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Common-sense approach needed for child care rules

Last April the Minnesota Department of Human Services released updated licensing standards for both child care providers and child care centers. The 97-page document includes updates to nearly every current statute. It includes specifics such as the number of certain types of toys each home must have, a requirement that refrigerators need to be cleaned and sanitized monthly and calls for bare soil to either be covered or tested for lead by a national EPA-recognized lab. State Sen. Gary Dahms addressed the draft standards in his July e-newsletter. Dahms said the changes will be the ...

Many reasons to shop at farmers’ market

“Nothing tastes better than fresh green beans out of the garden. You can’t beat it,” Becky Sellner was quoted in a New Ulm Journal article on the start of the farmers’ market season. It’s those fresh green beans and other vegetable delights that make shopping at farmers’ markets so delightful. But they offer much more. They are great outlets for other delicious products such as honey, meat products and delicious desserts. The University of Minnesota Extension offers seven reasons to shop at Minnesota farmers’ markets. 1. Freshly picked fruits and vegetables taste ...

Crazy Days puts downtown on display

In Tuesday’s Independent, Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Mavi Valentin was quoted that she “loves the craziness of Crazy Days.” “You know, like having all the movement and activities everywhere,” she said. We applaud Valentin’s enthusiasm for a longtime downtown tradition in Marshall. The event has always exudes that enthusiasm year after year. Some years, rain showers dampen that enthusiasm. But with traffic blocked from entering downtown for a day, there is nothing like walking down the middle of Main Street to hunt for deals and enjoying delicious ...

Slow down and drive with caution in work zones

No matter where you drive these days in Minnesota, or for that matter — across the nation — road construction is hot and heavy this summer. Construction work has started on U.S. Highway 59 near Marshall and Garvin. The concrete repair work will happen in two segments. Later this summer, a second detour will be put in place when work starts south of Garvin. The $4.4 million project will repair the concrete on the highway surface, as well as upgrading some sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in Marshall, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a news release. The ...

Politicians closing the door on the public

Last weekend, several media outlets reported the Biden Administration forwarded questions to a couple of radio hosts ahead of interviewing the U.S. president. A revelation that is not shocking to most journalists covering politicians these days. CNN’s Victor Blackwell asked the host of “The Source” in Philadelphia about the interview of Biden. “I got several questions, eight of them, and the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved,” radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders told Blackwell. A Biden campaign spokesperson on Saturday did not deny that the campaign ...

Boosting internet reliability vital for rural businesses

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $25 million in funding availability from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase high-speed internet access in rural and tribal communities. The funding is made available through the USDA’s Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) Program, part of the Biden Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law to connect every community in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. The announcement marks the second round of funding for the program. In its first round, the program received 96 applications requesting a total of ...