opinion

The first hearings for the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance Committee have taken place, and I’m pleased with how the committee has taken shape. I’m honored to be the ag finance chair, and I believe this is the most bipartisan, diverse, geographically balanced group we’ve...

By LAURIE VARLEY, District 518 WORTHINGTON — Most students love to talk. So do teachers. When there is a balance between student talk and teacher talk, good things can happen. Talking provides windows into what students are thinking and learning. There are different types of...

WASHINGTON — The Senate debate over the Keystone XL pipeline, as predictable as it is unedifying, exemplifies two of the most disturbing aspects of political discourse today. The first is what might be called “talk-to-the-hand-ism” — or, perhaps updated to the tactic of New...

WASHINGTON — For six years, Republicans railed about President Obama’s “usurpation” of power. So it’s no small irony that, in one of their first acts since taking control of Congress, they are planning to invite him to usurp some more. On Tuesday morning, a group of tea...

WASHINGTON — I’m grateful to the people of Minnesota for giving me the chance to serve a second term as senator. And I’m ready to keep fighting for middle-class families and for families aspiring to be in the middle class. Republicans now control the Senate majority, and while...

WASHINGTON — There is a certain je ne sais quoi in conservatives’ criticism of the Obama administration over last week’s terrorist attack in France. A decade ago, Republicans in Congress were renaming French fries “freedom fries” and French toast “freedom toast” because...

Hello Worthington, The German exchange stu-dent Vanessa Pazurek, from the sister-city Crailsheim, writes again. The time flies away. I can’t believe that half of my time here in Worthington is already over. When I look back, it was a great time with a lot new experiences. A while...

WASHINGTON — If we can be serious for a moment: The president made an error in judgment by not sending someone with a higher profile than our ambassador to join world leaders Sunday at a solidarity rally in Paris. The White House has admitted the error. This more or less sums...

The winter season should bring an extra attention to safety for motorists. With slippery roads and virtual white-out conditions commonplace in recent days, we all need to be sure to take additional care and time in getting from point A to point B. It’s always important to be safe...

Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part column. WORTHINGTON — As the Worthington City Council discusses the future of Prairie View Golf Links and the condition of Lake Okabena, there are many things that need to be placed on the table. Its first challenge as a council...

WORTHINGTON — The political phenomena before us with respect to the city property associated with Prairie View Golf Links is repeated over and over in rural communities. It is a debate between those in power for decades and possibly centuries and the changing society found within...

WASHINGTON — It took the Air Force to change — to radicalize, really — Maribel Jarzabek. Specifically, it took the Air Force lawyer serving in the newly created role of “special victims’ counsel” to become convinced that sexual assault cases cannot be fairly handled under...

By District 20B Rep. David Bly, Member, House committees on Agriculture Policy and Agriculture Finance, DFL-Northfield As a state legislator representing rural Minnesota, I believe that it’s important we articulate a future for rural Minnesota that includes a place for small-...

By District 22. Sen. Bill Weber, R-Luverne, and District 16 Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls As members of the Minnesota Senate who represent southwest Minnesota, we are concerned about Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner’s Tom Landwehr’s comment that “there...

WASHINGTON — Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell deserved to be indicted for taking thousands of dollars in gifts from a businessman seeking state help to promote his dietary supplement. He deserved to be convicted. He deserves to go to prison. And the two-year sentence imposed...