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Columns

Forty-five years on

My wife and I recently marked our 45th wedding anniversary. This is a mathematical impossibility as I feel as though I’m not a day over 40. But maybe that’s just my intractable immaturity talking. My wife was 22 and I was 23 when we were wed. Knowing what we know now, we know that we were ...

Humble pennies had value that’s now a distant memory

If we had a conversation about things that get no respect, one of the first items that should be mentioned is the good old copper penny. Federal officials recently announced that they’ll no longer issue new pennies. We’ll just use the ones that are already in circulation. Eventually ...

I like words

When you write an occasional column, you think about words. I like words. I try to find the right ones whether I’m talking or writing. Sometimes I succeed. In my last piece, there was this line. “It is fast time our nation binds our wounds and heals.” The day it came out, a friend said ...

Minnesota’s election process basics

What follows is a brief outline of the election and voting rules used in Minnesota. For more specific information, go to the Secretary of State’s website www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/Each state establishes its own election and voting rules. Here are some ways in which Minnesota differs ...

Forged in frustration

None of this would have happened were it not for cable TV. Like many guys, I’m a skilled — one might even say professional — channel surfer. I’m not interested in what’s on so much as what else is on. Some years ago, during one of my surfing sessions, I stumbled across a show ...

Thumps Up/Thumbs Down

Thumbs up A well attended public hearing on counties “shotgun-only” status On Wednesday, the Brown County Law Enforcement Center training room was full of firearm enthusiasts sharing their opinions on the “shotgun-only” status of Brown County at public hearing. The Minnesota ...