology’s future was spotlighted very effectively last week in a Family Circus comic strip. Dolly (the little girl) was praying on her bed. She asked God to deliver us. Instead of saying “deliver us from evil”, she asked God to “deliver us from email”. I thought it was prophetic. Email and texts are fine for person to person communication, but we definitely should be delivered from spam and e-marketing. It’s just one of many issues involving electronic technology. The development of AI has made it much worse. I read a recent ...

Why do farmers support Trump?

Community Voices

I was on the tractor tilling corn ground. I got a call from a college buddy. I answered. Kevin has always been wonderfully blunt. Before I could say hello, Kevin said, “Randy, why do farmers support Trump?” I stumbled around that question for a couple minutes before we switched to talking about our wives and kids. I don’t have a good answer to Kevin’s question. I don’t even have a bad answer. A lot of us have burned up brain cells trying to understand the affection for Donald Trump. We just completed the most expensive and loudest election in our history. For sure, the ...

Vietnam War – Greg Taylor – Growing up a Taylor

Local Columns

Greg Taylor was born Dec. 11, 1947, to Mildred (Ayrhart) Taylor and David B. Taylor at the Anna Maria Memorial Hospital in Marshall. Greg was the second of the Taylors’ three children. The eldest, David Michael, was five years older than Greg. Their sister, Terri Lee, was five years younger ...

On the Porch

Local Columns

For this column, I often share social news or the gossip columns from the old newspapers. The social news is always fascinating to read and a lot can be learned of local people and events from the communities in Lyon County. For this article, I’m going to share the classifieds from one of the newspapers. The classifieds are interesting to read as well. Here are a few from the News-Messenger of Lyon County on Nov. 10, 1922: CHARLES C. VICKERMAN, Taxidermist. Birds and heads mounted. Light hides and furs tanned. Leave work at Blanchette’s Store, Marshall, Minn. CAR APPLES on ...

Be happy

Local Columns

As we enter this time of the year, let us be happy. Therefore, let's get by a lot of today's negativity, and be happy. Here's a sample of why we should be filled with joy. Hey! We got up this morning, and are still breathing — that should be a happy element in our lives. We can move and experience the elements of life we wish to sample. We need to be happy and thankful for all of the service of our military veterans. As we know, many of our fellow Americans paid the ultimate price for us. Many bear the mental and physical scars of their service. We must never forget that our ...