For decades, tobacco companies insisted their product was not hazardous to health. When scientific proof countered that, they maintained their advertising strategies were not calculated to get as many new smokers hooked on nicotine as possible. We know now that all of those protestations ...
The spike buck sat in the crosshairs of my scope for a few seconds after he had arched back and forth in front of my hillside position for five minutes, nervously eyeing my outline broken only by the small bushes that conveniently grew between us before finally giving up on his quest to figure ...
To the editor: As we wind down 2019, I wanted to take a quick look at how my Minnesota representative handled an important issue to me: Education. On May 30, Governor Tim Walz signed the E-12 Education Bill. The bill boosts funding for public schools by $543 million, including an increase ...
The bad news in a report about water quality in Minnesota was that 56% of state waters are impaired. The good news was we’re doing something about it. Minnesotans shouldn’t be satisfied with the 56 percent impairment rate in the “land of sky blue waters.” No amount of development or ...
Over the many years I’ve been writing this column, as well as putting on inside and outside astronomy and stargazing presentations, I’ve gotten inquiries from lots of nice folks about purchasing a telescope either for themselves or that special someone. I’m often asked to recommend a ...
A couple of weeks ago, we got a new Minnesota State Park pass. This year’s featured park on the sticker is Sibley. Yay, at least I’ve been to that one a few times. And in these past two weekends, we’ve made good use of that park pass by visiting state parks located two or less hours away ...
In the past five years, officers reported snowy or icy road conditions in more than 79,569 crashes (2014-2018). These crashes resulted in 214 traffic deaths and 20,761 injuries. During the winter, it’s important to drive at safe speeds according to road conditions, and give yourself plenty ...
Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen and Jail Administrator Brad Marks went before the board of commissioners on Tuesday to request approval to hire more jail staff. Wallen and Marks described a situation of being between a rock and a hard place. The Minnesota Department of Corrections recommends ...
It is time for a frank and honest discussion with those residents in Lyon County, and particularly with those who are using the community recycling drop sites. We are still having trash and other items dumped at the two community sites in Marshall — particularly the old County Fair site near ...
Gov.Tim Walz on Monday called on legislators to hold public hearings on their conflicting plans to make insulin more affordable. They’ve been holding closed-door negotiations over the past month with no resolution on how to pay for their plans to help those diabetics who can’t afford their ...
We’ve noticed the treats creeping up at the office; delicious goodies showing up in social feeds; and candy seems to be on sale — always. With the holidays rolling in, now is the best time to prepare yourself for battle. And the best way to do that is to stock the freezer with things that ...
On a brisk autumn day, I took a walk. The sky was cloud filled and a rather noticeable northwest wind kept reminding me to not get too comfortable. My eyes gazed out over the prairie and I started to hum a lullaby. The lullaby’s melody hadn’t crossed my thoughts for many years but, as I ...
I was driving to town recently and about a mile east of our farm I saw a wild turkey — the bird kind, not the bottled kind — at the edge of the gravel road. This caused me to realize that it’s turkey time, that season in our great nation when we gobble gobblers until our collective belts ...
Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Erin Murphy was fielding questions after her speech during a Lyon County Democratic-Farmers-Labor event Nov. 10 when the subject of health care billing came up. A woman in the audience stood up and described a common experience when it comes to health ...
In the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history. Yet, on average, women face greater economic challenges than men in retirement. Nearly 55 percent of the people receiving Social ...
To actually have a conversation about bias against political groups, we have to dismiss any comparisons to marginalized communities. There have long been complaints in the sphere of liberal college education in the United States that there is a bias against conservative students from their ...
Keep working on insulin solutions THUMBS UP: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., joined other legislators in introducing bipartisan legislation to create a national study to more fully understand the scope of the insulin affordability crisis in America. Earlier this year, Smith introduced ...
One cannot blame the Turks for not wanting to be the world’s jailers for some of the most dangerous people on the planet. When Turkish forces invaded northern Syria to push back Kurdish separatists, they captured some facilities in which the Kurds were holding Islamic State terrorist ...
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has, over the years, evolved into a big beast. This makes it difficult to handle, as recent news indicates. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported last week that the department violated state law more than 200 times over the past year, ...
November is National Diabetes Month, but it’s also the start of the holidays, and we all know what that means: Tempting treats are everywhere. This makes it extra challenging to make smart snack choices, which is especially important for the 23 million people with diabetes. Here are a few ...