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Sextortion happening here

By Sextortion: threatening to distribute someone’s sexual images, videos, or information in order to receive something of monetary value. This is a word that is slowly becoming unavoidable when we open our social media or news articles. It is common for us to say, “Oh, that doesn’t happen here,” or “That won’t happen to me or my kid.” The truth is that it is happening here, and it could happen to you or someone you know. Although sextortion seems like a new term or is unfamiliar, it has made a very big impact on people in our communities’ lives. WRAP staff have ...

Finding modern warriors mindset

There really are authentic warriors who live and work around us. We take them for granted, rarely give them much thought, and may not even notice them until something happens. We depend on them, can’t live without them, but may not even know their names. They protect us, and thanks to them, we can go about our lives in peace. Who are the warriors of our time? They are the men and women who serve in the military and those who work in the various branches of law enforcement. They deal with the worst situations, the worst people in society and the world, and occasionally with real ...

What you need to know about marijuana use

Many Minnesotans have probably seen media coverage over the last two years talking about the legalization of marijuana (cannabis). In August of 2023, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize adult-use marijuana. Within the next year, store fronts will be opening their doors across the state selling marijuana products. While legal, there are risks associated with the use of marijuana that can impact both the health and quality of life for those who use it. Marijuana has high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has intoxicating and mind-altering effects. The higher ...

Bringing Minnesota stories back to the Senate

Minnesota relies on the strength of our state’s rural communities and farmlands. As your Senator and as one of the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, it’s important to me to hear directly about the challenges you are facing. Every year I go to all 87 of Minnesota’s counties, and last month, I went on a 19-county tour to visit farms, small businesses, and other organizations throughout rural Minnesota. Everywhere I went, I got to talk to small business owners who were proud to contribute to their local economy, neighbors who went the extra mile for each other, and ...

Fifty years slip by

I am about to attend one of the most stressful events anyone can imagine. That’s right: I will soon be going to my high school class reunion. Specifically, it’s the reunion that will mark 50 years since we graduated. Fifty years. How can that be? How is it that half a century has slipped under the bridge since we wore those ridiculously oversized gowns and those silly caps that looked like a cross between a beanie and a pizza box? I’ve stayed in touch with a few of my classmates over the years. Some of them, like me, never left the area. We’re among those who decided to ...

Going extra innings on the farm

I wrote once when I was young, that farmers had about 40 seasons to ply their trade. When I wrote that, 40 years seemed an unimaginably long time. Here I am, past that number, still putting in a crop. You could say I’m in extra innings. Each planting season is highly anticipated, stressed over, hard work, and unique. No two are ever the same. If I am done planting, this one was quite pleasant. I say “if,” because replanting acres is not uncommon. The last two springs are examples of that. In both years, hard and excessive rains meant I replanted large numbers of acres, more ...