Opinion

Business report leaves us with anxieties

Community Voices October 16, 2026

While scanning my inbox last week, I noticed an email from The Minnesota Chamber Foundation Grow Minnesota! Program. It was releasing its annual “State of business retention and expansion in Minnesota” report. I had a few minutes on Thursday to finally review the report. It highlighted business investment across the state, while identifying challenges. The first quote in the email: “Minnesota continues to attract and support business investment, and that is encouraging,” said Jennifer Byers, executive director of the Minnesota Chamber Foundation. “At the same time, this ...

The great wealth handoff: Preparing your family for what comes next

Local Columns October 16, 2026

Picture this: A father and mother sit at their kitchen table, sorting through decades of financial statements, wondering if their children know where to find their life insurance policies, let alone what to do with them when the time comes. Across town, their adult daughter is quietly ...

On the Porch

Local Columns October 16, 2026

The Spanish-American War in 1898 was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the Western Pacific and Latin America. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, ...

Vietnam War – Norman Teigen – A new chaplain assistant in Vietnam

Local Columns October 16, 2026

We have been learning about Norman Teigen, who grew up on the campus of Bethany College in Mankato, where his father served as college president. Norman graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Mankato State College in 1964, intending to pursue a teaching career. He accepted an English ...

Revisiting

Local Columns October 14, 2026

At the end of the day, do you revisit your day before falling asleep? That nightly revisit of the day's events is important to each of us. It allows us to feel good about some things, and for the not so good moments, the review allows us to see where or how we could improve ourselves. That revisiting gives us a chance to be a better person. Here's one experience that gave me the push to revisit some family history. At a recent Family Fun event with a Halloween theme, I volunteered to help with the event's activities. I was assigned to the Spider Race table, and we waited for the ...

Sometimes you get a gift

Local Columns October 14, 2026

The wind of this year’s pheasant opener weekend was notable, but there were more than enough birds to make the two-day stretch memorable even with a good deal of standing corn on the landscape. On Saturday, from the south, the 30 mile per hour gusts pumped in heat which shortened our day in ...