Most are aware by now that the school district has sold the former middle school property. When discussions took place on what to do with the property, there was plenty of conversation around community perception on why and how much. We asked questions like: how long do we hold on to the ...

State Sen. Kathy Sheran has introduced a bill to deal with the issue of legislative immunity for DWIs. According to the state constitution, legislators are immune from arrest and prosecution during the session, except in case of "treason, felony and disturbance of the peace." That was written ...

The Senate Transportation and Public Safety Division of the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing today on Senate File 2107, a bill involving bonding for trunk highway transportation purposes, for the Corridors of Commerce program, and other transportation issues.The bill ...

As if there were not enough issues to occupy the time and talents of our Minnesota legislators this year, there are proposals making their way along to change what the DNR calls those big, gluttonous fish that are making their way through the nation's waters, creeping closer to Minnesota. Their ...

Time to move on former schoolDistrict 88 has tried to sell the former school building at 15 N. State St. for about seven years.The School Board has determined that the historic building, as beautiful and solid as it is, is a drain on the school budget.The district still needs the building's ...

The issue of medical marijuana needs more serious consideration than our governor seems to be giving it. Several parents of children with medical issues that they say would benefit from medical marijuana were stunned this week when Governor Mark Dayton suggested they might be the barrier to ...

Sen. Roger Reinert (DFL) of Duluth has apparently been a longtime advocate of allowing Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota. On Wednesday he had a little success toward that end, getting the Senate Commerce Committee to approve three of his proposals that are "baby steps" in that direction.One ...

Last year, in the waning moments of the legislative session, as the state tax bill was heading for final approval, Senate Democrats stuck in a $90 million project that had nothing to do with taxes - a new Senate office building to be built near the Capitol.It was a proposal that got passed and ...

I live on a farm. Pretty much it's the wife, the kid, and me out here. I don't get to town much. There's church, and a couple times a year we go in for supplies: sugar, flour, cooking oil. When I get to town, there are all these people there. I don't do well around people.OK, it's not quite ...

The deadline to sign up for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act is March 31, just six days away.We would encourage those who don't have health insurance to go through the MNsure website and sign up. Don't be scared off by the problems that beset the program during its ...

The current legislative session is supposed to be an "Un-Session," according to Gov. Mark Dayton, a chance to clean up obsolete, confusing and redundant laws on the books.How about doing away with dangerous ones, too?Star Tribune columnist Jon Tevlin on Sunday highlighted the efforts of some ...

There are all sorts of possibilities for using unmanned drone aircraft to make our lives better. No pun intended, but the sky's the limit.Except in the United States. Here, the Federal Aviation Administration has decreed that there is to be no use of drones for commercial purposes.You can buy ...

Bad taxes repealedTHUMBS DOWN: Why did it take so long? The Minnesota Legislature on Friday finally repealed the business-to- business sales taxes that were passed last year. The Senate and House passed an omnibus tax bill that repeals sale taxes on farm equipment repairs and telecommunications ...

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and many other world leaders know how to use power. They understand diplomacy, military might and economics. Some use their personalities to exert pressure.President Barack Obama seems to comprehend none of this. Confronted by a crisis in Ukraine and a leader - ...

The Minnesota Legislature is in full swing with no lack of high-profile issues. How high will the minimum wage be raised? Will the sales taxes enacted on business-to-business transactions be repealed? Should marijuana be legalized for medical purposes? How these are resolved will have an impact ...

Jefferson Elementary School is a child-focused primary school located at 318 South Payne Street. Jefferson Elementary School is a Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 primary school with an enrollment of approximately 625 students. For the 2013-14 school year, there are seven sections of kindergarten ...

By an overwhelming margin, voters in the Crimea region of Ukraine agreed Sunday to separate and establish an independent nation. Russian President Vladimir Putin moved swiftly to recognize the new country.President Barack Obama reacted by announcing the U.S. is freezing assets in this country ...

When President Barack Obama took office, he promised Americans the most transparent administration in history. Just the opposite has occurred.The situation is getting worse, according to a study of the federal government's responses to requests for records. The Associated Press found that "the ...

No sooner do elected officials proclaim their regard for a free press and an informed public than they begin chipping away at their constituents' right to know. That has been the history of our states and nation.Seldom has the right to know been under a comprehensive assault such as has been ...

Apparently neither Attorney General Eric Holder nor his boss, President Barack Obama, are familiar with the concept of sending mixed messages.This week, Holder termed heroin use "an urgent and growing public health crisis." He is right about that.Between 2007 and 2012, heroin use in the United ...