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Community Voices

A few questions on hotel proposal

This is an e-mail I sent to the Mayor and City Council of Marshall, the Lyon County Commissioners and the EDA Director of Marshall, regarding the building of a Hampton Inn Hotel in the area of the Red Baron Arena: My wife and I have some serious questions about this “proposition” that has resurfaced. After reading the May 16 article in the Independent we were taken aback reading the requests that Rebound Partners of Northfield are asking of our city and County. Our unabashed opinion and questions for this group: the city Council, EDA Director, Lyon County Commissioners and Rebound ...

Bringing Minnesota stories back to the Senate

Minnesota relies on the strength of our state’s rural communities and farmlands. As your Senator and as one of the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, it’s important to me to hear directly about the challenges you are facing. Every year I go to all 87 of Minnesota’s counties, and last month, I went on a 19-county tour to visit farms, small businesses, and other organizations throughout rural Minnesota. Everywhere I went, I got to talk to small business owners who were proud to contribute to their local economy, neighbors who went the extra mile for each other, and ...

Fifty years slip by

I am about to attend one of the most stressful events anyone can imagine. That’s right: I will soon be going to my high school class reunion. Specifically, it’s the reunion that will mark 50 years since we graduated. Fifty years. How can that be? How is it that half a century has slipped under the bridge since we wore those ridiculously oversized gowns and those silly caps that looked like a cross between a beanie and a pizza box? I’ve stayed in touch with a few of my classmates over the years. Some of them, like me, never left the area. We’re among those who decided to ...

Going extra innings on the farm

I wrote once when I was young, that farmers had about 40 seasons to ply their trade. When I wrote that, 40 years seemed an unimaginably long time. Here I am, past that number, still putting in a crop. You could say I’m in extra innings. Each planting season is highly anticipated, stressed over, hard work, and unique. No two are ever the same. If I am done planting, this one was quite pleasant. I say “if,” because replanting acres is not uncommon. The last two springs are examples of that. In both years, hard and excessive rains meant I replanted large numbers of acres, more ...

Garage sales serve as valuable American tradition

Spring is garage sale season throughout the region, and in Marshall it gets off to a fast start. Our city-wide garage sale weekend takes place in early May and always offers something for everyone. It’s a great opportunity to get out and find some bargains. I never make it to every sale on the city-wide weekend. I start with the paper’s advertisements and map. I figure if people advertise they’re serious about their sale. They’re likely to have more of a selection. There are a lot of others who just set up shop. They’re worth an extra stop. You never know what you might ...

When mom is depressed

I find women to generally be nurturing, caring, and kind. Mothers go well beyond that. Mothers are selfless, anticipate other people’s wants and needs, nurture, are supportive, protective, show empathy, care for, and guide their children. They are the glue that binds the family. Since mothers play such an important role in the lives of the family and have such a profound impact on each member of the family, they need to be cared for and protected. If something unfortunate or bad happens to her, then her ability to do and be all those wonderful things can be significantly compromised. ...