OWATONNAIt's undeniable that our rural towns are different than they were even one generation ago. There are a few less businesses, a few more shuttered houses.To passersby, it might appear that these places are dying, some already dead. Certainly, books like Joseph Amato's "Decline of Rural ...
To the Editor:Thank you to all those who sponsored or donated to help make the recent Southern Minnesota Greenwing event held in Sherburn a success.Your support is seen in the smiles and faces of all the children who attended. Your support is what allows Greenwing to keep children involved in ...
To the Editor:On behalf of Project 1590, I would like to thank those who have donated time and/or resources ever since this process began last July.I would also like to thank everyone in the community for their ongoing support. We appreciate those who voted during the initial and final round of ...
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's assessment of why the Islamic State terrorist army took Ramadi - "the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight" -probably destroyed his popularity in Baghdad. And Carter may well have had to endure a chewing out from the White House because he upset the Iraqi ...
Why are top leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs not firing bureaucrats by the dozens? That may be the question some veterans were asking during Memorial Day weekend, as one more VA scandal made headlines.Just before leaving Washington for the holiday, leaders in Congress got the VA ...
Mark this one down in your amazing-but-true book: Liberals in Congress admit they made a mistake on Obamacare.But you had to know what comes next: The mistake was in not making it expensive enough for tens of millions of people.As critics of Obamacare pointed out, it was far from a panacea for ...
To the Editor:Our children work hard all year in school. But research shows that when summer comes, some of those learning gains can be lost. The challenge is keeping the students engaged in reading during the summer. The teachers of the Fairmont Area Schools plan to do just that.Like many ...
Men and women in the U.S. military come to understand quickly that mistakes or shirking one's duty can have truly terrible consequences. People die. Others are maimed in body and mind, coming home in desperate need of help.It is different in government. Mistakes, including very serious ones, ...
To the Editor:We would like to thank all participating merchants from Fairmont and Blue Earth, as well as Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont for use of the church, and the Lions Club, all on behalf of the recent Amber Leach benefit.Lupe StrombergFairmont
To the Editor:I'd like to thank state Sen. Julie Rosen for her commitment to helping Minnesotans get and stay healthy through the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP).SHIP funds a variety of programs, from biking trails to farmers markets, that enable all Minnesotans to get fit and be ...
To the Editor:Last Wednesday evening, the sun peeked through the clouds to warm those who gathered at Veterans Park in Fairmont for a Multi-Block Party.A longtime neighbor of the park commented that he had not seen so many children playing together in the park since the old school was there. ...
To the Editor:We recently attended the Fairmont School orchestra concert. We cannot say enough about the wonderful performance given by the fifth grade, sixth grade, Junior High and Senior High orchestras.The instructor, Mrs. Berkeland, has built up the orchestra program to a high level of ...
Even taking into account the many challenges facing our nation, we Americans enjoy liberties, security, peace and prosperity that is the envy of most other people in the world.Those who guarantee all that to us, the men and women of our armed forces, willingly sacrifice liberties, security, ...
Trimont gets it doneWe congratulate the folks in Trimont for putting together the plan and funds for Trimont Town Center, for which ground was broken this week. The $800,000 project will offer locals - and people in the surrounding area - access to gas, groceries and more.The people of the ...
If history is any guide, hundreds of recent high school graduates will be drinking enormous quantities of alcoholic beverages at celebratory parties during the next few weeks. Some of them will not have to obtain the booze themselves, nor will they have to find places to whoop it up.Their ...
According to reporting from the Associated Press, just $25 million separated Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative negotiators as they tried to wrap up the session just concluded. That $25 million - in a $42 billion budget - has put a wrench in the works and will force a special session this ...
To the Editor:Minnesota's 2015 legislative session has concluded and the final budget deal includes some good provisions, and some notable omissions.I think Greater Minnesota is going to be pleased with our legislative accomplishments this session. We didn't get everything we wanted, but ...
Imagine yourself as a State Department ethics office employee, asked for opinions on the propriety of activities that earn your boss' family millions of dollars. How often are you going to rule against her?Very rarely, an investigation by the Associated Press discloses. The AP looked into more ...
To the Editor:Disabled American Veterans Chapter 32 and Martin County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon would like to thank all those who donated clothing during our recent fundraising clothing drive. The response was awesome, with 23,000 pounds of clothing collected during the one-month time frame. ...
Like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Environmental Protection Agency officials are admitting they made some mistakes with their "waters of the United States rule."But pay close attention:?"I want to tell you up front that I wish we had done a better job of rolling out our clean ...