Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone The long, ugly struggle for Republicans to first remove a Speaker of the House and then find a replacement shows how far our political system has deteriorated. Speaker Kevin McCarthy was unceremoniously dumped by a conservative wing of the party, apparently over agreeing with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist Back in 2021, the local chapter of Pheasants Forever in Nobles County, Minn., adopted all of the Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in their county. It was during the Governors pheasant hunting opener that a parcel of land was dedicated to acknowledge these acres were now open to all compatible… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator Wondering about land rental rates in  Minnesota? Determining a fair and profitable farm rental agreement can be challenging in today’s economy. Landowners, farmers and agri-business professionals are invited to attend free informative meetings presented by David Bau and Nathan Hulinsky, Extension Educators in Ag Business Management. These meetings, available… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist Out come the card table and fold up chairs, boxes of puzzles and extra lamps. It’s winter puzzle time for me. This week I chose a 1000 piece puzzle composed of every candy bar I can remember: breath mints, lozenges, cigarette packages, and all the magazines I recall reading… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune If there is such a thing as good taxes, local taxes–taxes that atually benefit us and our children–fall into that category. Sure, for many, all taxes are painted with the same brush.  That’s why we encourage local residents to support the renewal and increase of… Read More

Minnewaska Musings Written By Paul Gremmels Oh, how we hate the boxelder. Even the spelling of its name is contentious. Two words or one? Hyphenated or not?  And in particular, how we hate the bug who’s name it is derived from. And as far as burning the wood you may ask? A friend of mine calls… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone With the recent events in Israel and Gaza, and Ukraine as well, we probably have a right to be nervous about what might be coming, especially in the Middle East which appears to be on edge. My current reading project is about events in Europe and Pacific Ocean in 1943,… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist Hunting wild stuff, be that antlered animals or fowl of any sort, is usually a result of an introduction made by one special person who took the time to expose a youth to the outdoor lifestyle.  The number of people who hunt today only make up about 11% of… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist My favorite ag columnist, Urban Lehner, is moving again. But this time he’s moving from one Washington to another. Here goes: If you don’t live in Washington, D.C., or its suburbs, you probably think of the nation’s capital as the Capital of Perpetual Dysfunction. Fair enough. No question there’s… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator As winter approaches, bird enthusiasts gear up to provide good food choices for both permanent residents and migratory visitors. Understanding the varied feeding patterns of birds can make a significant difference in their well-being. Some birds, like chickadees and cardinals, are year-round, while others are more seasonal. For species… Read More