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Will they stand up against Trump?

Mid-term elections are fast upon us. Mr. Trump says that we should pretend that his name is on the ballot. Okay then. I get to follow two Congressional races. Congressional District One is most of southern Minnesota and District Seven is most of western Minnesota. I am on the edge in CD7. CD1 begins at my line fence which borders two townships. There is a longtime Republican incumbent serving in each of those. I assume they would be happy with you pretending Mr. Trump was on the ballot when you see their names. Trump’s popularity has sunk to historic lows nationally. But support ...

Fall migrations: one of nature’s most interesting mysteries

Autumn is the season of cool weather, brightly colored trees, first frosts, bountiful harvests and school Homecomings. It’s also a season of migration. Creatures that spend the summer in northern regions of North America travel south where they can have a comfortable winter. My familiarity with migration has involved two species. The first is the monarch butterfly, which flies all the way to southern Mexico. The second is the Canada geese. They go from Canada to Missouri through a fly zone that includes southwestern Minnesota. The butterflies were plentiful in 2026. I grew ...

Vietnam War – Norman Teigen – A new chaplain assistant in Vietnam

We have been learning about Norman Teigen, who grew up on the campus of Bethany College in Mankato, where his father served as college president. Norman graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Mankato State College in 1964, intending to pursue a teaching career. He accepted an English ...

On the Porch

The Spanish-American War in 1898 was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the Western Pacific and Latin America. The war originated in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, ...

The great wealth handoff: Preparing your family for what comes next

Picture this: A father and mother sit at their kitchen table, sorting through decades of financial statements, wondering if their children know where to find their life insurance policies, let alone what to do with them when the time comes. Across town, their adult daughter is quietly ...

Business report leaves us with anxieties

While scanning my inbox last week, I noticed an email from The Minnesota Chamber Foundation Grow Minnesota! Program. It was releasing its annual “State of business retention and expansion in Minnesota” report. I had a few minutes on Thursday to finally review the report. It highlighted business investment across the state, while identifying challenges. The first quote in the email: “Minnesota continues to attract and support business investment, and that is encouraging,” said Jennifer Byers, executive director of the Minnesota Chamber Foundation. “At the same time, this ...