By Bev Johnson Master Gardener Your garden plants are going to sleep for the winter.  Unfortunately, so are the pathogens that cause diseases that attack them. Plant pathogens include fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes. Bacteria, viruses and some fungi survive in live tissue, live perennial stems, or inside dormant leaf buds. These are darn near impossible… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I have some new drivers in our house. We got talking the other day and they didn’t know what “hand signals” were. Can you write about that to help inform others that might not be aware?   Answer: Congratulations on the new drivers. That is an exciting and concerning time as… Read More

By Adam Johnson NYM Superintendent It’s November already and, like it or not, winter weather will be here before we know it. Sometimes the weather forces us to cancel school, release early, or start late. Nw York Mills School communicates all weather changes through six different sources including Facebook, ISD553 website, Instant Alert phone call/email, weather bulletin… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda Since I came out in a column a few weeks ago about my indifferent–yes, even blase’– approach to deer hunting, and the fear that I’ll be kicked out of The Guy’s Club because of it, I’ve been getting support from Other Guys. (Okay. One Other Guy.) So I guess I have… Read More

To the Editor, As November begins, so does the busiest shopping season of the year. We’re familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but let’s not overlook Small Business Saturday—a day dedicated to supporting the businesses that keep our communities vibrant and unique. On this day, shop small and make an impact close to home by… Read More

To the Editor, Crime in Minneapolis is nothing new, but it’s now spreading beyond the metro and hurting our rural communities too. This month, Jerome Skulzacek was tragically killed in Kandiyohi County when a criminal fleeing authorities tried to steal his car. This criminal led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, driving at speeds of 130… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I can’t help but notice but it seems like a lot of people are following each other too close out on the highways. It’s been many years since I was in driver’s education but what is the recommendation for following distance?   Answer: Here is information that is shared in the… Read More

By Ruth Koehler Special to the Dispatch I can vividly see it lifted off the stove, its contents carefully poured into Grandma Bieda’s small cup in Rantsila, Finland circa 1920.  She sips her coffee slowly as she savors her precious morning surroundings in her wood heated small kitchen.  How sad and excited she must have felt knowing… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda My background is HVAC. Doing, and teaching.  I get calls from folks puzzled about what they should do with their heating situations. I say puzzled because, while payback on money you invest in very expensive heating equipment can somewhat be calculated, what is not so readily predictable is the money that will… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda We, the USA, are rapidly turning into a service economy.  We’re all selling insurance, cooking hamburgers, and trying to keep the products running that we import from overseas. There’ll still be lawyers, because sometimes we don’t do those things well. There’ll still be teachers, because someone has to teach lawyers. There’ll still… Read More