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Ask a Trooper

Question: I saw your last article was about stopping. With school just around the corner, can you talk about stopping for the school bus? Answer: I certainly can and with last year’s law change it’s a good reminder. Previously, the law required drivers to stop for a bus’s red flashing lights and extended stop arm. Alarmingly, this could create a situation where some drivers might pass the bus when the lights were flashing but the stop arm wasn’t extended. The updated law closes the loophole and improves the safety of children across Minnesota. There’s no more trying to beat ...

Varmint vexations

Wildlife must be doing quite well, judging by the volume of roadkill I’ve seen lately. There seems to be a season for each species to commit highway hara-kiri. For instance, a month or so ago skunks were the prevalent source of roadside gore. Most of the stinkers appeared to be fairly young, perhaps the skunk equivalent of teenagers. This leads one to wonder what drove these youngsters to seek this smushed state. Maybe peer pressure was a factor: “I dare you to cross that road! Are you a skunk or a chicken? Bwaak, bwaak! There he goes... Run, Pepé, run! No! Don’t stop and ...

Habitat beyond the hunt

The first hunting opportunity of the year in our region is just a matter of days away with the early Canada goose season set to open in North Dakota on Aug. 15, and from there the rest will roll out as quickly across all of the places you read this column for all of the species you love to ...

Life is a series of tries

While visiting our local public library and having a conversation with a friend of mine — whom I'll name Bobolink — it ended with him saying life is a series of tries. There's a lot of wisdom in that statement, so let's ruminate on it for a bit. Don't we all try to be a decent person? We would all like to think that's true, but we know there are those “stinkers” out there who, for whatever reason, fall off the decency truck. Of course, we can't judge too harshly. Who knows what mental/spiritual or physical burden they are carrying. Therefore, let's always try to pass on ...

Following the twist and time in history from Bohemia

A thing that comes with age is increased interest in those who came before. I wish I had asked my parents so many more questions about their lives. Our daughter Abby spent time doing ancestry work on both Pam’s and my side. Others have worked on the Krzmarzicks. Everyone’s work can build on others’ on websites like ancestry.com. Amazingly, we can go back to the 1500s with some lines that led to Abby. Of course, the further back you go, we only know names and where they lived. Earlier this summer, I got to visit a place that is important in my family story. We spent two weeks in ...

Contested primaries offer more choices for average voters

Minnesota is in the spotlight this summer thanks to primary races for several its highest offices. Endorsed DFL candidate Peggy Flanagan faces a widely publicized challenge from Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig for the U.S. Senate nomination. On the Republican side, several candidates for governor are hoping to advance to the general election where they would face Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Several candidates are also running for the Senate seat. Decisions will be made next week on Tuesday. Judging from posts on my Facebook, the Senate DFL race has led to divided opinions even among local and ...