Breaking News

Local Columns

On fatherhood

Every day, rain or shine or Shinola, I take our dog, Bella, out for a walk. It’s good for both of us, and as her doggy daddy, it’s my responsibility to ensure that she gets her minimum daily requirement of free-range fun. During our walks Bella chases rabbits that she never catches and digs for gophers she never finds. She seems to have learned that it’s not about the destination so much as it’s about the journey. As her dad, I will gladly take credit for her acquiring that nugget of wisdom. East of our farmhouse is a slough that the government and Mother Nature have designated ...

Well structured

When it comes to just about any species of fish, an element of structure is often key in catching them, especially in summer. Even the roving schools of white bass on the waters that hosted my formative years of fishing related to nearby weed edges established in the summer months, against ...

Let’s pair up

Sitting at a local concert in the park event, a wellknown aspect of our existence became very noticeable. It's my normal routine to arrive early at the concert to get the space I like. The space is toward the back of the park because I like to watch the park fill up with families and friends. What really grabbed my attention was all of the folks who brought their dogs with them. As everyone settled down to await the start of the concert, the dogs became welcoming members of the assembly. Many people would go to a dog, strike up a conversation with the animal's owners and pet the ...

Dog House owner soaking up the success of self serve dog wash

In 2017, I interviewed the owners of a unique new business in Marshall located on Mustang Way near the Southwest Minnesota State University campus. Justin and Wendy McKinney opened the Dog House, which offers a “home away from home” for dogs while their owners go on vacation. At the ...

Be careful with the hugging

I attended a young woman’s graduation from Blaine High School. Most of my graduation ceremonies have been at Sleepy Eye’s schools. The two experiences were different. A lot. On Sunday, May 31, three high schools from the Anoka-Hennepin school district took turns having their ceremony in U. S. Bank Stadium at two-hour intervals. Blaine was in the middle, at 1 p.m. Hailey was among about a thousand graduates down on the football field. There were maybe 10,000 friends and relatives in the stadium bowl on that side. We were all looking for glimpses of our graduates on the giant ...

The Key: a place that provided plenty of Marshall area fun

The Key on Minnesota Highway 19 near the Marshall airport is gone, but it will never be forgotten. I have great memories of both the roller rink and the bowling alley at The Key. Its history corresponds to my years of growing up in Marshall. Ewald Pagel operated The Key from 1975 until the mid 1990s. He reopened the business for a short time after the millennium. An entire generation of pre teens and teenagers enjoyed it as a place to gather with friends. It’s where I learned to bowl, never scoring more than about 160. The nice thing about bowling is that you never totally lose ...