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Everything old is new

It has become fashionable to embrace things and activities that are from a former era. In other words, “old” is now the new “new.” This is great news for people like me, who never threw out those bellbottoms that young hipsters are currently wearing in order to appear hip. They might think that wearing such clothing is done in an ironic manner, but it just makes them look moronic. Lost somewhere in the dusty archives of our family photos is a snapshot of me at the age of 10. I’m kneeling beside our International Harvester single disk with a grease gun in my hand. A piece ...

Western Minnesota’s future depends on pipeline development

Western Minnesota runs on reliable energy and the infrastructure that moves it. From heating homes to powering farms, pipelines keep this region running. Yet every time a new project is proposed, we get the same tired opposition from people who ignore how critical they are for jobs, economic growth, and affordable energy. As a former business representative for Local 49, I’ve seen firsthand what these projects mean for working families. When we build pipelines — whether for natural gas, carbon capture, or anything else — we’re not just moving fuel. We’re creating ...

Here are State of the City indicators

The State of the City is an annual Chamber event where city officials present information on various topics related to past and current projects within the city and by the community. Recently, Mayor Byrnes presented information on “State of the City Indicators” that support and help answer-what is the “State of the City?” Common “State of the City indicators can include various aspects like economy, environment, social well-being, infrastructure, safety, and governance. These indicators allow governing bodies and the community to understand areas of strength or areas needing ...

Stop politicizing child care

The word “fraud” has been thrown around lately, especially in connection with child care in Minnesota. It’s important to remember, this is an old and familiar tactic. Cry fraud, then use the cry of fraud to discredit a program. The goal being to defund the program. With the current target being Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the perpetuating of this “fraud” letter/rumor is with no care to if the fraud is real or not. The claim is that because a child care center has licensing violations and is receiving CCAP payments, it is somehow committing fraud. As a child care ...

Spinning for the Rotary Club

I had never been to a Rotary Club meeting, so I didn’t know what to expect. What do Rotarians even do? Are they obsessed with switching around the tires on their cars? Do they track Earth’s spin on its axis? Mike Lamb, editor of the Marshall Independent newspaper, recently invited me to address a meeting of the Marshall, Minnesota Rotary Club. I had never knowingly interacted with a Rotarian – let alone a group of them – but I’ve never let a trivial matter such as a total lack of experience stand in my way. The lunchtime meal served at the meeting was tater tot ...

Improve your oval office conversation skills

In 2015, a graduating high school student gave an impactful commencement speech that succinctly illuminated to me what is wrong with today’s conversations. She stated that we all need to “listen for the sake of listening.” All too often, people listen only as a means to wait for an opportunity to speak, not with an intent to actually hear and understand what is being said by the person they’re listening to. This past weekend, I was dismayed watching the replay of the Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the President and Vice President of the ...