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State Legislature: Help needed for seniors in our community To the Editor: Our senior living site has a long history of serving the Fairmont community and Martin County by providing care for older adults. We have a dedicated team of caregivers and professionals, and strive to fulfill our mission to provide compassionate care in a joy-filled environment. But like other long-term care providers across the state, we are struggling to attract staff. And this is impacting how many seniors we can serve. We serve many individuals who rely on a program called Elderly Waiver to receive care ...

Farmers tired of waiting for drought relief aid

Local Editorials

While front line workers and business owners in Minnesota can express a sigh of relief, farmers are still waiting. On Friday, Gov. Tim Walz signed into law legislation providing direct payments to frontline workers and replenishing the unemployment trust fund, providing tax relief for small businesses. Meanwhile, negotiations between the two houses of the Legislature continue over the drought relief package. The hangup is over DNR funding proposed in a House version of the bill for seedlings and shade trees lost in the drought. The other part of the relief package is $10 million in ...

Et. Cetera

Local Editorials

Program honors students on other path The Fairmont Women of Today and Poppe’s are recognizing seniors in the county who may be pursuing something different after high school graduation. We’d like to thank these groups for their effort to honor these students through the “gas for grads” program. Boy Scouts partner with school for program Boys Scouts of America-Twin Valley Council has partnered with Fairmont Elementary School to do some STEM programming. What a great partnership. It’s always nice to see different entities work together, especially for the betterment of our ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

Seeking to fill open seat To the Editor: Due to the unfortunate passing of Congressman Jim Hagedorn, a special primary election will be held to fill his seat on Tuesday, May 24. Early voting at your county elections official is open right now. For 25 years, I have been working hard to represent southern Minnesota families, farmers, and businesses. I am now ready to translate those legal/advocacy skills into fighting for our rural way of life in Washington D.C. My campaign has already brought me to homes and businesses in all 21 counties in our district. I have personally knocked on ...

Long overdue deal in Minnesota Legislature

Local Editorials

On Tuesday, the Minnesota House passed a bill to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and get bonuses to frontline workers. It was hailed as a breakthrough in the Legislature after months of stalemate. That breakthrough resulted in Thursday’s announcement that House and Senate leaders struck a deal to go forward with a plan that includes $2.7 million to replenish the trust fund and pay back a debt to the federal government for jobless aid. It also features $500 million in bonuses for workers who took risks during the pandemic. A total of 667,000 workers will ...

Don’t chance it — stop for children getting off buses

Local Editorials

One May day in 2019, a Minneapolis girl, 11 was hit by car after getting off a school bus. A 60-year-old man was arrested. Witnesses said he was traveling in his vehicle at a high-speed when he attempted to go around the stopped bus. The accident left the girl fighting for her life and facing several surgeries. There was conflicting information in the case whether or not the bus driver lowered the bus stop arm at the time of the incident. However, drivers must use extreme caution when approaching a parked school bus to avoid such horrific tragedies. Ever so often our court reporters ...