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Earth Day marks progress with much more to be done

Saturday marked Earth Day, and an opportunity to assess and reflect on this nation’s past, present and future events and issues concerning our environment. When the observance started in 1970 — it was founded by a Wisconsinite, Sen. Gaylord Nelson — the U.S. environment was, to be charitable, a mess. Air and water pollution, especially in our cities, was rampant. Starting with farms and including landfills and manufacturing sites, pollution of the land was also a dangerous problem. Not only was Nelson concerned about the sorry state of our environment, he objected to the lack of ...

The Supreme Court and ethics

At least one member of the Supreme Court told Justice Clarence Thomas that there was no problem accepting privately paid luxury trips and other lavish gifts from “close personal friends” without disclosing them, according to a statement issued earlier this month by Justice Thomas. ... But Justice Thomas’s indulgence is just the latest and most egregious example of a weakness demonstrated by virtually every member of the court for decades, those nominated by Republican and Democratic presidents alike: a willingness to accept freebies, gifts and junkets — both costly and modest — ...

Texas’ top judge is right: Politics has no place in courtrooms

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht delivers sobering warning in biennial address When an elected official has served in office as long and with as much distinction as Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, the public ought to listen to what he has to say. Kudos to Hecht, who first became a judge 42 years ago, for delivering a sobering but important message earlier this month in his biennial “State of the Judiciary” address before members of all three branches of state government. Partisan politics, he lamented, has worked its way into the judiciary in ...

Thumbs Up/Down

100 Women Who Care THUMBS UP: When ladies get together for lunch, big things can happen. Especially when those ladies are members of 100 Women Who Care. This past week, the New Ulm chapter of 100 Women Who Care held their semi-annual luncheon. These women agree to donate $100 each, and at their lunch they select a worthy cause to receive their $10,000 donation. The group decided to give their grant to Oak Hills Living Center. Oak Hills plans to use the money for programs that enhance the quality of life for their residents, programs that may not be possible under their current ...

Leaks have consequences

There must always be a place for necessary whistleblowing from inside governments. This newspaper will always stand, responsibly, for that principle. Yet leaks are also serious matters, which challenge a state. In a particularly serious case, or at a particularly serious time, such as during a war, a leak can help an enemy, dismay allies, weaken morale and, at least potentially, change the military balance and put lives at risk. The leak of highly classified U.S. intelligence documents covering plans to aid Ukraine’s war against Russia is unquestionably grave, both in its content and ...

Critical issues include nursing homes, housing, higher ed

As the Minnesota Legislature moves into the final weeks of the regular session, we see nursing home funding, housing and higher education as key issues that will need widespread support. Nursing home crisis Economic pressures and demographic changes have put the state’s nursing homes and other long-term care providers in a perilous situation. Families face the most dire situation in years for taking care of their loved ones. There’s a shortage of 20,000 long-term care workers, about 20% of the total needed. Inflation, including the need for higher wages, has led providers to ...