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Farmers facing crisis of uncertainty — reversing tariffs only way to end it

Community Voices

Right now, rural America is facing a crisis of uncertainty. In Minnesota and across the country, farmers are having trouble making ends meet amid low commodity prices and increasing costs, and farm financial conditions are deteriorating. Farmer loan repayment rates continue to decline in Minnesota and across the Midwest, and small farm bankruptcies have reached a five-year high. Why? Our farmers can’t offset the toll the administration’s tariffs are taking on the rural economy. As I visited family farmers across western and southern Minnesota last month they told me just ...

Curious state of affairs for Trump Administration

Letters to the Editor

To the editor: Just when we thought we were getting desperate, Trump is rewarding us by demolishing the East Wing of the White House in order to construct a new 2-3 million dollar ballroom all done with generous patriot’s donations, some of them anonymous, but none of them stepping over the limits of ethics in government. It appears quite certain that the new ballroom will either be named for Trump himself or the McDonald’s corporation. In other news, Trump has decided to sue the Department of Justice for catching him in the act of breaking the law by stealing and concealing ...

Boo! Papa Who?

Local Columns

In our family, there is a mythical character who periodically appears. The character appears when the youngsters least expect it to, and soon the room is filled with sounds of screaming laughter because of all the tickling that’s happening. The characters name is Papa Gorilla. This ghoulish gorilla first arrived on the scene during a family celebration — maybe Halloween? — and is known for his secret and sudden appearances. The kiddos of the family always come to me and ask if Papa Gorilla will come to us. I respond that the character always arrives when least expected, but ...

Olsen’s concertina put smiles on many faces for decades

Editorials

“Is everybody happy.” Larry Olsen yelled out that more than once when he played his concertina with his brother Leon, who was also working his magic on the musical instrument well known in polka circles. While Larry hails from the Lake Benton area, his brother resided in New Ulm. But the two brothers often got together to share their love for polka. Leon Olsen died on Oct. 22 after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 72. When it comes to polka music, Leon Olsen’s resume is extraordinary. He definitely leaves a musical legacy that rates among the great ones. He recorded ...

Searching for book deal with agent anxiety

Community Voices

Some years ago, I got the idea of putting together a book of my collected works. A publisher is needed to embark upon such an adventure, and in order to get a publisher you need a literary agent. After a few timid excursions on the stormy Sea of Literacy, I came into contact with Mitch, a literary agent from New York. Mitch seemed like a nice guy and appeared to be knowledgeable regarding all things literary. Mitch explained that as a first-time author I was trapped in a Catch-22: an author generally can’t get published unless they have already been published. After languishing ...

On the Porch

Local Columns

Dr. John Banks Robertson was one of several Lyon County residents who served in World War I, either stationed in the United States or fighting in the trenches overseas. When the United States entered the war, Dr. Robertson was one of the first from Lyon County to enlist. He was given the rank of captain. Thirty days after enlisting, he was ordered to the training camp, Ft. Riley in Kansas, later transferred to Camp Dodge, then to Ft. McKenzie in Wyoming to take charge of Post Hospital where he served until camp was discontinued. He then transferred to Camp Lewis where he was stationed ...