Columns
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolMay 13, 2026Question: In my community and on my daily commute I encounter two roundabouts each morning, others that I work with will encounter three roundabouts in less than five minutes. Please use your platform to remind drivers how to safely and properly use a roundabout. I see, almost on a daily basis, drivers physically stop their vehicle for other drivers that have not even entered the roundabout.…
By Lori SorensonMay 13, 2026As the child of a farmer, wife of a farmer and mother of a farmer, this week’s Farm Bureau editorial content resonated with me. Farming is among the most physically and mentally hazardous occupations in the world, yet farmers are the least likely to reach out for care when they need it. That’s partly due to high-deductible health insurance that makes you think twice before scheduling an…
May 06, 2026Highway 75 through Luverne is closed. The highway, for those unfamiliar, is not just a road. It is — the — road. It’s the road that gets us to church, school, the Tasty Drive In, the world’s largest half-of-a-nutcracker and I-90. Highway 75 is the road we take if we’re going anywhere. I live on the north end of town which now feels like a gated community with an exceptionally long driveway…
By Rick Peterson, general managerMay 06, 2026I started my 40-year newspaper career in 1985 at the Worthington Daily Globe. It was called the Daily Globe back then because it was six days a week, so close enough. I have a handful of columns left to write before I punch out for the last time on my July 31 retirement date. Today, my column reflects on the technology advances in the newspaper industry over those 40 years. In 1985 the Globe…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolMay 06, 2026Question: Like most people I travel every day for work and I know that construction season is upon us. Can you write about getting people to understand the zipper merge? I still see a lot of people that can’t seem to figure this out. Answer: The zipper merge is a driving strategy that requires drivers to change their mindset about merging. Traditionally, drivers have been taught to merge early…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 29, 2026When I was growing up, books were very nearly my entire life. Every morning before school I would wake up early to read before breakfast. If there was a spare minute in class, I would pick up my book. I even read while I was walking home from school, taking my nose out of the pages only to look both ways before crossing a street. But then my life changed. I went to college. I graduated. I…
By Calla Jarvie, Rock County Library DirectorApril 29, 2026Happy May! It’s time to take out the patio furniture and fully embrace the nice weather. Can we still get a snowstorm in May? Sure. But at least it won’t stick around for more than a day! You know what this gorgeous May weather is great for? Yard games. Did you know the library has yard games to check out? We sure do, thanks to the Friends of the Library! The library has an amazing…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolApril 29, 2026Question: I am looking to purchase a used vehicle. I have been online and checking things out and some of these listings appears too good to be true. Do you have any advice on what a person can or should do so they don’t become a victim? Answer: If it’s too good to be true, it usually is. Online marketplaces are full of stolen and tampered vehicles. To reduce the risk of becoming a victim of…
By Lori SorensonApril 22, 2026On a recent Sunday morning I put a frozen Stouffer’s family-size lasagna in the oven before we headed out the door for church. During the service, I mentally patted myself on the back for such good planning. We would arrive home to a kitchen filled with aroma of Italian baked pasta, cheese and meat sauce. And while it cooled on the counter, I would prepare leafy green lettuce salads with…
By RIck Peterson, general managerApril 22, 2026I have shared many of my life events and experiences with you over the years on this page. If you haven’t read or heard I announced my upcoming retirement at the end of July. I told my Star Herald family last week and now it’s your turn. Over the past 40 years, the newspaper business is what I did. In the mid 1980s I started what turned out to be a long and enjoyable career. First at the…
By Brenda Winter, columnistApril 15, 2026We are building a yard shed. All of our neighbors have yard sheds. Some have two. We need a shed. The key words for architecture and space planning are “form” and “function.” Form is what something looks like. Function is what something does. As for what this new yard shed will look like, Jim and I both want it to look “kind of cool.” We want it to have a bit of a mid-century modern…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 08, 2026I’ll admit that I cry very easily. If a book or a movie has a bittersweet ending, my friends and family know to have a box of tissues on standby. But I don’t think I’ve ever cried as hard as when I watched “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” That might not sound like a winning endorsement, but bear with me. The story starts off in post-war Korea, focusing on a young, soon to be orphaned girl…
By RIck Peterson, general managerApril 08, 2026April is Earth Month and earlier this week we hosted a Star Media Conversation with Shannon Dwire, president of Millennium Recycling in Sioux Falls. Starting this Thursday, you can watch that episode on our Star Media YouTube page, www. starmedia.today website, the Star Media Facebook page, or on the Star Herald website and Star Herald Facebook page. We discussed the do’s and don’ts of…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State PatrolApril 08, 2026Question: Can you write about the laws on headlights on when they are to be used? It would probably be a good idea to mention the rules of dimming one’s bright lights. Thanks. Answer: When you are within 1,000 feet of an oncoming vehicle or following another vehicle at a distance of 200 feet or less, your headlights must remain on low beam. Your headlights must be turned on at sunset and used…
April 08, 2026I follow. I research. I investigate. I cross reference. I consult multiple sources and when I am all done, I can’t say for sure what, if anything is going to happen with gun laws in Minnesota this session. I can certainly remember the old adage, “don’t believe everything you hear and only half of what you read.” Today I have changed that saying to, “don’t believe absolutely anything you hear and…
April 01, 2026Question: I just purchased a pull behind camper. I have never owned or pulled one before. What do I need to know? Answer: If you pull a camper or trailer with your vehicle, you must maintain at least 500 feet of following distance from other vehicles. When loaded, 10 to 15% of the trailer’s weight should be balanced on the hitch between the trailer and vehicle. When correctly loaded, the…
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