Lawmakers need to address carjacking

January 11, 2022

For some reason, carjacking has become far more prevalent in Minnesota over the past year. The number of cases in Minneapolis rose 57 percent in 2021 over the previous year —619 in 2021 compared to 388 the year before. This is not just a Minneapolis problem. All Minnesotans should be concerned. Many of us travel to the Twin Cities for business, or recreation, or to visit family. We could be just as likely a target of carjackers as a Minneapolis native. Many of us have family in the Twin Cities, and we don’t need to worry about whether our loved ones are safe. Carjacking is a ...

One of the great ones

January 10, 2022

More than 16 million American men and women served in World War II. Today there are only about 240,000 remaining. What brings that to mind is that this week the oldest surviving WWII veteran died. Lawrence N. Brooks, who served in the U.S. Army during the war, was 112 years old when he died Wednesday. Not only the oldest veteran, he was believed to be the oldest living man in the U.S. just three years younger than Thelma Sutcliffe of Omaha, Neb., who turned 115 on Oct. 1, 2021. Brooks served in the mostly Black 91st Engineer General Service Regiment and was stationed in Australia. He ...

Et. Cetera

January 8, 2022

Local youth to perform in ‘Elf Jr.’ The Fairmont Opera House’s youth theater program is putting on a production this weekend— the first winter show the group has done. “Elf the Musical Jr.” will show tonight at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. What an awesome program and opportunity for our youth. UHD purchases Dulcimer site This week it was released that United Hospital District had purchased the Dulcimer site from doctors Steven Parnell and Jon Erickson. The purchase transferred ownership in late December. This was good planning by Parnell and Erickson to ensure that local ...

Make a resolution to give blood

January 7, 2022

If you think it’s too late to make a New Year’s resolution, think again. One of the best resolutions you can make is to give blood at a Red Cross blood drive. Giving blood is easy. It takes a little time out of your day, but it’s not very taxing. In fact, most of the time during your donation you are reclining on a comfy table. And they give you a snack afterward. Giving blood is positive and makes a difference. The blood you give helps save lives, and that’s a great feeling. Giving blood makes you part of a vast effort to provide needed blood supplies to hospitals and ...

Anniversary of an insurrection

January 6, 2022

Today is the anniversary of one of the darkest moments in our democracy’s history. One year ago thousands of people heeded President Trump’s call to come to Washington to protest the election results. After a rally at which Trump addressed them and told them to march to the Capitol where Congress was voting to confirm the presidential election results, they did, and many stormed the Capitol. They broke in, fought with Capitol police and forced members of Congress to stop their proceedings and take shelter. They roamed the halls of the Capitol, ransacked offices, chanting for Nancy ...

What to do about omicron threat?

January 5, 2022

The specter of the omicron variant is casting a shadow over schools and workplaces. This version of the COVID-19 virus is proving able to plow through the defenses of vaccinations. It travels fast, and as schools reopen and businesses start to call employees back to work, health experts fear it will spread quickly. So, what to do? People have shown they are not in the mood for stay-at-home orders and online learning. Some scoff at the idea that masking will do anything to slow the virus. We could all get vaccinations, but many don’t see the point or doubt the data. What are schools ...