Opinion

In Minnesota and across the country, farmers are having trouble making ends meet amid low commodity prices and increasing costs. Farmer loan repayment rates continue to decline across the Midwest, and small farm bankruptcies have reached a five-year high. Why? Our farmers can’t offset the toll of tariffs on the rural economy. As I visited family farmers across western and southern Minnesota…

Marie Kondi is a professional organizer who’s developed a way to create a happy living environment by using our feelings, in particular, the feeling of joy. I find myself craving joy in my new-found widowhood, and the search for joy has been exhausting and elusive. There’s been retail therapy, emersion in each grandchild’s activities … and even a tattoo. Meanwhile, I’ve been working to…

Question: I have two grandsons, one 17 years old with a driver’s license, the other 15 with a permit. They both have a bad habit of driving with one hand on the wheel. I stress how dangerous this is and both hands need to be on wheel all the time. I drive at the 9 and 3 position and try to have them do the same. Any suggestions? Answer: When it comes to driving, try to keep at least 10 inches…

November at the library Holy cow, you guys, the library is busy this month. Normally I save the last couple of paragraphs for events at the library, but there’s so much going on in November, I’m going to use the entire article to talk about it. The Rock County Community Library is having its very own series of TED Talk showings! At 6 p.m. for three Mondays (Nov. 10, 17 and 24) the library will…

To the Editor: We are writing this letter in support of Wanda Jarchow’s letter to the editor in the Oct. 2 edition of the Star Herald. We agree with her concerns about what the motivation is for the numerous approved applications for marijuana dispensaries in Rock County. To reiterate her very valid concerns, as well as ours, what will the cost be for our community in regard to increased…

To the Editor: In today’s America, a quiet revolution is unfolding — not with protests in the streets, but in the hearts and minds of everyday citizens. It’s a revolution of doubt, of growing distrust toward the institutions that once shaped national identity, provided moral grounding, and paved the path to opportunity. From Washington to the pulpit to the classroom, the pillars of American…

“Other duties as assigned” are not unique to Equipt Christian School where I’ve been volunteering the past few months. Every job and volunteer position includes them. As a K-2 classroom helper, I expected I might help students find lost papers, sound out complicated words, or write the No. 7 facing the right direction. I do all of those things. I thought I might carefully monitor the amount of…

Halloween is on a Friday, and that is sure to bring out the trick-or-treaters. And the weather looks good for the candy collectors as well. The Luverne Area Chamber’s annual “Trunk or Treat” at the Luverne Elementary School parking lot starts at 4 p.m. and runs until 5:30. I am proud to say that I am the current reigning office participant in the annual “Truck or Treat” promotion. The following…

The Star Herald this week has collected an assortment of mentions for our “thumbs up and thumbs down” editorial, so it’s time to share them here. Thumbs up — to mild October weather and the now glorious fall color. It’s been an unseasonably warm fall, and the cooler nights are now producing more color on trees and shrubs. You don’t have to travel east or north to enjoy the vibrant autumn scenery…

We’re now into our fourth week of a federal government shutdown since Congress failed to approve a resolution for government funding. In preparation for this shutdown, the White House Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans, adding potentially permanent layoffs to the long list of negative shutdown consequences. Congress’s inability to pass…

My creative colleagues at the Star Herald have been sharing social media posts about our staff members’ work anniversaries It’s been fun for the online community to get a glimpse of the humans behind the titles in our office, and community reactions to the posts have been delightful and encouraging. This week it’s my turn. We accidentally overlooked my actual work anniversary in April, but it’s…

Reisch questions city's marijuana decisions Letter to the Editor:   What is going on in Luverne? Is this how you get traffic to Luverne — open up cannabis shops to sell marijuana? What is wrong with our city leaders to pass such an ordinance? Did you ask the residents what they wanted? Why not put it to a vote. I am sure parents trying to teach their children drugs are bad, do not agree with…

Have you seen the purple ribbons displayed around Luverne? For survivors of domestic violence, the color purple is meant to be a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending violence. The purple ribbons are for these individuals and a reminder to all of us that domestic violence is a real and dangerous threat. Rock County is a vibrant healthy community, but we, like every…

Thirty-seven years ago, I stood looking out the second-story window of our rented acreage in Kanaranzi Township. A vast expanse of soybean and corn fields stretched out as far as the eye could see. A feeling of contentment filled me as I held my infant son Andrew. I briefly imagined him working in those peaceful fields, enjoying the feeling of growing something from the rich, black soil. That…

Baustian: City carefully reviews electric rates To the Luverne Municipal Electric Utility Customers for American Public Power Week: As the City of Luverne continues to provide affordable, reliable, and efficient electric service, we also face the ongoing challenge of rising wholesale energy costs from our suppliers — the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and Missouri River Energy…

I don’t order a lot of things off the internet, but from time to time I do order a few things. Recently I was in the market for a couple of dog collars. So, like most Amazon shoppers, I typed in what I was looking for, and dozens of options popped up. So, after scrolling through them, I started to check out the reviews. Most of the reviews fell into the three-, four- and five-star category,…