Columns
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistFebruary 26, 2025This is one of those times of the year when a dog guy gets kind of bored. The ice conditions have been so sketchy that I don’t really feel all that great driving on the ice of the area lakes. More about this next week. So with no seasons open, I took to observing one of the only ways yet available to harvest a pheasant. How do you do that when all of the hunting seasons are closed? You find a…
By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 19, 2025It’s been over five years since my sisters and I lost our parents and took over the family farm near Kenneth. The five of us gathered Saturday to paint the kitchen and living room, followed by supper, a little business, and as always, plenty of reminiscing. We had discovered a large, frayed accordion folder with school report cards for each of us girls documenting our achievements from…
By RIck Peterson, general managerFebruary 19, 2025It’s been 20 years since I started working here at the paper. To say things have changed a bit in the paper industry would be an understatement, considering computers, digital cameras, cell phones, internet and social media, not to mention the fax machine that came and went over a relatively short time. All of the afore-mentioned changes came about in the last 30 years or so. Twenty years in…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistFebruary 19, 2025Last week I hinted that I would be trying to add some insight as to why the ice conditions across Minnesota have been so hit and miss this season. What leads me to this subject matter is just how many cars and trucks have made their way to the bottom of so many lakes this winter. One of the conditions I am referring to is why there is so much open water on many area lakes and why, after…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterFebruary 12, 2025Just before Christmas, an obsession began in our house thanks to the office holiday party. A Star Herald gift exchange resulted in a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle coming home with me. The intriguing “Coca Cola memorabilia” picture ultimately led to the opening of the box and clearing off the dining room table for my husband and me to work on it. As a result, we’ve finished 10 puzzles since mid-…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistFebruary 12, 2025Who doesn’t like gifts? I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t like to receive things of value. Some are small and have less meaning, and others might fall under a substantial inheritance. The gift giver makes a determination that the asset is better in the hands of someone else. The Minnesota State Legislature seems to really enjoy giving gifts of great value. The issue is that the gifts…
By Brenda Winter, columnistFebruary 05, 2025The key to successful New Year’s resolutions is to make them so vague that success is ensured no matter the effort. Which is why, after six weeks, I’m keeping all of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025. One of my resolutions for the year was to go to the gym. All I have to do is “go to the gym.” That’s it. Find a parking spot. Boom. I am at the gym. My commitment “to work out” begins if I…
By RIck Peterson, general managerFebruary 05, 2025I never considered myself much of a hat guy. That was until I was searching for a column idea, and as I looked around in my garage, I counted 13 hats and four more in the house … 17 hats in all, so that might make me a hat guy. With the exception of a couple of those hats, I have worn the rest at least once this past year. Four of the hats are for cold weather use. My snowblowing hat is one of…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistFebruary 05, 2025Can you remember the very first game animal you ever harvested? I certainly can remember the first goose I ever shot, and I can tell you exactly where I was when I harvested my first duck. But for the life of me, I cannot remember my first rooster. I can remember my first rooster shot over a trained hunting dog. I have been blessed to have been part of many firsts for other new hunters. Most…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 29, 2025My sisters and I — all five of us — recently returned from a short Florida beach vacation. Cheap airline tickets in November prompted a flurry of last-minute travel plans, and our Allegiant, Airbnb and Turo reservations were quickly secured. We chose Fort Myers, because January temperatures are typically in the 70s, and our stretch of beach on Estero Island was restored from Ian in 2022 and…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolJanuary 29, 2025With the holidays upon us, I wanted to share a message about distracted driving. Here is some information we recently shared on our Department of Public Safety blog. “It was supposed to be a routine trip for 20-year-old Megan Severson. On Oct. 17, 2019, Severson was driving from Preston in southeastern Minnesota to visit her boyfriend in North Dakota. But when she reached Highway 52 in St. Paul…- By Scott Rall, Outdoor ColumnistJanuary 29, 2025So, what does a lawsuit in Utah have to do with the citizens of Minnesota? The answer is “plenty.” The state of Utah recently took their case to the United States Supreme Court to force the 18.5 million acres of Federal Land in Utah to be turned over to the state. The lands in question are managed by the Federal Bureau of Land management for grazing, mining and public recreation — including…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterJanuary 22, 2025Madi Oye’s kindergartners embarked on a special lesson this month. She’s seeking your help in garnering postmarks from all 50 states via the mailing of Valentine’s Day cards to her Luverne classroom. So far, her students have received 17 cards and have checked a dozen states off the 50-states list. With Feb. 14 three weeks away, we need to get our cards sent to the kindergartners sooner rather…
By RIck Peterson, general managerJanuary 22, 2025I have a little bit of this and a little bit of that for you this week. First, I have to admit until the Caitlin Clark phenomenon, I didn’t pay much attention to girls’/women’s basketball. I watched as Clark took women’s college basketball by storm. I followed her throughout her first year in the WNBA. What I came to realize is that women at the college and professional level can really shoot…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistJanuary 22, 2025The winter we never had last year has appeared this year, at least in the form of decent ice as a result of day after day of below zero temperatures during the overnights. Most of the local lakes in my area are at 14-15 inches of solid clear ice in most locations. I was up in northeast South Dakota a few weeks back, and the ice conditions there were very good. You will still see a few someones…
By Brenda Winter, columnistJanuary 15, 2025On New Year’s Day my sister sent me a video of our 86-year-old father ripping down the driveway on his new Honda Monkey. The big bike was getting to be a little much, so Dad thought it wise to downsize. He’s usually a safety guy, but in the video Dad – with no helmet – spins his baseball cap around backward and tears off the farm yard. The video records my sister giggling and saying, “There…
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