Notes from the Capitol By Paul Anderson, State House Representative District 12 B  By Rep. Paul Anderson While some may wonder what the kerfuffle is about, Minnesota is in the process of changing its official state flag and seal. Our flag flies over state buildings, and the seal is stamped on all official state documents. If you’ve… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone Here’s some theoretical political scenarios for 2024. What if President Donald J. Trump gets convicted in one of the multiple criminal cases in which he is a defendant. While this would certainly activate his base of supporters, others might decide that the “law and order” wing of the Republican party… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist A few weeks ago I wrote a story about Farmall’s 100 years of producing farm tractors. Quite a few readers responded to the story. In the Dec. 7, 2023 article by Dan Miller of DTNag, is this story about the winner of the new Farmall utility 75C tractor. Here… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator University of Minnesota Extension Educators are pleased to bring you the fifth annual Gardening from the Ground Up Zoom webinar series. Free virtual workshops will take place Feb. 19-23, 2024, from 1-2:30 p.m. each afternoon. The series will focus on maximizing efficiency in the home landscape. Webinars will cover… Read More

View From a Prairie Home by Hege Hernfindahl, Columnist Traditions. It links the past with the present and projects them into the future. Few people question them, so they often pass from generation to generation. And they are present very much at this time of the year. How we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas depends on how our… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist It’s mid-December and I’ m still waiting for snow to fall and blanket the lawn with white softness. Though the recent surprise warmth is lovely, 40 degree days are not Christmas weather. The lake is still not frozen for skating and skiing; ducks are swimming in Carmen’s Bay through… Read More

What’s on the Horizon for Public Health By Kyra Kjeldahl, Health Educator Horizon Public Health Dopesick. Painkiller. The Crime of the Century. Sound familiar? All three of these are the titles to popular shows on your favorite streaming services that made the opioid epidemic a hot topic amongst the general public. While these mainly focused on the… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune Minnesota’s budget agency last Wednesday predicted that the Legislature next session will sit on a $2.4 billion surplus, but that came with a caveat: if current trends continue, the state government will spend more than it takes in during the two-year period beginning July 1,… Read More

Collaborative Corner on the Move By Jeannie Pederson, Pope County Initiative Coordinator A parent shared their feelings of gratitude through a thank you card that is meant for everyone who supported children and their families through Armful of Love. Dear Magical Crew, I just want to say thank you for all of your time, energy, and love… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone Coming up with a new Minnesota state flag has proven to be a more interesting issue than one might have thought. People are pretty excited about changes in the flag, not always in a positive way. Our “old” flag was complicated and probably didn’t meet the needs of modern graphic… Read More