By U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, along with South Dakota Gov. and coalition vice chair Kristi Noem, sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to consider 30 percent ethanol blends, or E30, as a way to reduce toxic aromatics i…
The United Nations has released several recent reports on the risks and dangers of global warming, which is the long term rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system. One dealt with the rising temperatures and the negative effects that will have on us all, another with the …
Driving home after my first day working in a police department I could not help but think, “Gee, these people have a strange sense of humor.” Actually, I was surprised that the police had any sense of humor at all. After all, this was during the era of “Dragnet” and “Adam Twelve.” Police off…
Aren’t I amazing?”
Back in the day, it was a lot harder to keep track of someone. Sometimes a notice in the paper was the only way to find a loved one who left to seek his fortune and didn’t correspond with those still at home. This column looks at notices and articles in the Deer River newspapers about men an…
I’m so old I no longer buy treated lumber.
Good government depends on a system of checks and balances. Those who govern and those who administer the government know they are answerable to the citizenry of the community. Citizens hold government accountable through the information they are provided by the watchdogs who make up the Fou…
This week, the Trump Administration issued a draconian rule in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) that will cut off basic food assistance for nearly 700,000 of the nation’s poorest and most destitute people. This rule affects SNAP participants ages 18 …
Our library is the most beautiful building in Grand Rapids.
As you might have heard, the Minneapolis City Council passed a five cent fee for a plastic or paper bag on Nov. 21. It will go into effect in January 2020. Duluth’s City Council followed suit on Nov. 25 by placing a 5 cent fee on plastic bags in that city. It goes into effect in April 2020.
So our family has this little friend that decided to appear mid-October. Her name is Elsa, our elf on a shelf.
With the first real major snowstorm of the season, we had a number of traffic accidents in town this past week. We had eighteen total since the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through Monday morning. It may seem like a lot but that number is typical for a week. Most were rear-end type accidents …
First of all, I would like to thank J. Scott Casper and others for all of the work they have done in an effort to shine some much needed light on the corrupt and thuggish behavior of our county board with regards to the highly secretive jail task force. Without Mr. Casper’s tireless efforts …
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Representatives Jim Hagedorn (MN-1), Angie Craig (MN-2), Dean Phillips (MN-3), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Tom Emmer (MN-6), Collin Peterson (MN-7), and Pete Stauber (MN-8) urged the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide information regarding the…
Health insurance gives people peace of mind that they can take care of themselves from preventative care to medical crisis. Providing coverage for quality care at an affordable price also is a priority for employers to attract and retain workers in our historically tight labor market and to …
Can I listen to Christmas songs in Advent? I’ve heard people say that we shouldn’t even put up decorations before Christmas. What should I do?
What is the largest component of the human body? Most people, remembering their high school biology, will say it is water. About 60 percent water. We don’t fall apart in a sloshy mess because of our internal skeleton and a rather tough hide called skin. To say we are mostly water is correct …
“Mrs. Kampa read to me.”
Even though I am a die-hard fan of Christmas, I do enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving each year. Despite many stressors surrounding the holidays—making meals, scheduling conflicts with family, travel, buying gifts—there is much to be said about taking a moment to focus on gratitude.
The United States has vast numbers of excellent, well-paying jobs advertised as requiring less-than a four-year degree and which, in fact, are won and successfully performed every day by people with two-year degrees, one-year certificates, apprenticeship experience, and training in the milit…
It’s early winter in the Northland. Hunters are back from deer hunting camp. I am not sure there is a business is town that wasn’t short staffed over the past couple of weeks. The police department was no exception. After all, the “Opener” is a national holiday.
The news in recent weeks that Minnesota is one of a handful of states where the Republican party has basically gutted the state primary system, making it virtually impossible for any other Republican to challenge Donald Trump, is frightening and disheartening, but, sadly, not surprising, con…
This Thanksgiving season I would like to focus on two things to always be thankful for. We read about them in the Bible in Psalms Chapter 107, verse 1, which says “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.”
Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ – Romans 1:16
Generally speaking the size of an animal’s brain relative to body size is an indicator of how intelligent the animal is. The average human brain weighs about three pounds and has a volume of about 1300 cubic centimeters. That’s about 80 cubic inches, which, for the size of the human body, is…
“Buster Brown Went to Town with his Pants on Upside Down,” was the beginning of a rhyming jingle that accompanied a skipping rope game when schoolyard jump rope games were popular. Another game, played on the seesaw where one rider will stop the seesaw with the other rider in the air and cha…
I have said before that Grand Rapids people are very kind and helpful. This continues to be true throughout our state. As Thanksgiving approaches it is important that we all continue the Minnesota Nice actions that are part of us.
Vaping has become a problem with today’s teens, it’s an easier and cheaper way to get a nicotine high than cigarettes, all without the nasty chemicals and side effects, or so we think. At Grand Rapids High School, students took a survey last year, it covered such topics such as, home life qu…
Thanksgiving Weekend Hours: The library will be open Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.. The library will be CLOSED Thursday, Nov. 28, Friday, Nov. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 30.
Many Minnesotans might be surprised to learn that most children who are adopted in Minnesota today are not coming from China, Colombia, Malawi or India. They are children right in our own backyard.
Grey skies linger over Grand Rapids as people scurry to prepare for the coming snow. Deer hunters who exhausted their efforts to no avail return home disappointed. Upcoming family get-togethers require solving complicated scheduling puzzles. And the holiday lists are starting to pile adding …
HAVE JOY!
I talked a lot as a kid.
Concerning a previous column on the either-or fallacy of reasoning, a reader wrote to say that right or wrong the practice comes naturally because we live in a ‘dualistic’ world. Just what does that mean? Dualism is the philosophy of thinking of virtually everything in terms of two opposing …
On Oct. 23 a beaver dam was blown upstream from Fishing Springs Campground on Sherry’s Arm of Pokegama Lake. The USDA wildlife division handled the action with proper permits from the DNR. Unfortunately, the water from the first dam took out a second dam and the increased flow severely damag…
As an avid user of our national parks, I am encouraged by a bipartisan proposal in Congress to address crumbling infrastructure within these special places. Right now, because of years of unreliable funding, record visitation, and aging infrastructure, our national parks need an astounding $…
Fine Free Fridays November 1, 8, 15, 22!
I had the opportunity to visit the Itasca County Historical Society Exhibition in Grand Rapids, MN that opened last Saturday. It was an amazing and inspiring privilege. Many that came were veterans and their spouses. As I sat and listened the stories of war, the stories were as expected. Som…
As we dedicate Nov. 18 to 22, to “United Acts of Kindness Week, I ask everyone to consider focusing on being a good citizen, person, neighbor and friend every day, not just this week. Let’s also not forget that tolerance is a form of kindness and compassion also. I believe there is a direct …
I have been frequently asked why, at age 73 with a loving wife of 51 years, a beautiful family, and a successful business career, I would want to take on the responsibility and stress of running a huge government organization that affects nearly every American. My answer is simple. I took th…
Why should you support your kids to play football? It has become a much safer game all together despite the fear of concussions that have recently been brought up through the news and social media.
The most recent shooting death of a person by a Fort Worth, Texas, Police Officer gave me pause. On Oct. 12 at 2:23 a.m., a man phoned the police department to report that his neighbor’s door was standing open and this was not normal. Atatiana Jefferson, 28, owned the home. Two officers were…
When news came out that Bill Clinton was involved with an intern sexually, I fell over. Shame and embarrassment turned into anger. Even though I was a Democrat, I wanted Mr. Clinton to resign his presidency. How could he defile the office like that? I hoped the impeachment would remove him.
“Mmmm…Donuts”
On the 11th day, of the 11th month, we pay a special tribute to our veterans—honoring those who served in every war since our nation was founded. Whether it was the beaches of Normandy, the hills of Korea, the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Iraq, or right here at home—these extraor…
Who will select the next president? The people or the press? Jesus was either God or a crazy person. You are either with us, or against us. You can either like dogs or like cats. Every moral choice is either black or white. We can take the ‘high’ road or the ‘low’ road. God can either create…
On June 5, 1917, one hundred thirty-four men between the ages of 21 and 31 completed the registration for mandatory enlistment in the military. In Deer River, Reverend John L. Parish and Justice Ed Chill comprised the registration board. It was reported by the Itasca News that in the nearby …
I volunteer at the Salvation Army in Grand Rapids. This morning when I arrived, I was greeted with a parking lot of dumped furniture. The furniture appears to have been pushed off the back of a truck. The chest of drawers, table, and entertainment center are all smashed and the love seat and…
Everybody needs a good library. Veterans and service members are no exception. They can find reliable information, books to read for enjoyment, internet access for finding jobs and benefits, as well as audible books and ebooks at the library. Places like the Grand Rapids Area Library make a …
In this modern age, teenagers are often the ones blamed with spending too much time on their devices, but the fact of the matter is that digital technology has infiltrated each generation, from those teenagers’ parents, to their grandparents, to their younger siblings. Although modern techno…
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