From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist Walking in the sunshine today I spotted the first peekaboo wild flowers blooming in the park. It was easy to identify the mottled leaves of trout lilies. My next surprise was Mayflowers with their delicate white flowers; nearby were patches of wild hyacinth with their radiant purple blue flowers…. Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune The community and the Pope County Sheriff’s Office was stunned over the weekend as we learned that three local law enforcement officers were involved in a shooting during an attempted arrest for domestic assault. One officer, Deputy Josh Owen, 44, was killed as a result… Read More

Notes From The Capitol By Paul Anderson, State House Representative District 12B It was news that no one wants to hear. Reports of a police-officer shooting began coming across social media around 8 p.m. this past Saturday. Officers had been dispatched to Cyrus, a small town in western Pope County, in response to a domestic situation. Two… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone Spring may be here or is it summer? This past week or two has finally brought relief from what seemed like endless snow and cold. But it also seems like we are jumping from winter to summer. Heading to senior college the past couple of weeks we noticed that the… Read More

‘Kindness never decreases by being shared’ From Margaret Pederson, Founding member of BeKind Thanks to the Central Square staff for making a great gift to the Pope County community by sharing the “Keep Going Keep Growing Kindness” themed Art in the Square Gallery exhibit! Through April 28, the Gallery is open Monday – Thursday from… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist This will be year number two for me at the National Fish Decoy Association gathering in Perham, Minn., on April 14, 15 and 16. It is hard to describe just how cool this event is. If you are a decoy carver you will certainly know what happens over these… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist One of my favorite ag commentators is John Phipps, farmer/columnist from Illinois. I’ll let him describe his family farm: “I am a sixth-generation farmer who holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, a minor in Economics and served as a nuclear engineer from 1970-75. Jan (his wife), Aaron (his son)… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator The winter weather has held on longer than desired this year, and our outdoor gardening chores have had to be delayed due to late snows, sleet, slush and mud. However, there are several different options a dedicated gardener can do to jump start their growing season. High tunnels, cold… Read More

View From a Prairie Home by Hege Hernfindahl, Columnist It has been a long and hard winter for everybody. We have struggled every day. With the snow. The ice. The wind. The impossibility to go outside when it is so cold and slippery. We are old and don’t want to fall and break our brittle bones. The… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist This year’s Easter egg hunt was a winner! The sun was out and snow had melted in the backyard. The ground was still frozen so no mud caked the kids’ shoes. No melt downs of tears; no hitting each other with Easter baskets when spying an elusive egg; no… Read More