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Keep ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in mind when voting

Letters to the Editor

My 84 year old mother is upset because her Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance premium is going up nearly 80% next year. This year it’s $101/month. Next year it will be $179/month. In 2025, it was $50/month. The reason? Government subsidies have been scaled back and insurers are choosing to pass on these costs. My mom is on a very fixed income. Since they retired, my parents never paid taxes. For reference, the threshold for a couple to avoid paying taxes on Social Security is $32,000 a year or less. Dropping the insurance coverage is not an option. List price for 1 of her ...

Lighting up Minneota football on Friday nights

Community Voices

Friday night lights were shining bright over Gerhard Meidt Stadium last week. I just didn’t realize how much more brighter than last season. As soon as I walked across the bridge over the Yellow Medicine River and onto the hallowed grounds of Gerhard Meidt Stadium I realized right away this ...

Opposition to Metro Surge leaves state with black eye

Letters to the Editor

Saving democracy in Minnesota? The Metro Surge this past winter was designed to rid Minnesota of the illegal freeloaders, gang members, murderers, child molesters and others who are taking advantage of our overly generous benefits. However, with the help, rather lack of help from our top elected officials, namely (Gov. Tim) Walz and (Minnesota Attorney General Keith) Ellison, as well as the heads of local law enforcement, this endeavor was partially hamstrung. If there had been just the least bit of cooperation and crowd control there probably would not have been any loss of life. ...

The life cycle of a recycling cart

Local Columns

If your recycling cart could talk, what stories would it tell? It might talk about the hundreds if not thousands of bottles, cans, paper and cardboard boxes it has carried through the years. Perhaps it could complain about the -20 degree winters or the 90+ degrees days in the summer and it might simply say, “I’m tired. I’ve recycled enough for one lifetime.” I get it. There is a great story behind our recycling carts because we have been using most of them for well over 20 years. If we think about that time frame, smartphones were just getting going, social media was just ...

Finally my day

Local Columns

Please, Odin, may I have my day? Lately, the calendar seems to be crowded with meetings, volunteering, programs, shopping and whatever else finds its way into the month. I realize much of that overflowing calendar happenings is my fault, so maybe I shouldn't complain too much. However, its still needs to be addressed. Along the way, I've read that the way to self satisfaction is self evaluation. There's a lot of wisdom in those few words so let's meander a bit. First of all, I just opened a bottle of McManis Pinot Grigio. It's not the first time I have tasted this wine, and it ...

Getting the shot

Local Columns

A long time ago, when I first started writing this column, the weekly email to my publishing papers didn’t always include a photo. I figured that my 700 words or so were enough to amply describe the adventure in each week’s article or to lay out my ideas for better hunting or angling for ...