Gamesmanship appears to be the order of the day in Washington, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spar over ground rules for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, millions of Americans just want the fiasco to end. Without ...
The Trump administration seems to be involved in some legal and procedural gymnastics as it tries to get citizenship data into the hands of the Census Bureau. Courts and critics have aligned against the administration, prompting its “creative” actions. The fundamental problem is the ...
We hope you and yours enjoyed a happy holiday season. Now, of course, comes the period of getting our household budgets back in order after a few weeks of spending more than we had planned. Many charitable organizations serving area residents will find themselves in the same predicament. The ...
Hundreds of clergy accused of sexually abusing children, including some convicted of crimes, were left off lists released by the Roman Catholic Church in reaction to a worldwide scandal, The Associated Press found. In terms of rebuilding trust with those of the faith, the church seems to be ...
Give the money back Minnesota lawmakers will resume their work Feb. 11 when they begin a new legislative session. Given divided government, expect policy and budget clashes once again. However, we believe they all should agree on one thing: Minnesotans are not undertaxed, as is evident in the ...
New Year’s Day 2020 is in the books and, hopefully, a fond memory for you. You may have enjoyed a day off work, perhaps a celebration the night before, and maybe some college football on the big day itself. Forget to do anything? Hint: Checked your smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors ...
As Americans celebrate the beginning of a new decade, we continue to allow a serious challenge to escalate to crisis proportions. It is the national debt — $23.2 trillion as 2020 began. Thoughtful Americans understand the perils of a big national debt. It can increase inflation. It diverts ...
Your help needed too To the Editor: Giving back to the community for people with disabilities can be challenging. Limited funds, limited mobility and limited staff support are all barriers that limit participation in community events. Last year was the first year that Arc/People First ...
Four thousand more U.S. troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan, reducing the force there to about 8,600, it was recently reported. That number is inadequate to do more than protect key U.S. positions and personnel. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw more forces from Afghanistan ...
Members of the House of Representatives — Democrats, anyway — have set the stage for only the third impeachment trial of a president in U.S. history. Maybe. If they ever send their articles of impeachment to the Senate. As of right now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is playing ...
They don’t care about us To the Editor: I have watched every Democratic presidential candidate debate. After the debate Dec. 19, it became clear. They are pandering to the East and West coasts, leaving all the rest of us in fly-over country behind. Diane Tow Fairmont It’s hard ...
Thanks, Rep. Gunther State Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, recently announced he will not run again for his District 23A seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. It’s strange to consider that Gunther will no longer represent the area, as he has done so for 25 years. He will be ...
The New Year’s resolutions are about to be forthcoming. For many people, these involve personal goals such as losing weight, getting in better shape or perhaps making a commitment to volunteering. All great ideas and — if the energy and will power can be sustained — all of benefit to ...
Commercial aircraft production is a high-stakes business in more ways than one. Federal regulators, however, should stick to their position of emphasizing one of those stakes — lives. Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jetliners have been grounded throughout the world since March, when two of the craft ...
People being people, some would tell you exactly what Christmas is all about and what it must mean to you. But Christmas is not just one thing; it’s many things and all of them are joyous. We hope guilt is never part of your Christmas and that you enjoy the day however you see fit, with ...
A great deal of the consumer protection advice we receive during the holidays amounts to common sense. How could a reasonably intelligent adult fall for some of the schemes, after all? But some consumer protection watchdogs are offering an important reminder: Adults may have nothing to do ...
Group makes difference Our society has a problem with drugs. Meth, opioids, heroin, marijuana. But condemning and imprisoning those involved with drugs has not shown itself to be a solution. What matters is care and concern from adults so that young people never make the choice to turn to ...
All too often, bad ideas never really go away in Washington. Congress merely reduces taxpayer funding for them, without insisting they be abandoned. That may be the fate of President Donald Trump’s “Space Force.” Trump envisions the force as an entirely separate, new branch of the ...
Why I support Feehan To the Editor: Several people have asked me why I support Dan Feehan for Congress. There are so many reasons that it can get to be a lengthy conversation. One of the reasons became obvious recently when Jim Hagedorn proudly voted against allowing Medicare price ...
OWATONNA With 2020 just days away, I am reflecting on Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s many accomplishments in the past year alongside our regional partners and collaborators. It was a year filled with incredible stories of people doing amazing things for this region. I am ...