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Local Columns

Momentum in our schools: The choice ahead for MPS

A new school year is always a special time. There’s a distinct pulse in the hallways, focus in the classrooms and a sense of possibility for what lies ahead. Our teachers and staff are ready to build on the progress we’ve made together as a district. At every level, we are seeing our ...

Ask a Trooper

Question: With school back in session, can you talk about school bus safety and what motorists need to know? Answer: School buses have yellow and red lights that flash alternately to warn drivers they are stopping to load or unload students. Bus drivers will activate flashing yellow lights ...

Dealing with girlfriend grief

I was beset with numerous challenges back when I was a beginning dairy farmer. There were the ho-hum things such as wrestling with finances and farming with rickety, worn-out machinery. But there were also some really important issues like formulating the precise mixture of junk to haul around ...

On the Porch

The Taunton school district purchased land from the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company for a school. The elementary school began in 1889. A four room school house was built in 1906 at a cost of $7,000. The building was located on block 13 of Main and 4th Street. A high school began in July ...

Assisted Living Week emphasizes importance of senior housing

Next week is National Assisted Living Week, a time to recognize the importance of senior citizen assisted living facilities. It’s an occasion that has personal meaning. I moved last month from a house to an apartment at Boulder Estates. I decided it was time. I put my name on the Boulder ...

Ask a Trooper

Question: My husband and I are wondering if it is true that emergency vehicles can change a light from red to green, if they need to proceed through an intersection. Is this true, or is it just a myth that people now believe to be true? Also, if this is true, how is the light triggered? Is it ...