A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sorted by date Results 26 - 38 of 38
Some folks come to farming through family generations, finding themselves tilling the soil on acres cleared and planted by those whose DNA inhabits the cells in their bodies. Others arrive on the land through a much more circuitous route. Adam Kemp of Uff-Da Organics is one of these people. He began his farming career 12 years ago when he was hired at Northern Harvest Farm and discovered an affinity for working the land and growing healthy food. A music composition major at the University of...
Sometimes we hold a treasure within our reach without an awareness of its value and, as the refrain from the song "Big Yellow Taxi" goes, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you don't know what you got till it's gone." Many states across the country are recognizing what the loss of family farms means to our quality of life in rural areas. Carlton County's farms constitute a wealth of wholesome food and valuable resources in our backyards, but do we truly appreciate our farmers?...
It comes with age, not wisdom necessarily as the Bible says, but rather an ability to recognize and fathom the depth of the divide facing our democracy. We have been here before, in the lifetimes of Americans identified as “Baby Boomers,” the generation that witnessed the Civil Rights Movement, peaceful marches, burning and bombings of African American churches, the deaths of four little girls, the intimidation and murders of advocates for civil rights, equality and freedom. We thought it was...
As I wrapped my canna lily bulbs in newspaper to prepare them for winter storage, it dawned on me that I have taken the multi-purpose factor of already-read newspapers for granted. We have explored the importance of the newspaper to report local news and events, but as some commercials breathlessly exclaim: "Wait! There's more!" A quick Google search lists multiple websites describing anywhere from seven to 59 uses for newspapers - after they are read, of course. We know they are great for...
We know as citizens of Carlton County that we are very fortunate. We live in one of the most bucolic domains of nature populated with magnificent forests, crystal clear streams, and multiple lakes creating a "little slice of heaven." Folks are friendly and community-minded whether celebrating local festivals all year-round or fundraising for charities. The list of pluses could fill the whole paper, but the major reason we can celebrate our good fortune is that we are one of a diminishing list...
Being a victim of or witness to a crime is something we all hope to avoid. But should that situation befall the residents of Carlton County, it is reassuring to know there is an individual working in the Victim/Witness Services Division who will offer support and guidance throughout the judicial process. John Parenteau, the most recent person to hold this position stepped into the job in January. Parenteau carries a wealth of experience to this office, having spent 28 years as sheriff’s d...
Minnesotans have had an affinity for the color purple ever since the NFL Minnesota Vikings chose purple and white as their franchise colors and Prince cried “Purple Rain.” Throughout the centuries purple has been regarded as the symbol of royalty as well as wealth, power, wisdom and more. Jenny Joseph sings the praises of wearing purple in her poem “Warning,” an ode to defying social norms by wearing purple clothing with a red hat, no less. And now there is a children’s picture book by Kriste...
I am breaking the first rule of writers: "Write about what you know." Even though my husband and I have raised gardens for 50 years, my knowledge of the plant world remains quite incomplete. I come from a long line of gardeners, not Master Gardeners, mind you, but women who mastered gardening to feed their families and spruce up the yard with flowers if they had time or energy to spare. It was understood that I would carry on this gardening tradition when I married and had children. We bought...
Our town, your town, my town. There are many small communities with a history which are questioning the future. Public television in Duluth recently aired the documentary “This Town,” which highlighted regional towns that have had economies falter, populations decline as a result, and are now shadows of the cornerstones of rural America. It is a story that has been repeated too many times across the country as family farms falter, young adults seek better pay in larger cities, and the ent...
On Memorial Day weekend, we honor those who have died serving in the U.S. military. While Esko's Dale Erickson survived his stint in the Korean War, he came home a different person. "Some Marines never find their souls again," he writes in his memoir. "A part of them remains missing for the rest of their lives and they forever struggle." The memoir details relentless battles, dead bodies and near-death experiences. As we approach Memorial Day, a time when we honor our military veterans for the...
It was April 7. Not all of the patches of snowdrifts and snowbanks had disappeared yet. The garden was too wet to step foot in, especially after the previous night's thunderstorm, but peeking through the fence I saw it. One spring green shoot, barely an inch out of the ground - my Canadian rhubarb. It appears to have survived its first brutal winter, unending cold and snow, willing now to peek at the sun. My major purchase at Carlton's Chicken Swap last April was worth the price. My husband and...
They have fought in wars, plowed endless fields, delivered mail, and helped build civilizations for centuries. Their strength is still a measure of how powerful our machines are, and yet, their understanding and gentleness is being tapped to help heal bodies, minds, and spirits ravaged by illness and circumstances. Horses, those beautiful four-legged animals, are working their magic in therapeutic establishments not only across the country, but in our community as well. As early as the 1960s,...
As 2019 begins, many of our old problems and challenges remain: gun violence, wars, homeland security, health care costs and too many more to name here. For most of us, the solutions to these conundrums appear beyond the reach of one individual. Many of us want to throw up our hands and say, “Well, I can’t do anything about that today,” and move on. On a brighter note, however, there is one problem we can all “do something about” everyday. We all play a part in pollution, unnecessary waste, and...
