To the Editor, Everyone benefits from child care, even those without young children. A lack of access to child care affects parents’ abilities to work and has a major impact on our local economies. Child care educators work long hours for minimal pay, are tasked with keeping our children safe and happy, and rarely receive the… Read More

To the Editor, The election is coming up too soon and many have not done their homework yet on who would be the best candidates to vote for. This election will determine whether we remain with and strengthen our hard  won and fought for democracy or dive into the abyss of authoritarianism. The lines are already… Read More

Out on a service call once, I was searching in vain for a wrench or wire or some missing part, this while everything was spread out on the basement floor in front of the furnace which I was trying to get working.  Although I had just had the part in my hand, it seemed that… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I was reading your recent article about headlights needing to be on in the fog. I have asked several law enforcement officers about this and I get the same answer about a judgement call. As a commercial vehicle driver, my two biggest gripes are people driving without headlights on when… Read More

By Bev Johnson Master Gardener  University of Minnesota’s horticultural  science department’s Julie Weisenhorn says no matter how clever someone’s Instagram handle or slick looking TikTok video is, when it comes to plants, take   planting ideas with a bucket of salt. Some of these “hacks” can actually damage your house plants. This column has been guilty… Read More

To the Editor, Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29, 2024 On Friday, March 29, 2024, Vietnam War Veterans Day, the Charles D. Center VFW Post 3289, New York Mills, welcomed our Vietnam Veterans home and provided each Vietnam Era Veteran a free dinner at the VFW Post.  On National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we honor all those who… Read More

By Bev Johnson Master Gardener This is a really yucky time of the year. Lawns are brown, covered in twigs and treasures the dog has dragged home from all over the neighborhood. The mess is driving Petunia buggy. But now is not the time to be raking up the mess.  Until you can comfortably kneel or… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I am puzzled as to why seat belts are mandatory in vehicles along with a fine for not complying but our precious cargo in school buses are not required to wear them?   Answer: School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation even without seatbelts.  School buses are safer… Read More

By Chad Koenen Publisher Every once in a while I forget that I am suppose to be an adult, and telling fart jokes is no longer comical. I’m assuming most people think telling jokes about bodily functions was never funny—no matter the age or situation. Of course I disagree and still think that there is a certain… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda The universe in which we live is, the scientists say, 14 billion years old.  I’m not that old, but I’m old enough to know some stuff about old. Age is relative, much like the velocity of light, which, according to Einstein, is also relative, relative to whomever is seeing the light, along… Read More