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A message on Veterans Day

Columns

Editor’s Note: Because of the federal holiday and no mail delivery on Tuesday the Independent will not be publishing a printed paper on Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s column is running in the weekend edition ahead of the Veterans Day holiday. On this and every Veterans Day, our nation honors those who served and the sacrifices they made to defend our nation. Since the founding of our democracy, each person who has worn the uniform has left their mark on our nation as they defended our freedom. As we pay tribute to all our veterans today, I am thinking about patriots like ...

Remedying failures, dark days

Letters

To the editor: Mr. Coulter’s letter regarding our country’s last 10 months successes was spot on. Mr. Nelson’s rantings against President Trump, apparently believing left-wing hate speech and lies, pertained more to the Biden Administration. We need to remedy failures and dark days of the last four years when we lived under socialism/authoritarianism, the left. Their candidates and some other members in office call themselves Democrat Socialists. Record numbers of people are enlisting in the military, having a strong President once again. ICE agents are not pursuing citizens, ...

Drawing the line with my daughter-in-law

Columns

Dear Annie: My 54-year-old son recently married his childhood sweetheart with whom he had a son 36 years ago. They never married before but kept in touch because of their son. Unfortunately, their boy was killed in an auto accident four years ago. I’ve loosely kept in touch with my new daughter-in-law all this time. Last year, she stole a debit card from me and emptied one of my bank accounts. She was caught and has been reimbursing me but still owes about half the amount she stole. Recently I noticed that some of my jewelry was missing and I initially suspected another person of ...

Thumbs up/down

Editorials

THUMBS DOWN Tragedy in Hanska  The community of Hanska was hit by unspeakable tragedy last week following the double homicide of Justin Reinarts and Tabitha Trescott. There are no words to describe the depth of this loss. Reinarts and Trescott were valuable and cherished members of Brown County and to lose them so suddenly is difficult to understand and raises questions as to why it was not prevented. The alleged suspect in this crime had previously been convicted of multiple assaults and was currently facing charges for stalking. This suspects’ criminal record is one red flag ...

When a mother’s ‘help’ hurts

Columns

Dear Annie: I’m 28 and recently moved back in with my parents to save money after a tough breakup. I’m grateful for the support, but I’m having trouble with my mom’s behavior. She constantly comments on my weight, how I dress, or how much I’m on my phone. Last week, she said I’d have “better luck” if I wore makeup and “put myself out there more.” I’ve tried brushing it off, but it’s starting to wear me down. I’ve asked her, gently, to stop making comments about my appearance, but she just laughs and says she’s “trying to help.” My dad usually stays quiet ...

It’s open enrollment season – here’s what to know

Columns

Fall brings cooler weather and football games, and it’s also the annual time to ensure you have the health insurance coverage you need for 2026. Open enrollment on the federal Marketplace at healthcare.gov — as well as Minnesota’s marketplace MNsure at mnsure.org — runs through Dec. 15 for first-of-the-year coverage. Jan. 15 is the final date to make changes or to set up coverage that begins Feb. 1. Employers have their own open enrollment season for signing up for health insurance at work, but commonly this happens in the fall as well. Health insurance is an investment ...