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Country School Kids – Verlane Willard Ross and Lois Willard Giles – Social life with extended family and church

Local Columns

We have been learning about Verlane and Lois Willard growing up with their three sisters on their farm in Sodus Township, Lyon County. The Willards had extended family in the area and paternal grandparents who lived with them, so the girls grew up with many, special family members in their lives. (Lois) “We had a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles. (Verlane) We practically grew up with Aunt Leone and Uncle Porter because our dads worked together and they lived just north of us. (Lois) Aunt Josie would come by and Uncle Ingman and Aunt Marge would come from Hendricks. (Verlane) We ...

Rogue items in the recycling

Local Columns

Every now and then, I check in with our recycling hauler to uncover the rogue items sneaking into recycling carts or drop-off spots, where they absolutely do not belong. The top five offenders currently crashing the recycling party are: general trash, wood scraps, Styrofoam, random steel bits, and plastic bags. Avoid these recycling faux pas at all costs. Trash belongs in the trash bin, plain and simple. If your trash can is overflowing, call your trash hauler for backup or take it to the landfill yourself. Plastic bags, like those pesky shopping bags, should either cozy up with ...

What’s missing from ICE conversation? Dialogue

Community Voices

Right now, Minnesota is in the national spotlight, and not for good reasons. First, because our state government failed to stop massive fraud. Then because federal immigration enforcement drew national attention, protests, and tragedy. These operations removed dangerous criminals from our streets, including people convicted of violent crimes who were in the country illegally. They also resulted in the death of Renee Good. Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear two very different stories. Some say Good acted on a moral obligation to oppose federal actions. Others say an ICE officer ...

Not very noble times

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: In his inspiring acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize Martin Luther King said, “ I think Alfred Nobel would know what I mean when I say that I accept this award in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owners — all those to whom beauty is truth and truth beauty — and in whose eyes the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.” Such a contrast to today’s ignoble grabber. Patricia McLoone Marshall

Attend DFL party caucus

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Are you unhappy with the current state of things? Are you tired of the fear, the hate, and dishonesty? Do you wish to a see a return to empathy, honesty, and integrity? If so, join with others who share your values at the Lyon County Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Caucus on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Adult Community Center in Marshall. A caucus is a gathering of neighbors who come together to discuss issues, build community, and influence the direction of the party. It is the night that will ignite the rest of the campaign season. For more than 70 years, the ...

Executive Order 14159: The Way of the Gun

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: On July 4, 2026 we might be 250 years old. In 1814, John Adams, the sixth President of the United States wrote, “Remember. Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide.” What do you plan to do to celebrate? For starters, Minneapolis has been again selected as a lightning rod for injustice. How do you get over 2,000 ICE agents to come to Minnesota? You don’t. DHS reassigned 14,500 government employees from other agencies and gave them minimal training. Also 8,500 state or ...