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Community Voices

When it comes to housing policy, local decision-making is best

In all Minnesota cities, decisions about housing stock and residential development should be left to local leaders and their residents — not legislators in Saint Paul. With housing shortages and issues of housing affordability occurring statewide, the State Legislature is preparing to propose measures that address both issues without considering unique differences in size and geography that exist among cities. Discussions in the upcoming State Legislative session are likely to center heavily around local zoning and land use preemption. Residential housing needs in Lyon County ...

What our office can do for you

Minnesotans seek assistance from U.S. government agencies for a variety of reasons — whether it’s to get an answer about Social Security, access to veterans benefits, or assistance with renewing a passport. But, too often, bureaucratic red tape gets in the way. That’s why our state office makes it a priority to cut through this red tape to get action and answers. Last year alone, our office assisted nearly 8,600 people with issues regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, passport applications, and more. When our seniors don’t receive ...

Vegetarian meals: are they an answer to high living costs?

This winter I found a way to at least slightly mitigate inflation and increased costs of living. I make myself two or three vegetarian meals a week. It saves money. Food is a big item in my budget, and meat products are a major part of my grocery bill. I don’t have any moral issues about eating meat. I enjoy steaks, turkey, chicken, pork, ham, sausage, bacon roast beef and ground beef. I think it’s the destiny in life for domesticated livestock to be carefully raised and then taken to market. My decision to be a little more of a vegetarian is purely economic. I want to have ...

The winter that wasn’t

If you were to stand in one spot long enough, everything would change — and not just hairstyles. And not just on a geological timescale, either. You wouldn’t have to wait for plate tectonics to do their work to see some radical shifts. A good example would be this winter. If you live in our neck of the woods, you might say, “What winter? We’ve had only a few smatterings of snow instead of our usual six months of the type of frozen misery that can cause people to dash to the airport and scream, ‘Get me on the next plane that’s headed south! I don’t care where it’s ...

How about a life of love and service?

Dear White males, I’m one of you. I have been my whole life, checking “White,” “Caucasian,” or “non-Hispanic” on surveys and applications. While my skin tone isn’t exactly white, a farmer tan hides some serious paleness. Face it, being one of us is a pretty good deal. Mostly it’s White males who are presidents, CEO’s, executives, and all but two baseball managers. White males in America are among the most fortunate people who’ve lived on this planet, except for some kings and queens and very rich. A generally good economy, security, health, education, housing ...

True Light high school proposal should prove promising for Marshall

It’s always great when a newspaper can report good news, something that can have a lasting positive impact on the community. It happened this fall with the aquatic center proposal. This week it happened again with True Light Christian’s proposal to add high school grades. Their plan has potential to give Marshall area residents with strong religious convictions a chance to make religion a direct part of the high school experience. True Light is taking a good approach in its planning process. They’ve been meeting about a high school since 2022 and are now ready to share their ...