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A proper send-off for retiring county dispatcher

Mary Gislason retired on March 25 after 43 years of service as an emergency dispatcher in Lyon County. Appropriately, members of the Lyon County Sheriff Department sent her off to retirement with the customary 10-7 ceremony. If you are unaware, the 10-7 code on the police radio indicates a police officer or deputy is out of service. A line of Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicles with flashing lights turned on and department personnel and supporters greeted her as she walked out of the Law Enforcement Center. While 43 years of service to one organization is quite a lifetime ...

Volunteers making a difference by organizing fairs and summer festivals

In an interview with Independent Editor Mike Lamb, longtime Wabasso Lions Club member Dean Fischer says he lives by many mottos. There is one, however, that fits his mission in life really well. According to Fischer, the motto is posted in the Lion Bar inside the Wabasso Community Center. It states: “Volunteers don’t necessarily have time. They just care.” It’s an admirable motto to live by. Because so many people like Dean live by that motto throughout southwest Minnesota, our communities are so much better off. And so are the many festivals and community events that ...

Stopping the spread of misinformation

In a recent poll on the Independent web page, readers were asked whether Meta (Facebook) should focus more on protecting free expression or on combating misinformation. The question came following the Jan. 7 announcement that Meta would stop using third party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Instead, regular users will be able to add “notes” to posts, thus correcting inaccuracies or false claims. Local poll results showed that 67 percent believe Meta should focus more on combating misinformation. The results are encouraging. People know that misinformation can ...

Legislature needs to stop wasting time

In a recent press release, State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, listed “Stop the Fraud” as one of his top priorities for the 2025 Legislative session. Of course, Swedzinski is referring the “Feeding Our Future” scandal and FBI investigation of Minnesota autism centers. However, there is a different kind of fraud flourishing in St. Paul these days. It involves the Legislature itself. Minnesota voters send their representatives to Minnesota Legislature to work for them. The Legislative session only lasts four months. Voters expect their representatives to spend each one of ...

Americans dying too young

The American public is being sold a bill of goods that enrolling everyone in government-approved health insurance — primarily managed care — will improve the nation’s health and close the troubling disparities between the health of Black and white Americans. Former President Barack Obama made insurance coverage the signature issue of the Democratic Party. Now Democrats in Congress are revving up for a fight to spend hundreds of billions of dollars more subsidizing managed care plans, while Republicans are opposed. Politics aside, the facts show the money could be far better ...

Boosting health care in rural America

Last week U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., released a press release on her partnership with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, on introducing legislation to improve access to health care and address the physician shortage in rural areas. The Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2024 would authorize the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program to continue providing start-up funding to rural hospitals, medical schools, and other organizations to establish new rural residency programs. Among current medical residency programs, the release said only 2 percent of ...