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As we enter this time of the year, I often receive questions regarding how our District makes weather-related decisions. I would like to take this opportunity to share a bit about our process. When determining whether to have in-person school, implement an e-Learning Day, or have a late start, we consider various factors. Our decision-making process involves analyzing multiple weather forecasting models, including input from the National Weather Service specifically tailored to our immediate area. We not only assess the current weather conditions but also take into account the ...

New state flag will be raised on Statehood Day

Editor’s note: Aaron Wittnebel wrote this op-ed in response to a New Ulm Journal story. A similar story was published in the Independent By Aaron Wittnebel In response to the Journal’s recent “Minnesota Flags Staying Put” article, I was hoping to clarify some of the misunderstanding, and correct some of the misinformation that is out there regarding the new State Flag and Great Seal. The first that should help city staff, is that the new State Flag has been approved, the statutory authority was vest in the State Emblems Redesign Commission by an act of the Legislature and ...

Violent crime produces strong reactions in rural communities

Murder is a major topic of conversation these days in the local area, following two incidents and four deaths in the past month. First we had a domestic stabbing and a shooting by a police officer in Marshall which resulted in two deaths. Then there was a shooting situation in Lake Benton that was ruled a murder suicide. Both situations are drawing strong reactions. A group of Marshall residents organized a candlelight vigil outside the victim’s home. The reactions are something I fully expected. Violent crime hits home in rural areas more than in urban locations. In urban centers ...

How I fought for Minnesota in 2023 — and how I’ll keep fighting in the new year

As Minnesota families celebrate the new year, I want to reflect on everything we achieved together in 2023 and look forward to the year ahead. Despite a divided Congress, we worked across the aisle and made progress on a range of issues impacting our state. Through my visits to all of Minnesota’s 87 counties last year, I got to see that progress firsthand. I’m going to build on that momentum in 2024. Minnesota is a true economic hub for our country. That’s why I fought to secure federal funding for projects like the new Highway 14 in Southern Minnesota — which was completed ...

Cow cuddling questions

There are a lot of creative ways to generate extra income on a farm. For instance, when my sister Diann and I were grade schoolers, we decided to open a sweetcorn stand at the end of our dairy farm’s driveway. Our budding enterprise saw little success due to the fact that our prospective customers consisted entirely of our mail carrier and our milk truck driver. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in rural America. I recently learned of an outside-the-box business idea that involved cuddling with cows. I at first thought that cow cuddling was some sort of joke. “Who ...

New Year’s non-resolutions

It’s a new year and an unblemished calendar stretches out before us, sparkly and clean, like a freshly washed bed sheet that’s hanging on the clothesline moments before your dog snatches it and gallops through a mud puddle. This is the time of year when people often make resolutions. One of the best resolutions I have ever made was to swear off making New Year’s resolutions. This wasn’t because I was already darn near perfect and couldn’t be improved upon, although, in my opinion, there was a good argument to be made for that notion. It was mainly because I had already ...