Last year, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh faced confirmation hearings that at times seemed more like an inquisition than an effort by U.S. senators to get at the truth. In the end the fact Kavanaugh had been subjected to a purely partisan assault became clear when the full Senate voted ...
Several weeks ago Minnesota government leaders seemed close to a deal on providing relief for diabetics who can’t afford the high cost of their life-saving insulin. An emergency program would be set up to provide a 90-day supply of insulin to those who can’t afford it. It’s an idea that ...
This morning the Lyon County Board of Commissioners will again take up the controversial subject of curbside recycling when it meets this morning. Curbside recycling pickup was suddenly threatened earlier this summer when in June Southwest Sanitation gave notice it would withdraw from its ...
If it seems like we just wrote about this a few weeks ago, it's because we did. Following the back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that left more than 30 people dead and dozens more injured at the beginning of August, we (as well as millions of Americans) called ...
Follow the paved road THUMBS UP: It’s amazing what a paved road can do for the psyche of a small town. The paving project for Yellow Medicine County Road 20 that includes Main Street in Echo is now finished. Echo City Clerk Sue Paradis told the Independent she’s heard favorable ...
Let’s say you decide to go into business for yourself. You’ve always wanted to be a home construction contractor. Why not? Credit could be a problem. Even if you have socked aside enough to build a few “spec” houses, how will you operate while you wait for them to sell? You’ll need ...
American history is full of stuff being thrown at politicians. • In 2000, Illinois Gov. George Ryan was hit with a pie that was tossed by a Southern University student in protest of Ryan's education policies. • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to duck when a shoe came flying at ...
More than a million people in our country are “known or suspected” terrorists, according to the government, in a claim that reaches astronomical heights of imbecility. It makes sense for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to maintain a list of people who truly pose threats to ...
Of all the greenhouse gases, methane is one of the most potent because it so efficiently absorbs heat in Earth’s atmosphere. It is dozens of times greater at warming the Earth than carbon dioxide. That is why the Obama administration instituted rules that forced oil and gas companies to ...
A problem that needs a solution THUMBS DOWN: It’s too bad there isn’t a better solution for the curbside recycling in Lyon County. On Tuesday the Lyon County commissioners, facing a huge increase in the recycling contract, voted to end curbside pickup. Residents will have to cart their ...
Despite comments by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last week, racism is not an “institutional” aspect of life in the United States. Racism does exist and we all would be better off without it. No form of bigotry, including the anti-Semitic comments made by a few members of ...
Let us hope and pray the world is not about to witness something like what happened 30 years ago in Beijing. If it happens again, this time in Hong Kong, there will be absolutely nothing the United States or anyone else can do to stop it. During late spring and early summer in 1989, an ...
"Medicare for all” sounded to a substantial number of Americans like a wonderful idea, until they learned more about it. Democratic candidates for president noticed the shift. Now some who backed the proposal initially are altering their rhetoric. In essence, “Medicare for all” is ...
Despite what some critics are saying, the decision by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to become a sanctuary denomination does not incite law-breaking. The action clearly embraces the philosophy of Christianity. Jesus didn’t ask anyone for papers before offering them ...
Doing nothing is wasting resources THUMBS UP: Kicking the can down the road can’t go on forever. The city of Marshall is facing that reality. First it was City Hall now the Aquatic Center — both are showing their age. City Council members and other officials toured the Aquatic Center ...
One of the big selling points the “Vaping” industry has been pushing is that the practice of inhaling nicotine-laden mist is a safe alternative to regular smoking. Turns out, vaping may not be so harmless after all. In the past few weeks hospitals around the country are reporting ...
How many times after your phone has rung have you looked at the caller ID, seen it was an in-state number, and answered — only to have a recorded voice offer you help in paying off your student loans? Or lowering or credit card interest rate? Or selling you siding or windows? Welcome to ...
Men and women who have served us in the military should not have to worry that they may be murdered if they seek treatment at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Federal authorities are investigating as many as 10 deaths at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.Va., it has been ...
The level of political rhetoric in the United States today is in the sewer. And it’s mostly our, the citizenry’s, fault. Yes, high-ranking politicians at every level of government do, on occasion, lob verbal Molotov cocktails out into the air we breathe. Yes, the political parties twist ...
Good economic development news THUMBS UP: While this week’s news of the closing of the Del Monte peas and corn plant in Sleepy Eye was disturbing, a number of good news events on the economic development front are hitting close to home. First, on Wednesday Avera Marshall showed off its ...