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Chicago brings back romance

Community Voices

My wife and I couldn’t go to Chicago, so Chicago came to us. I’m talking about the iconic rock band, not the city. In this case “iconic” can be interpreted as “old enough to involve carbon dating.” The band Chicago Transit Authority was formed in 1967, the year I turned 10. That means I was 13 their romantic tune “Colour My World” hit the airwaves. Thirteen is a formative time in any young man’s life, but especially so for a gawky, gangly pimple-faced prairie dairy farm kid who’s struggling to figure out what, exactly, that romance stuff is. Chicago Transit ...

Final Harvest shows that violent crimes should be remembered

Community Voices

This fall I became reacquainted with the most famous murder case in local history, the 1983 murders of two Ruthton bankers. I reread the book Final Harvest by Andrew Malcolm. I wanted to read it again after 40 years because of how I remember hearing about events as they transpired. Final Harvest goes into considerable detail about farmer Jim Jenkins and his son, Steve. Malcolm also discusses the lives of the victims, describes what happened at the former Jenkins farm site, and offers a step by step account of the 1984 murder trial at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Ivanhoe. At the ...

The Vietnam War – Marland Burckhardt – Desert Storm and Army War College

Community Voices

We have been following Marland Burckhardt, a Russell High School graduate who married his Russell sweetheart in college and began an Army career focused on Military Intelligence operations. He served in Vietnam in 1970 and then he and Barb had assignments across the United States. Marland reported to his new assignment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as the XVIII Airborne Corps Intelligence Chief in August 1990 as the Corps was deploying to Saudi Arabia after Iraq invaded Kuwait. “When I got to Fort Bragg and went to my G-2 section, I had people sitting in hallways with their ...

Don’t despair

Community Voices

The final weekend of the firearms deer season is often referred to as “Desperation Weekend” as hunters who’ve held out for that trophy buck they’ve been watching on trail camera all summer or perhaps just imagining in their minds this fall, get antsy as the paper tag in their pocket ...

What’s beckoning you?

Community Voices

As we meander through our days, have you noticed how many things are beckoning you? Heading into our hectic holiday times, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. We hurry to arrange all the needed ingredients for a Thanksgiving feast. Hurry! The day of the turkey is beckoning you, and it’s right around the corner. Have you gotten the decorations up? They are calling you! Have you gotten the green bean casserole ready to serve? Everyone loves that iconic dish so be quick about putting it together. Oh, and the needed wine to go with your turkey dinner? That turkey is asking for a nice ...

O’ lutefisk!

Community Voices

Food can transport you into the past or push you forward. But there are some situations where food can cause familial friction. At least that’s how it’s been for forty-some years with my wife and me. The foodstuff that’s been at the center of our domestic distress is lutefisk. My Nordic ancestors must have looked at some fresh cod and thought, “I bet I can make that better.” They began by drying the fish on open racks where it was exposed to the effects of sea breezes and seabirds. The desiccated fish looked like wooden shingles. The cod could be rehydrated by ...