Breaking News

Editorials

Enough petty politics! Senate Republicans, Walz must work together

Sadly, Minnesotans this past week saw just how petty some of their legislators can be when they don’t get their way. The Republican-led Senate, while convened Wednesday in special session, made a stunning 34-32 vote to reject the confirmation of Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink. While a few key Senate Republicans tried to spin the decision as dissatisfaction with her performance over the past 19 months, the reality is this was purely a political play. Witness House minority leader Rep. Kurt Daudt, a key Republican, tweeting “Looks like the ...

Short Takes

Supporting dairy farmers THUMBS UP: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, led a bipartisan group of 23 senators in calling for the enforcement of United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement dairy provisions. A Smith press release said a letter was sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassaor Robert Lighthizer stressing that holding trade partners accountable to their trade commitments is critical to supporting dairy farmers and American dairy exports. “Fair market access for American dairy farmers ...

Home sales bright spot

Among the brightest bits of news linked to the COVID-19 epidemic was the report last week that home sales are booming in the United States. The pace of home purchases jumped by a record-high 24.7% last month, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts credited low mortgage interest rates and a limited supply of houses for the boom. Think back a few years to the so-called Great Recession. You may recall it was sparked by a crash involving sub-prime mortgages, or home-buying loans granted to people who could not make the monthly payments. When that house of cards ...

Back to school calls for careful driving

It seems every year we write reminding readers of the importance of being aware and driving carefully as school starts up again. Though there is nothing normal about this year’s return to school, one thing remains the same: It is, as ever, important to remember there are kids headed back to schools again. Changes make it even more important to be aware constantly, rather than just in the school zones with which you are familiar. “Just because there isn’t a school bus in one part of your neighborhood doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be another in the next school ...

In virus era, resources must be used wisely

For many years, local public health agencies were viewed by many Americans as centers for anti-smoking campaigns, immunizations for children in low-income families, enforcers of restaurant cleanliness rules and similar activities. Suddenly last winter, all that changed. Now and probably for many years to come, the term “public health” will be tied solidly to dangerous epidemics such as COVID-19. Effective local public health agencies have become a matter of life and death. Their longstanding complaints about inadequate funding are receiving new and more favorable ...

There’s ‘no pain, no gain’ in college football during pandemic

Failing to rein in COVID-19 has consequences. Among them, college football. The coaches whose whistles and shouts normally fill the air over football practice fields this time of year would rightly scoff at a player who showed up out of shape yet expected to make the team anyway. That’s not how it works. Playing time is earned. It goes to those who spent their free time lifting weights and fine-tuning fundamentals at summer camps. Talent isn’t enough. It has to be combined with conditioning and preparation. This reality applies across all sports and to life off the field as well. ...