Keystone canceled; is Enbridge next?

June 11, 2021

Those protestors who are trying to stop the Enbridge Energy Pipeline 3 replacement may be taking some reassurance from the cancellation, once and for all, of the Keystone XL project. The sponsor of the Keystone XL project, which would have built a pipeline to carry crude oil from the oil sands of western Canada to Nebraska, have decided to pull the plug on the project. President Joe Biden had cancelled the permit for the project after taking office, heeding the calls of conservationists that it posed dangers to the environment and would promote the burning of more fossil fuels. ...

Stick to legislating

June 10, 2021

Ironically, there has been a Minnesota Historical Society since before there was a Minnesota. The MHS was established in 1849 by an act of the Minnesota Territory’s legislature, while the State of Minnesota was officially established in 1858. For over 50 years, the MHS has overseen many of the state’s major historical sites, from Fort Snelling right down to the Harkin Store here in West Newton. They have been doing a good job of it, too. Now, however, Republicans in the Minnesota Senate want the state to take over the management of the historic sites. Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, who ...

Countries need to clean up their own problems

June 9, 2021

Vice president Kamala Harris, on her first international trip to Guatemala, espoused the Biden administration’s immigration policy. After meeting with the Guatemalan president, she said during a press conference the goal of the U.S. is to help improve the lives of Guatemalans, to give them “hope at home.” For those who have been looking to the U.S. for hope and trekking to the border, she said, “Do not come. Do not come.” Promises of task forces to end government corruption, and to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling offer little comfort to the people whose lives have ...

Still waiting for a state budget

June 8, 2021

June is a week old, and that’s one week closer to the end of the state’s fiscal year. State leaders still have yet to come up with a state budget plan that would avert a government shutdown on July 1, but there is still hope. Negotiations continue and there is still time to get a deal worked out before the June 14 special session of the Legislature that Gov. Tim Walz is going to call to extend the COVID-19 emergency powers. This issue has been a sticking point for Republicans for a year. They have been demanding the governor relinquish his emergency powers and consult with ...

Hoping for a state budget agreement

June 7, 2021

It’s hard to know how negotiations on the Minnesota State Budget are progressing. The negotiations are being conducted behind closed doors, and no one is giving out any progress reports. In a way, it’s comforting. In the past, the Republicans or the Democrats would come out from the negotiation room and blast the other side for being unreasonable, mule-headed and irresponsible. The other side would respond that the first side was being selfish, intractable and insensitive. They would go through a whole thesaurus before finally getting a compromise budget in place. So, without the ...

Et Cetera

June 5, 2021

SMIF Grants Fairmont Early Childhood Initiative and Fairmont Community Education and Recreation recently received a $20,000 grant to be used for summer learning support from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. This is excellent news. It’s a good effort and we know people will be able to take advantage of the valuable tools provided for the community. Aquatic Park The Fairmont Aquatic Park is open and that’s a sure sign that summer’s here. There will be several classes offered, along with at least two known events hosted by the Fairmont Women of Today and Fairmont’s ...