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Community Voices

God fills our world with color

If our worth is to be measured by our lawns, I am in trouble. You’ve seen those perfectly manicured lawns in the nice parts of town. Then there are farmyards that look like the cover of Country Living magazine. Our lawn is there because something needs to grow between the buildings and the ...

E-15 is fueling America’s future

For too long, a common-sense solution to lower gas prices and support American energy independence has been tied up in red tape. Families and farmers in Western Minnesota and across the country have been subjected to frustrating, outdated, and unnecessary regulations. The House of ...

Leadership Academy grads make a difference

The headline I wrote for the May 8 edition of the Independent: Klobuchar listens to child care needs. The U.S. senator paid a visit to Marshall on May 7 and held a roundtable discussion with local leaders and business people to discuss child care needs. “Housing and day care are our largest ...

Coach Webb setting the standards at SMSU

Not every great coach had great playing careers. In fact, some were better players in a different sport that the sport they ended up coaching in. Take former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He was a better lacrosse player than a football player. He did become a sub-par ...

What is social anxiety?

It is not unusual to feel a bit uncomfortable around certain people or in certain groups. There may be a good reason for that discomfort based on past experience or the nature of the situation. Having significant discomfort when interacting with other people most or all of the time is a ...

Here’s a history lesson on the Minnesota state flag

As the Vice-Chair of the State Emblems Redesign Commission — the group tasked by the Minnesota Legislature to redesign the state’s flag and seal — I find it necessary to respond to the false information our local legislators continue to spread about our new state flag. Since our new ...