Breaking News

Opinion

The kayak mystery

Columns

Cleaning out an old family farmhouse is an exercise in conundrums. As you sift through all the stuff, you have to constantly ask yourself, “keep or crap?” Many of the decisions are easy. It’s unlikely that anyone will want a yellowed feed store calendar from 2013. Ditto for the rubber over boots that have more holes than a standard slice of Swiss cheese. But other things aren’t quite so easy to categorize. Back in the corner of a dresser drawer, I stumbled across a tattered paperback book that delineated, in excruciating detail, In the lineage of the Ruen family. I was ...

Longing to connect with a quiet son

Columns

Dear Annie: My son lives at home, but he has no interest in talking to me. He doesn’t eat meals with me and my husband. He just stays in his room and comes downstairs to cook his own food, which is invariably a pan-fried sandwich, possibly with air-fried breaded chicken, followed by crisps and a packet of biscuits. It’s a shame. I’d love to have something to talk to him about, but he doesn’t show enthusiasm or a desire to connect. He intends on going to university in Salford next year, which I’m pleased about. It will be a change of scenery for him and a good experience. He ...

Why Minnesota taxpayer dollars funded fraud, not families

Columns

The fraud and financial waste exposed in Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz are not just scandals; they’re a display of radical negligence, proving he is entirely unfit to manage a single taxpayer dime or protect Minnesotans. The theft of $1 billion from vulnerable Minnesotans across our state’s human services program, including the notorious $250 million Feeding Our Future conspiracy, was not accidental. It happened because the Walz Administration allowed it. During the COVID pandemic, Walz’s reckless policies removed all financial guardrails from critical food aid programs. He ...

A year-end review

Columns

Another year has gushed through the culvert of time, leaving behind a scoured gully along with some unexpected and pleasant flotsam. The year 2025 began with my wife and I watching the famous ball drop in Times Square. Not in person, of course. We viewed it on TV, awakening from our prebedtime naps just in time to witness the blizzard of confetti and the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” The meaning of that song’s title is as clear as a cup of mud. We had good reasons to be tired: we were in Kansas City, visiting our four-year-old grandson. Anyone who has spent time with ...

Politics isn’t measured in words, it’s measured in results

Columns

Politics is a lot of talk. Sometimes, that conversation results in action. Other times, it fizzles out and gives way to the next headline, the issue forgotten and the solution left uncharted. In my decade as a Minnesota senator, I have seen dozens, maybe hundreds, of conversations bubble up and then pop before any meaningful reforms are signed into law. If we only talk and don’t act, nothing changes. From housing affordability to mental health, and from public safety to education, those of us who write our laws and decide how to spend the public’s money must remember that when ...

Reflecting on 2025; priorities for the year ahead

Columns

As 2025 draws to a close and Minnesotans enjoy a holiday season filled with family, friends, and, yes, snow, I wanted to take stock of what we’ve accomplished this year, reflect on some of the challenges we’ve faced, and look forward to the work ahead. This year started with the transition of power from one president to another. I chaired the bipartisan inauguration committee and spoke about the need to recommit to my North Star: finding common ground where I can and standing my ground where I must. Last Congress, during a highly partisan time, I was again ranked as one of the ...