Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune   The Buckthorn Brigade, a group of local volunteers, again this year have been working to remove buckthorn from Barsness Park. The volunteers have also been busy cleaning up after the storms that hit the area in consecutive weeks.  High winds downed some tree branches in… Read More

Notes from the Capitol By Representative Paul Anderson Our legislative session ended rather quietly this past Sunday, minus the last-minute rush of bills to be passed before the midnight deadline. Only one of the major supplemental budget bills – the one dealing with agriculture, drought relief and broadband – made it to the governor’s desk to become… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone My first reaction on May 23 when I woke up and found out that the Minnesota Legislature had not resolved nearly $8 billion in proposed spending was “who snookered who?” Remember this is a non-budget year so major monetary issues didn’t need to be resolved. On the other hand, the… Read More

Will we do something this time to stop the slaughter in schools? From Jim Thoreen, Glenwood As I draft this letter, I am watching network TV news coverage of the massacre of 18 people (maybe more) in the community of Uvalde, TX.  My God. How can we, who claim to be a civilized, peaceful society,… Read More

Minnewaska Musings By Paul Gremmels I helped to bury my 4th grade teacher the other day. The circumstances that brought me to the cemetery were that we are both veterans. He, of the Navy, and me, of the Marine Corps. He was buried with full military honors, and I carried the American flag for our local… Read More

Collaborative Corner: On the Move By Jeannie Pederson, Pope County Initiative Coordinator Question Persuade Refer, or QPR, is a 1.5-hour training for any community member to learn basic skills to assist someone at risk for suicide. By asking a simple question, you can save a life. Community members are free to attend one of two trainings on… Read More

View from a Prairie Home By Hege Herfindahl, Columnist I am standing here in our guest bedroom. Ironing. Many people might think this is an avoidable chore, but I like ironing. It is a meditative time for me. My mind wanders as my iron strokes the white damask napkins. Worn thin with wear. At the edge of… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator Last night I found an engorged wood tick on my little kitty, Raven. Hard to believe that we went from winter to tick season so fast! As you begin to spend more time outdoors, here is some information to identify ticks and guard against tick bites. The two most… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist The fishing opener is underway and the reports of the past two weeks have been better than I can remember for the past five years or so. As always, there are certain lakes that do better than others and your location and how much time you have to fish… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist May has several holidays when most of us take time to remember mothers, veterans, departed family and friends and graduating seniors. It’s a month of celebrations and thankfulness.  Though times have changed, traditions stick with me. I love remembering how my mother would always observe Memorial or Decoration Day… Read More