How do you prove hate?

February 23, 2022

The three white men convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, last fall were all sentenced to life in prison. Two of them, Travis and his father Gregory McMichael, got life without parole. William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., who just chased Arbery through his Georgia neighborhood and recorded his death on his cell phone, could get parole after 30 years. This month they have been on trial again, on federal hate crime charges. The jury went into deliberations on Monday. Prosecutors hoped their arguments proved the three were motivated by racial hatred. While that motivation ...

Et. Cetera

February 19, 2022

FEDA federal grant opportunity The FEDA board heard about a grant opportunity from Economic Development Coordinator Linsey Preuss during its meeting Tuesday. The grant would fund an economic recovery coordinator. Workforce recruitment and retention is critical to our area. This position would benefit both Fairmont and Blue Earth and the surrounding area. We’re excited to see where this project goes. Food trucks to park board The Fairmont City Council on Monday revisited the topic of food trucks and the possibility of bringing the matter to the park board. We think it’s wise for ...

Olympic dreams

February 18, 2022

Olympic athletes dream of winning a gold medal, standing on the top step of the platform and hearing their national anthem played. That’s not happening for participants in the team figure skating event in the Beijing Olympics. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team took the gold, and the U.S. skaters the silver, but no medal ceremony will be held while Olympic doping officials check for possible performance-enhancing drug violations by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, age 15. Valieva continues to compete until the investigation is completed. The outcome of her investigation ...

Redistricting ma changes first, second districts

February 17, 2022

Minnesota’s new congressional district maps were released Tuesday, and Minnesota’s First and Second Congressional Districts are trading some territory. According to the maps drawn by a five-judge panel appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Second District, represented now by Rep. Angie Craig, will cede Goodhue and Wabasha counties on the east to the First District, while the First District, represented by Rep. Jim Hagedorn, will give LeSueur County to the second. The change will add more population to the First District, which has seen rural population declining. The two ...

War of nerves

February 16, 2022

Every other day, it seems, the Biden administration issues a warning that a Russian invasion of the Ukraine could happen at any time. They are not exactly being untruthful — Russia does have about 130,000 troops massed along the Ukraine border, and we doubt they are there for R&R. Every time the warning is issued, the Kremlin repeats that it has no intention of invading, that it is willing to talk. It seeks to get some more security promises from the West about not letting former socialist republics into NATO, limiting missile placements in Europe and stepping down the military ...

Canada protests send clear message

February 15, 2022

Canadian truckers had tied up traffic on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario and Detroit all last week. In protest of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates, Canadian truckers blocked the busiest international border crossing in North America, tying up millions of dollars in goods being shipped between the U.S. and Canada. On Sunday, after a Canadian judge had ordered the protests to end, police arrested those who remained on the bridge. But their protest continues in the Canadian capital, and their message remains clear. They don’t want government intruding in their lives ...