Attorney General William Barr dropped something of a bombshell during testimony in Congress last week. But what he said should have come as no surprise. Though Barr was supposed to be testifying to a Senate committee considering the budget, questions turned to special counsel Robert ...

Make up missed days The Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Walz have passed a law to allow school districts the chance to have their snow days “forgiven” this year, with the state paying the schools as if they had held classes. Schools, such as Fairmont Area, are considering whether to ...

Hosting a major sports event, such as the Super Bowl or the NCAA Men’s Final Four, provides a big boost in prestige and the economy for the community involved. Minneapolis has been fortunate to host both events within the past 14 months. But there is also a dark side to these events. They ...

“Health care is a human right, not a privilege,” lectured Sen. Bernie Sanders — even as he unveiled a plan that would deny Americans the right to seek the best health care they can afford. Sanders, the Vermont Independent running for the Democrat nomination for president, previewed his ...

Two major American political figures recently had some pretty “controversial” things to say about immigration into the United States. The first one said it only makes sense that the people entering a country — any country — work to assimilate themselves into the culture and learn to ...

The transportation debate in the state Legislature is circling back around to the old argument of the past — want more funding for roads and bridges? Then raise the gas tax. Gov. Tim Walz wants to raise it by 20 cents per gallon — a 70 percent increase. Democrats in the House agree. ...

Gun control is not the one-sided argument its proponents claim. In addition to the Second Amendment, there are practical considerations. For example, as a federal judge in California recognized recently, there is the real potential for new limits on firearms to be harmful. California law ...

Reversing knowledge Human beings are the only animals that must knowingly confront reality, which is not always kind. Perhaps that is why so many humans try to avoid it or cheat it. But that’s not workable, as results show. One problem in our society today is that some parents are not ...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz went down an admirable path this week when he offered his first State of the State address. He called for common ground and consensus solutions that lead Minnesota forward, and lead the nation in how things could get done. Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka ...

Democrats on the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee are playing a dangerous political game. They voted Wednesday to issue a subpoena for the full, unredacted Mueller report. In doing so, they threaten the nation’s security, as well as a time-honored facet of the justice ...

County officials across Minnesota are asking for some help, and a break, as they face an ongoing and mounting backlog of transportation projects. In other words, they want to fix the roads and bridges that their residents use every day. We have to sympathize with county officials, who are ...

Health insurance entitlements have become the new third rail of politics. Many members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are so worried about alienating millions of voters that they are unwilling to tinker with the massive government takeover of health insurance — even if they ...

Democrat Party leaders’ laser-focus on allegations that President Donald Trump cooperated with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election does a great disservice to the nation — and not just because the claims have been proven wrong. Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team ...

The priorities are what? Fairmont City Council member Randy Lubenow took a stand this week and voted against a proposed package of 2019 street improvements. Good for him. Lubenow rightly notes that the western stretch of Lake Avenue is in terrible shape, even though it is a visible entrance ...

It has been evident that times have been tough on farmers over the past few years. Just how tough became evident in a report released this week by the Minnesota Extension and the state. The analysis found that Minnesota farm incomes hit a new low in 2018, the lowest in the 23 years the state ...

Many Americans, perhaps millions, became unwitting tools of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Some remain susceptible to Russian meddling. There was no conspiracy between the Kremlin and President Donald Trump’s camp during the 2016 ...

Just two considerations need to be taken care of before Attorney General William Barr makes the special counsel Robert Mullers report available to Congress and thus, to the American people. First is national security. It may be that the report contains some material that would be helpful to ...

At long last, special counsel Robert Mueller’s report may be ready for prime time. Attorney General William Barr has been perusing it and, at some point, the document will go to Congress. No doubt it will be leaked to the public within minutes. But Mueller has made it clear his team of ...

The Islamic State terrorist group is finished, at least in Syria, President Donald Trump and some in the U.S. military are proclaiming. Well, good riddance. Unfortunately, however, the mission of civilized human beings the world over is far from accomplished. Trump last week displayed a ...

Frontier seems lost Martin County commissioners were in obvious disbelief this week as they discussed a county effort to extend high-speed internet service to small towns. The focus of their amazement was Frontier Communications, a company that reminds us of those “Just OK is not OK” ...