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Walz, Legislature must work to protect taxpayer money

The recent news coming out of St. Paul is troubling. Last week a non-partisan audit revealed “serious mismanagement and lost taxpayer revenue” in Minnesota. The audit claims that the Department of Human Services has not attempted to recover more than $40 million in outstanding overpayments to medical assistance providers’ accounts. Also, the department has not accurately reported its accounts receivable balance to Minnesota Management and Budget for inclusion in the state’s financial statements since 2019. According to a Star Tribune article, some of these debts appear to ...

Protect your children by following new Minnesota law when in a vehicle

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death for children 7 and younger. Between 2019 and 2023, preliminary data shows that 89% of more than 12,800 children involved in an automobile crash in Minnesota but were restrained were not injured. Another 10% suffered minor injuries, Department of Public said. According to AAA on national data, from 2017-2021 more than 3.9 million children ages 10 and younger were involved in car crashes while riding in a vehicle. AAA research states, that when used properly, infant ...

Tone down the anger this political season

“I’m so angry,” the caller told one of our editors. That caller was responding to a column written by a newspaper contributor on diversity. The caller stated he was tired of hearing about diversity. The columnist was stating that diversity might prove to be important in the 2024 election. While the column supported diversity, it also stated that a person’s service record should also be a major factor. The column ended that we need to respect each other. Unfortunately, respecting each other’s opinion or stance on issues is not so popular as Election Day approaches. ...

Donating blood makes a difference

The email from the American Red Cross stated in all caps: BREAKING “Blood emergency declared , Red Cross donors needed now The Red Cross urged editors to get the word out. “The American Red Cross has now issued an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces dangerous levels of heat and heads out for final summer travel plans. In July, heat impacted blood drives in nearly every state the Red Cross collects blood — a contributing factor to further draw down of an already-low blood supply. We need donors to give blood or platelets now to avoid any potential effect on ...

Let’s be careful how we frame salary increases for elected officials

Do you have some free time on your hands to give back to your community? Maybe consider running for city council or mayor in your community. Volunteering to make your community a better place to live should be the main reason for running for a city council position or mayor in small communities such as those that are located in Lyon County and in southwest Minnesota. And we commend community leaders such as Marshall Mayor Byrnes who given so much to his community for the past 30 plus years. It’s a selfless act to want to help guide your community. However, the amount of ...

Promoting biofuels good for environment and MN farmers

Two recent announcements involving biofuels are important developments for the Minnesota agriculture industry and the environment. We join the Minnesota Biodiesel Council in applauding the recent letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency by members of Congress, including Michelle Fischbach and Brad Finstad, encouraging more usage of biofuels in the U.S. The letter from the U.S. representatives follows a letter sent by U.S. Senators, including Amy Klobuchar. Of course, it’s not a big surprise to see Minnesota politicians joining others from agricultural states in support of ...