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On the Porch

Eidsvold township is located in the northwest corner of Lyon County and was first settled in 1871. The township was named by a vote of its Norwegian settlers for a parish in Norway, noted as the meeting place of the National Assembly in 1814. The first town meeting was held in 1873 when nineteen residents petitioned for a township government. It was granted on September 20, 1873. H.T. Oakland was chairman and the following were the first officers: Nels Torgerson and A. Amundson, supervisors; John Coleman, clerk; Svend Peterson, treasurer; O.B. Ringham, assessor; H.D. Frink, justice ...

Ensuring Minnesota veterans can get the care they’ve earned

Whether they served in the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains of Afghanistan, or the sands of Iraq, when our veterans signed up to serve our country, there wasn’t a waiting line. When they return home from duty and need a job, education, housing, or health care, there should never be a waiting line in the United States of America. That’s why for years I worked alongside Minnesota veterans and families to ensure that veterans exposed to toxic substances, including burn pits in the Middle East and Agent Orange in Vietnam, could get the high-quality, affordable health care they need ...

What is fine wine?

It’s interesting how often we say something that doesn’t reflect how we really feel. For instance... When you’ve been asked how things are going, how many times have you replied, “Oh, I’m fine!”? If you’re anything like me, that reply is just a reactive statement that does not reveal the burden you are carrying at that moment. However, it’s easier to flip out, “Oh, I’m fine!”, than to admit your true feelings, right? We humans are still learning, aren’t we? Why can’t we admit to the physical, mental or spiritual burden we are carrying at the moment? ...

A college chapbook

A lady named Marla, who lives at Cherokee, Iowa recently mailed me an antique artifact. I know that it’s antique because it’s a little bit older than me. The relic in question is a chapbook that was published by Iowa State College in September of 1954. The 70-year-old booklet contains a collection of essays that were penned by students who were enrolled in English 101, 102, and 103. I’ve never attended college, so I have no idea what those numbers mean. For all I know, they refer to the ages of the professors who taught the courses. The book’s essays are all well written. ...

2.4 billion Easter people can spread a lot of love

Easter is unique among holidays in that it skips around on the calendar. It depends on the vernal equinox and a full moon. Regardless, it comes in spring. Which is perfect. New life, resurrection, birth, greening of nature: all of a piece. There was one Easter morning in history. But we remember and celebrate that single event every year. It’s interesting that we humans commemorate things at regular times on our planet’s journey around the sun. It is a way to make sense of the eternal by connecting it to time and days we can understand. The church calendar is a creation of ...

Empowering futures: Educational excellence and community engagement at Marshall Public Schools

We continue to implement Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) at Southview, the Middle School, and at the High School. I’m impressed at the simple, but effective, strategies BARR brings to the table to help us look at some new protocols to use data we have. This helps us to have a better understanding of our students’ individual needs and talk about how we can address those needs. Each site is currently at a different stage of implementation, but each is doing great work. One of the first things I have seen implemented at each site is the I Time or U Time social/emotional ...