Especially at major powers in the collegiate sports world, purely amateur athletics has been a myth for many years. Under-the-table gifts by well-to-do boosters have ensured that. Now, however, even the pretense may be about to end. Last week, the NCAA Board of Governors voted to allow ...
“Stop trying to hit me … and hit me.” Morpheus’ command to Neo while sparring in a digitally generated kung-fu dojo in the genre-bending movie (and body-bending, as parodied in so many subsequent films) “The Matrix,” sums up my thoughts on shooting. Morpheus’ encouragement for ...
When you think of the golden age of mobsters, names like Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde might spring to mind. You may envision such hotbeds of gangsterism as Chicago or New York. You probably won’t think of the sleepy little backwater settlement of Possum Trot, which is now commonly known ...
Time is one of our most valuable commodities. That’s why at Social Security, we are constantly improving our online resources to make doing business with us easier and faster. With a my Social Security account, those receiving benefits can change their address and direct deposit ...
Joseph LaFramboise, a trader in the employ of the American Fur Company, established a home in Lyon County in 1835. He built a home and a trading post in the Lynd woods along the Redwood River. LaFramboise was the first recorded white man to settle in the county, according to A.P.Rose, ...
The colder and longer Marshall nights of November are a stargazer’s paradise! The bright winter constellations are on the rise, but the best show this November is actually in the daytime. On Nov. 11 there’s going to be a transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun. With the ...
We were in the Rochester area this past weekend for the Land O’Lakes 2019 Fall District Convention in which Ross’ barbershop chorus was competing. Whitewater State Park is only a half-hour away from Rochester and was highly recommended by one of Ross’ fellow barbershoppers. It was a brisk ...
Hemp offers opportunities to farmers THUMBS UP: Its was about time that U.S. Agriculture officials finalized a rule that will allow farmers to legally grow hemp. A national hemp-growing program that Congress authorized in the 2018 farm bill WILL be launched by the rule. At a time when ...
Before cold weather comes along, take time to insulate your home or apartment to help lower your heating bill and keep the winter chill outside. A single pane of glass can lose nearly 10 times as much heat as the same area of an insulated wall — and depending on when your home was built or ...
The Department of Human Services is Minnesota’s largest and most convoluted state agency. The results of a legislative auditor’s office investigation, released Tuesday, indicate is also due for a major overhaul, top to bottom. The investigation found “troubling dysfunction” at DHS ...
The 2019 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) added a new set of questions this year, inquiring about students’ use of and attitudes toward e-cigarettes and vaping. The survey is administered every three years to students across Minnesota, in grades five, eight, nine and 11. It’s a completely ...
It never made me enter the state of horripilation. It was never macabre to me. There was never anything scary about it. Just a whole lot of fun! In case you don’t understand what the heck I’m talking about, and, just in case you haven’t noticed, it’s Halloween time! It’s a time ...
To the editor: Thank you gentleman (Mike Lamb and Greg Orear) for producing a quality local newspaper that is worth both the money to buy it and the time used to read it. What is even more noteworthy is the fact that in this digital, perhaps soon-to-be-quantum, age, the Independent is a vital ...
We Americans have a habit of bragging about our feats of technology. Our chief economic and military rivals — namely Russia and China — seldom do. They prefer to keep their secrets. No one in this country is certain, then, how far the state-controlled economies of those nations have gone ...
The roaring winds of Saturday dipped only slightly on Sunday morning as we made our way into the field to close out a weekend of pheasant hunting. Along with the slight decrease in the northwest gusts came a drop in temperature and the dashboard readout on the truck posted 22 degrees. It was ...
Most of us Nelson siblings have a birthmark. Mine is a pea-sized, perfectly circular, scarlet dot on the inside arch of my right foot. I was pulling on my socks the other day when I said to my wife, “When I was a little kid, I thought that everyone had a mark like this to help them remember ...
The presidency of Donald Trump is becoming dangerous for Americans, deadly for our allies and surreal. One can see this in the eyes of his Republican colleagues. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sees it. House Republican leaders know it. They took remarkable action Wednesday when they ...
Ghosts, goblins, and assorted other demons of the dark will be lurking this week amongst us with and without costumes, especially this Thursday. There’ll be airborne spooks as well. No doubt we’ll also hear of stealth flying broomsticks being piloted by not so attractive characters with ...
Harvest time was approaching when I sat across Doug Albin at his kitchen island inside his Clarkfield farmhouse as he described the decision process on whether to plant or not to plant. “I sat down at the kitchen table here and I had seven spread sheets laid out of different scenarios if we ...
To the editor: The community of Marshall should consider itself extremely fortunate to have a local daily newspaper and people who work hard to bring you your news six days a week. Truth be known, the paper wouldn’t be what it is without those people — from the men and women in the ...