From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist Remember when people didn’t toss something just because it was old or wasn’t working correctly? We fixed it. We resoled shoes; we saved gift wrappings and ribbons from presents, ironed them so they were no longer creased. Then  we wrapped gifts with that recycled wrapping paper. We didn’t throw… Read More

MLA DID NOT help fund hand pulling of starry stonewort from Starbuck Marina From Minnewaska Lake Association Michael Stai – President This letter concerns an article published in the Pope County Tribune on July 3, 2023. The Minnewaska Lake Association (MLA) DID NOT help fund the pulling of the Starry Stonewort in the Starbuck Marina.  This… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune It is with our apologies that the Pope County Tribune & Starbuck Times is correcting a statement made in last week’s issue.  The Tribune-Times stated incorrectly that the Minnewaska Lake Association (MLA) helped fund the hand pulling of starry stonewort from the Starbuck Marina. The hand… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone First let me say that I am among those who think climate change is real and that we need to be doing more about it than we are. But the more I read about how much needs to be done I wonder if we as a society have the guts… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist I planted a tree in my front yard about two years ago. It has received more attention than any other tree I have ever put in the ground. After two years of watering and nurturing, the winter of 2022-2023 finally killed it off. The tree had a tube on… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator Everyone deals with heat differently. Some people enjoy hot temperatures and spend many hours in the sun, while others avoid the heat by going from one air-conditioned building to the next. Plants also have different ways of dealing with the heat. Most plants do not appreciate scorching hot temperatures… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist This is old news from about a month ago, when Biden and McCarthy were negotiating the solution to the debt crisis. Here’s my favorite columnist’s view of the whole process: Urban Lehner of DTNag: Pundits have been celebrating the Biden-McCarthy debt-ceiling deal for averting a calamitous U.S. government default… Read More

View From a Prairie Home by Hege Hernfindahl, Columnist Only some of us like to mess with boats. I was reminded of this the other day when our boat lift tipped over with our boats attached. Without a working motor, the boat was toast. And when I told people, not all understood. That I come from a… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist What a summer we’re having! Hot sun; great swimming and boating; reunions of family and friends, and lovely moonlit evenings on the lakes. Remember those sticky lake flies? Bugs would stick to bed sheets hanging on the clothesline in the back yard. The flies would coat screens on our… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune The Buckthorn Brigade and the goats at Barsness Park may soon get a little help from science in the battle against buckthorn. A group of volunteers called the Buckthorn Brigade started tackling the challenge of removing and mitigating the growth of buckthorn in the park. … Read More