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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 at least 100 feet before a school bus stops in a speed zone of 35 mph or less. They will activate the lights at least 300 feet before it stops in a speed zone of more than 35 mph. It is against the law to pass on the right side of a school bus while it is displaying red or yellow flashing ...

Red and gold

The older I get, the more I look forward to the red and gold of autumn. While the trees often sport these colors as the season rolls around and summer comes to an end, the red and gold that often accompanies this time in between that seasonal shift is a bit different. The areas around those still-green canopies are hallmarked by the fleeting ruby and golden blur of meadowhawk dragonflies that signal the transition from the warm weather season into fall. As a youngster, it didn’t take me long to associate the appearance of these flitting crimson and yellow dragonflies at the lake ...

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 in the box of my pickup. All of those pale in comparison to the biggest challenge I faced as young farmer: procuring a girlfriend. My procurement system worked like this: I would saunter up to a pair of Possible Future Girlfriend candidates and dazzle them with my smooth banter. “Hi,” I ...

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 Estates list a year ago when I was preparing for hip surgery and when my mother entered hospice care. I wasn’t sure at the time that I wanted to move. I just felt that I should get on the list and make a decision when my name came up. As the year went along I began to lean toward moving. Events ...

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 1922 and continued until May 1932. The school district was originally District 43 and later became District 977. The school district maintained the elementary school until 1970. After the school closed, students were enrolled at Minneota. The Taunton Centennial book, which was published in 1986, ...

The Vietnam War – Marland Burckhardt – High school years and tragedy

We have been learning about Marland Burckhardt, who grew up in rural Russell. He and his younger brother, David, attended Russell Public Schools. Marland recalled challenges getting to school during the winter. “The farm was ¼ mile from the road with a driveway cut into the north side of a hill. Winter winds locked that road in with snow drifts. I remember spending lots of time shoveling with Dad, father-son bonding, I guess. Dad bought a car body with the windows still in and sat it at the end of the driveway so my brother and I could get out of the wind while waiting for the ...