To the Editor, Minnesotans have always taken pride in our work ethic and our commitment to looking out for our neighbors. We pay our taxes with the understanding that those hard-earned dollars will be used to build our roads, defend our borders, and provide a hand up for the most vulnerable among us. But lately, Minnesotans have… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda Summer is coming, and for the first time in the history of automobiles, the number of fifteen-year-olds hitting the highways in a driver’s education car is decreasing. That means, maybe, that this hormone-riddled, vacuum-headed, cell phone gazing generation—and weren’t we all—has figured out that it is safer to log on than… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I know you talk about the importance of tires when it comes to the winter months but I think it’s just as important to talk about it in the spring with rain and wet roads. Thank you.   Answer: It is always a good time to talk about tire safety. Tires… Read More

Garver’s Movie Review Bob Garver Prior to what I will generously call his “new take” on “The Mummy,” director Lee Cronin was best known for 2023’s “Evil Dead Rise.” Original “Evil Dead” director Sam Raimi had a new movie out earlier this year with “Send Help,” and he didn’t put his name in that film’s title…. Read More

By Alice Martin Special to the Dispatch Do you think that any Minnesotan doesn’t recognize the call of our state bird, the Common Loon?  That iconic, haunting call has been incorporated into so many advertisements for vacationing in Minnesota and even in songs by Sam Smith, Calvin Harris, Doja Cat, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, just to… Read More

By Ruth Koehler Special to the Dispatch Have you ever wondered about someone in your family you know little about? My person is Aunt Ida, Dad’s younger sister.  I know she was born January 16, 1898, never married, moved around a lot for employment, including Chicago, California, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Brainerd, and Crosby, Minnesota. She had eight siblings,… Read More

(I found the first wood tick of the season; here’s my favorite wood tick column.) I sat in church last Sunday and marveled as I usually do at how one’s mind tends to ramble past thoughts much more freely there. Is it the austere tones of the interior decorating? The largeness of spirit? The communion with… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda It was a quiet Saturday morning in Boatville, at Hippie Hardware on main street. I had one of The Young Girls–my daughters–with me that morning. (Yes, this Young Girl–the youngest of the three, was the one I had fired twice and hired three times, which fact most of the people in… Read More

By Jessica Carlson  Otter Tail County Master Gardener In Minnesota, the growing season often feels brief, but it does not have to limit what gardeners can achieve. By starting early and using various techniques, gardeners can create favorable conditions for their plants both in the spring and again in the fall. These methods help maximize the time… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: We are starting to see a lot more fog with spring time. Can you provide some advice for driving in those types of conditions.   Answer: This is a great topic. Here is some information from the National Weather Service for driving in fog. If you must drive in foggy conditions,… Read More