To the Editor, Now don’t get me wrong.  If you were around me when I stub my toe or break a favorite plate, your ears may wither a bit.  Profanity has its time and place throughout our society.   Comedians use it, screenwriters use it, some singers use it, authors use it, and almost everyone in their… Read More

To the Editor, A house on Main Ave. S. is flying a very profane flag below the American flag. Once the initial shock of seeing a large expletive waving in the wind wore off, I realized the owners are not accomplishing what they intended.   I’m sure they thought they were “owning the Dems,” as Republicans like… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Special to the Dispatch They say that you should write what you know. Well, I have heard a lot of stories about my Great Grandma Lorraine (Perala) Olsen’s childhood. She used to tell me rich stories about when she was a kid living in the country west of town. Her memory of early events… Read More

To the Editor, I believe in Free Speech, but I also believe that there are lines that should not be crossed. In America it has never been appropriate, ethical, or acceptable to display the F-word for everyone including our children and grandchildren to see. (I don’t care who’s name is under it, it’s still wrong) I… Read More

I suppose that if, back in the fifties when all heck was breaking loose, which we’ll get to in a minute, if we had had something like the internet or tweeting like we have now, we’d have been more worked up over stuff going on. Maybe. Hard to say. But there was a lot going on…. Read More

We up here in the north are watching with no small amount of glee the helplessness of southern states as they get a couple inches of snow, a bit of freezing rain, and “below freezing” temperatures. I particularly like that expression: “Below freezing.” “Below freezing,” which, compared to “below zero,” really sounds pretty attractive to… Read More

To the Editor, A week ago I read a letter entitled “Democracy has already gone.” She hit some nails on the head and gave us a break from all the Trump bashing. The election of 2016 changed the inner core of the democratic followers. Disappointment, anger and disillusionment evolved into pure hate directed at President Trump… Read More

I must first confess that, before I could start this book review, I had to get  some detergent, a scrubby, and some really serious elbow grease to clean the area of the kitchen table where I’m writing this. That became clear to me when the book I just finished was stuck to the table. But it’s… Read More

Every now and then I feel driven to tackle the big issues in life. No, not politics. Not religion. Or not even why car tires keep getting bigger around and more expensive, but still wear out at the same mileage. The first big issue is: How come tape measures are all marked backwards. First, to qualify this:… Read More

By Tucker Henderson Special to the Dispatch Many families in our area, like most rural areas of the world, come from a line of poor farmers. Some were better off than others, and those who lived under better conditions helped those who didn’t have much. This was especially true in communities of socially-minded Finns such as New… Read More