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Ask a Trooper

Question: I saw in one of your recent articles talking about stopping for a school bus. In the article you stated, “Motorists are not required to stop for a bus if the bus is on the opposite side of a separated roadway (median, etc.) — but they should remain alert for children.” Can you explain the “etc.” as I still have questions. Answer: Excellent question and yes, I can. Minnesota state statute says: Exception for separated roadway: A person driving a vehicle on a street or highway with separated roadways is not required to stop the vehicle when approaching or meeting a ...

Uncovering war stories

The bulging white canvas bag arrived at my Nelson grandparents’ farmhouse in late February 1946. On one side is Grandpa’s address; on the other is scrawled “L.A. Nelson S1/c, U.S.S. Washington, 9th Div., FPO New York, NY.” Dad’s Navy uniforms had come home. My father, Leonard, ...

The wonder of WPAs

From the rush of a buck moving under my perch in the low crook of a large tree along a vast slough, to a covey of sharptailed grouse rising on a grassy hillside, to the excitement of a flushing pheasant breaking its way out of the cane on a mid-December hunt, the countless opportunities ...

History is

In case you don't know it, I am a history nerd. For a very long time, history has fascinated me. It reminds me that history made us, we make history, hopefully we leave a decent history for those to come. It's kind of like the ingredients in a bottle of wine — many ingredients and activities go into making the wine with the result of a special moment sipping it. When history comes to mine for me, it means we must preserve it, protect it and present it. In Minnesota, we preserve the history of wine by knowing that the first winery in the state began in 1973 and was the Alexis ...

It’s a cool name, but there’s more to the story

I never got to meet Joe Cool before he died in 2018. I wish I had, because besides having a cool last name, he was … just a cool guy. Well, that’s my impression after hearing his son, Brad, talk about him. I also found a 2004 MPR news story on Joe Cool and his clothing store while ...

Newborn infants inspire happy times, hope for the future

I often wonder about the rest of the 21st century, what the world will become as it continues to change. I experienced a good indication last weekend when I met a 1-month-old infant on Friday and another one on Saturday. I don’t get to meet newborns very often, so meeting two in two days was a special occasion. The Friday opportunity happened at Boulder Estates when I returned home from having the interior of my car cleaned. One of the activity assistants brought her firstborn baby boy for a visit. She and her husband named him Reese. On Saturday I went to my uncle’s house in ...