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Is there trouble ahead for farmers?

Columns

I’ve had conversations with farmers this summer that include, “This is the best crop I’ve ever seen.” Then we quickly remind each other that nothing is in the bin yet. Farmers can never appear to be exuberant. Restraint must be shown. Being a farmer means you are an odd mix of hopefulness yet filled with dread. You plant a crop or buy some feeder cattle. In either case, you’ve gone long in the market. You hope for the best. All the while, you’re aware of a hundred things that can go wrong. While there is time for harmful weather, pestilence, disease, terrorism, ...

Leave No Trace speaks out strongly for resource protection

Columns

This weekend we embark on the last big weekend of the summer, the three-day Labor Day weekend with all of its normally nice weather and fun times. Many of us will spend at least part of the holiday outdoors. We’ll camp, hike, swim, go boating or fishing, or have a picnic. We’ll connect with the natural world. As we’re enjoying ourselves, it’s good to take at least a few minutes to think about how we treat our natural resources, We should ask ourselves if we’re using them responsibly, if we’re preserving them in a way that will make them pristine for many years to ...

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Editorials

THUMBS DOWN Country unwilling to make changes to address school shootings The return to school was marred by a school shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School Wednesday. Two children were killed with another 17 wounded after the shooter fired into the church windows during morning Mass at the school. It is an unspeakable tragedy that has hit the Minneapolis community that is reminiscent of dozens of other school shootings that occur across the country every year. No matter how many times a school shooting happens it does not get easier. The country continues to be unable or ...

Statement from Bishop Zielinski on Annunciation school shooting

Columns

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Our hearts are heavy as we grieve with Annunciation School as well as the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis following the tragedy that took place this morning. We extend heartfelt prayers for the victims, their families, the school community, and the local Church. May Christ, the Divine Healer, bring peace, comfort, and strength in the midst of this unimaginable sorrow. In moments like this, we are reminded of the sacred trust placed in us to care for and protect the children in our Catholic schools. Please be assured that in the Diocese ...

Down by the Danube

Columns

Life close to the river: this was among the first and most enduring impressions I had of Ulm — how much life, activity, and relaxation happens around — and on — the Danube River. Below is my second of three articles about my time participating in the Hans Joohs Exchange in Ulm, Germany. This article highlights the daily life and the vibrant festivals that Ulmers enjoy on the Danube River. One of my first views of the Danube River in Ulm was from the Stadtmauer, the city wall that still stands along the river. Once it was a means of protection for the city; today, ice cream ...

How Trump compares to ‘pretty good’ presidents

Letters

To the editor: What do Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan have in common? They are all Republicans. They are former presidents. (They were pretty good presidents.) Does Donald Trump belong among them? I don’t think so. Actually, Trump wasn’t even a Republican until 1987, and he flip-flopped back and forth a few times. Maybe we should compare the Donald to his predecessors. Did Reagan use his presidency as a platform to swell his bank accounts? No, but from the White House Trump has sold MAGA caps, Trump coins and tennis shoes. Did ...