To the Editor, As you may know, I decided this year to retire from the Minnesota Senate. I have served for 16 years and it’s time for me to step aside and enjoy time with my wife and our grandchildren. I am grateful you have given me the opportunity to serve you at the State Capitol. For… Read More

From My Desk Bob Williams As a child of the 70’s and 80’s, I grew up with newspapers. I had a distinct strategy when it came to reading them that has not really changed with time: sports, comics, “News of the Weird,” then back to the front page to go through the entire rag. Editor Chuck Shepherd’s… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda Here’s some stuff from: “Quackery–A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything.” This continues last week’s column which dealt with the fact that, once upon a time, tobacco could cure just about everything. Tobacco did have a brief run as a disinfectant, which, time would prove, wasn’t a complete mistruth…. Read More

Slip bobbers are a presentation that many anglers use, but mid-season they seem to be rarely used. With the current bite it is something that you should consider using on your next trip out.   Slip bobbers are so simple yet so many do not think of using them during the summer and for neutral fish… Read More

By Tyler Trieglaff Notes from the Chief Welp…I am going to count the first crop of hay as done. There are a couple of small patches that dad cut that still need to be baled, but the main is done.   Thursday afternoon I rolled up bale No. 881. That is quite a hay crop for us as… Read More

To the Editor, When women finally got the right of pregnancy choice under Roe v. Wade in 1973, a Baptist minister, Jerry Falwell, had “an epiphany:” For political power, Democrats were labeled “baby killers” giving door-slamming, conservative, church-going, voters someone to hate. Other church leaderships quickly allied with Falwell’s “Moral Majority.” Republicans, desperate after 60 years… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda Since Rainbowe has gotten into poison ivy here on the farm–and in the process, rubbed some of it off on me–this is going to be about medical treatment. She got into it bad enough that tomorrow she’s going to the doctor. But now, judging by the apocalyptic pustules erupting on her… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective Chad Koenen Sports are a big part of the lives of my children. Whether it’s playing softball in the summer, volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, or just coming up with random games in the yard, we always seem to find ourselves getting into our competitive spirit for fun. As our children… Read More

To the Editor, Perhaps you have heard of the infighting in the Otter Tail County Republicans since the Caucus in February. Some of the leaders may have committed election fraud by adding to the delegates and alternates after caucus night. Only those who were voted delegates and alternates on caucus night are reported to the State… Read More

What was life like before? It occurred to me that at my age, I’m rapidly becoming one of the fewer and fewer people left who experienced life before Before what, you say? Well, lots of things weren’t around when I was growing up. I’m also becoming one of the few who grew up on a small family… Read More