In last week’s Starwatch I described at least some of the celestial treasures waiting for you within the great constellation Orion the Hunter. You can have a lot of fun checking them out in our Marshall sky with even a small telescope or binoculars. You can dig for other treasures just by ...

Editor’s Note: A new column written by Marshall resident Bill Palmer will be featured on the front of the Our Region section in the Independent’s Weekender edition. My name is Bill Palmer. I am a southwest Minnesota product, born and raised in Marshall, and a proud graduate of the ...

Once in a great while, Ross and I will head to the movie theater and watch one of the latest films. We don’t always have similar tastes in flicks. In fact, there have been times where I’ll just go along with him to one so we could spend some time together. And there have been times where I ...

Are you looking for new ways to save time this new year? Social Security offers many of its services online by signing up for a secure my Social Security account. Once you create an account, you can review your work history and see an estimate of your future Social Security benefits. We ...

We are in the midst of the Deep Cold, the Death Valley of the seasons here in the Northland. Our hope is to make this perilous crossing without losing any of our metaphorical oxen or actual fingers or toes. The winter solstice is behind us, not that it makes any difference. The high ...

I heard a songwriter say that when he writes music, he’s writing life. I believe the same about wine. When you learn about wine, you learn about life. Music has always been part of my life. I never played an instrument but did participate in the high school choir — which I really ...

January in the upper Midwest is the sportsman’s most challenging month. Major hunting seasons have ended, the flash of fins from early ice begins to slow down as the winter doldrums set in, and typically the temperatures are the lowest of the year and the conditions are the most challenging. ...

We learn so much about Fred Rogers in the biography written by Maxwell King, published in 2019: “The Good Neighbor: The Life and work of Fred Rogers.” In 1966 the Rogers family returned to Pittsburgh after a few years in Canada, and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” was begun on Feb. 19, ...

The following article was first published in the June 22, 1970, issue of the Marshall Messenger, with no author listed. It is interesting information about the pre-settlement of immigrants from Europe in the area. “When Lyon County was first occupied by human beings is uncertain but when ...

It’s back! My favorite constellation, Orion the Hunter, has once again resumed his full reign in the early evening southeastern sky along with his entourage of bright constellations. I love to refer to this collection as “Orion and his gang.” In fact, out of the 20 brightest stars seen in ...

What’s your typical breakfast look like? Toast? Cereal? Nothing at all? You’re probably tired of hearing about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but studies continue to show that consuming between 10 and 20 grams of protein in the morning can help you feel full for longer ...

Somewhere, way beyond the dark blue yonder, a group of folks, who had physically departed from this world, gathered to celebrate bringing in the New Year. Over the eons of timelessness, a group of six very diverse individuals had been coming together to share a beverage and discussion. ...

Give or take, it’s about 250 days until upland seasons open again. It’s really 253, but at this stage in the beginning of the long wait until that semi-warm, dew-covered morning in mid-September brings the first chuckling grouse flushing from some CRP along an alfalfa field, rounding down ...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I watched the original “Star Wars” movie. The year was 1977 (B.C.) and a buddy and I had not much going on that Saturday night, so we decided to catch a new sci-fi action flick that had just hit the theaters. We had no clue that we’d still be ...

Part I Little Crow, or Taoyateduta, or His Red Nation, was born at Kaposia (near Fort Snelling) in about 1810 to Big Thunder and Miniokadawin, or Woman Planting in Water. He received a customary Dakota education and went on trading expeditions to the western Dakota tribes. He married four ...

District manager Beginning on Jan. 8, field offices will remain open until 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, with typical field office hours from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can locate the closest field office to you using our field office locator. In another move to improve ...

Maybe you received a telescope during the holiday season or perhaps you’ve gifted yourself with a telescope. I want you to get as much as you can out of it. I don’t want your scope winding up collecting dust or showing up for sale online.  You might be tempted to put off using your new ...

The start of a new year is traditionally a popular time to reflect on the past and look to make improvements in our lives going forward. Here at the Independent we decided this would be a good time to make one big upgrade and add a new feature. Starting with today’s edition, we are ...

On my Facebook page, I recently posted Pusheen’s (my favorite Internet cat) resolutions. They include explore more, play more, snack more and sleep more. Yeah, Pusheen likes to eat and sleep the most. As for me, I am a restless sleeper; most nights I find myself tossing and turning. I also ...

On the slope to the farmstead and the western horizon, the reason for the lack of flushing pheasants became clear. A golden wall stood at the end of the snow-filled drain where the mostly frozen creek flowed down to the small impoundment where my lab Ole and I started our final walk of the ...