By Don Heinzman, Guest Columnist With about 176,000 Minnesotans out of work, Gov. Mark Dayton’s bonding bill, which a study says will create 21,700 jobs, should be considered immediately. All or major portions of it should be approved in time for the upcoming construction season. This is the time to end political infighting over such a Read more »
More than 40 people attended the legislative update sponsored by the Little Falls Chamber of Commerce Thursday, including the usual array of government officials. Surprisingly, however, none of them wanted to talk about the biggest issue of the day. In fact, at the end of the session, state Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Brainerd, made note of Read more »
We want to draw your attention to a new exhibit that is coming to Linden Hill. Thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society, the “Minnesota Homefront” exhibit will offer a glimpse of what American life was like during World War II. Most Americans have never experienced the concept of shared sacrifice in wartime. The last time Read more »
Suppose somebody came up with a new sport and went to the local school board and said, “There is some violence involved, and, in all likelihood, 10 percent of the kids will be injured during the season enough to miss at least some practice time, but there’s only a slim chance that they will be Read more »
The arrival of any new year presents an opportunity to set goals. For a community as a whole or only an individual to progress, experience teaches that it is best to lay out an agenda, to make plans, to have a destination in mind. Here’s one agenda for the local community. These are developments that Read more »
Today, most people in Morrison County will be celebrating Christmas. Wherever the Gospel has spread, and it has continued to spread for two millennia, mankind has been lifted out of earthly miseries by the teachings of Jesus Christ. In this year 2011, we encourage all to take to heart those lessons. It is not enough Read more »
The announcement this week that the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) for bicyclists has become a reality is a significant reminder for Morrison County. As much as the county relies on agriculture, the sector most likely to grow in the future remains tourism. The development of infrastructure to support that growth will be key. The Mississippi Read more »
Monday is a key date this holiday season. That’s the deadline that will determine if 300 Morrison County families will receive gifts this Christmas or not. Now in its 16th year, the annual Holiday Gift Giving Program is attempting to fulfill 1,200 gift wishes, for all ages but many from children. If you can afford Read more »
Minnesota’s two U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, both Democrats, have made it clear that they will not hesitate in carrying the state’s best practice measures to the halls of Congress. We hope they were listening and watching this fall as the state of Minnesota released what has to be considered good news. The Read more »
Royalton and Upsala sit less than a dozen miles apart on the map. And yet, it became apparent last Election Day that the two communities are light years apart when it comes to their attitudes toward their public schools. The difference between the two may be the result of their recent histories. Around 10 years Read more »
The Great Recession is now in its fourth year. It seems to be an unusual time in American history, with most people continuing to live in relative prosperity while others have struggled to hold onto their homes and their livelihoods. Even those who have survived unscathed economically, however, have become more cautious. Confidence in the Read more »
Little Falls has a strong and active contingent of citizens who want to preserve historic buildings. Sometimes their enthusiasm gets them in trouble, but we would like to believe, as we have in the past, that all have good intentions. That may be a lonely opinion to have these days. It has been well documented Read more »
For something like 15 years, the Minnesota Vikings have been going to the state Legislature and asking them to dance. The objects of their affections always come up with an excuse. They let the purple-horned down easy, telling them they want to dance with the Twins first, the Gophers or the Wild. Or maybe they Read more »
If ever there were a time to overhaul the tax code, this would be the time. Conservatives since the time of Ronald Reagan have been arguing for a flat income tax, meaning elimination of the thousands of pages of loopholes and impenetrable regulations in the tax code that only financial witch doctors and lobbyists can Read more »
When Upsala School District voters approved the construction of a new school several years ago, in effect they committed themselves not only to bricks and mortar, but to maintaining an up-to-date educational curriculum. They will have to pay for the building regardless if students get a good education or not. Upsala voters, understanding that, also Read more »
