To the editor: Because I had worked part time for Dr. LeRoy Affolter, optometrist, (reporter) Deb Gau called to ask if I had remembrances to share as she was writing an article for the next day’s Independent. I didn’t find her message in time to reply, so I thought I would share my ...

To the editor: Following the recent referendum failure, our district is making difficult decisions about budget reductions. Regardless of how any of us voted, we share a common goal: strong schools that support student success and responsible leadership. With the proposed budget set to go ...

To the editor: Trump is refusing to use emergency funds for food stamps even though the courts are ordering him to fund them. Instead of helping people that are starving, many of them children, he is appealing the court order to use the emergency funds, and that is after he and Republicans ...

To the editor: Imagine my surprise to open my on-line edition of the Independent today to see my old friend and colleague Bill Holm featured on the front page. Bill was one of the smartest and most colorful men I have ever known. His knowledge of literature and music (and many other areas ...

Fall brings cooler weather and football games, and it’s also the annual time to ensure you have the health insurance coverage you need for 2026. Open enrollment on the federal Marketplace at healthcare.gov — as well as Minnesota’s marketplace MNsure at mnsure.org — runs through Dec. ...

To the editor: I remember Katrina. I remember families waving shirts from rooftops, praying for helicopters that never came. I remember looters—not for greed, but for bread. For baby formula. For dignity. And I remember how the government that delayed rescue rushed prosecution. Today, ...