Editorials
- March 11, 2026This week, March 8-14, is National Groundwater Awareness Week, a national observation dedicated to the responsible management and use of groundwater. Established in 1999, the special week raises awareness about the critical role groundwater plays in public health, environmental sustainability and the nation’s economy. Groundwater provides drinking water for more than 44 percent of the U.S.…
- March 04, 2026The Minnesota Department of Management and Budget’s February forecast projects a $3.7 billion surplus at the end of the fiscal year 2026-27 biennium. That’s $1.3 billion higher than November estimates, with a projected $377 million surplus in FY 28-29 amid an ongoing structural imbalance. This is a significant improvement from the last economic forecast. Today’s budget news means that…
- February 25, 2026This week over 1 million students across the U.S. are celebrating FFA Week, which aims to highlight Future Farmers of America and the importance of both agriculture and student leadership. For a deeply agricultural community like Rock County, it’s important to celebrate with our FFA students and do everything we can to support them on their journeys. Our Feb. 19 Star Herald carried a full-page…
- February 18, 2026February is American Heart Month, a federally designated month since 1964 to spotlight cardiovascular health and combat heart disease — the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. It’s a time to take charge of heart health through lifestyle changes, with key initiatives, such as: •Knowing risks for heart disease: Checking blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as these are…
- By Tom Getman, guest editorialFebruary 11, 2026Over the past months I presumed insights from Washington were helpful for you friends back home. Now I must admit that in the presence of heavy clouds of the climatic and political winter of 2026 it is family and friends in Minnesota who are sources of salvatory wisdom and light in the persistent darkness. With appropriate pride I point to pastoral, political and personal leaders from home…
- By Minnesota Gov. Tim WalzJanuary 28, 2026The Trump administration's assault on Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state. It isn't just. It isn't legal. And, critically, it isn't making anyone any safer. Quite the opposite: Immigration agents have now shot and killed two of our neighbors: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. And there are…
- January 21, 2026January is National Blood Donor Month, and the American Red Cross and Blood Banks of America encourage everyone who can donate blood to do so, especially now during the month of January. It's the time of year when blood supplies are running low, due to recent holiday schedules, winter weather and cold and flu season keeping dedicated donors from giving. Over the last two decades, blood…
- By Tom GetmanJanuary 14, 2026Two colleagues who help me stand with hope in times of grievous moments point me to the light and opportunity in darkness times. One of them is here in my DC neighborhood, Councilman David Allen. The other resides in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Peggy said, “It’s no secret Minnesota has experienced unspeakable tragedy this week [in Renee Good’s murder]. We have seen so much violence and…
- January 07, 2026According to the Mental Health America, January is national Mental Wellness Month. So, we’re sharing the organization’s 10 resiliency tools to promote wellness and help you feel stronger and more hopeful. •Connect with others – Humans are social by nature: We crave feeling supported, valued, and connected. •Stay positive – Trying to be optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring the uglier sides of life.…
- December 30, 2025Happy New Year, Star Herald readers. We in the newsroom find satisfaction in reviewing and highlighting the top stories of the year in our final December edition. We feel it showcases our progressive local leadership and our resilient community residents. It also shows we at the Star Herald take our work seriously throughout the year as we document local happenings, big and small, good or bad…
- December 23, 2025Christians believe “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” to take away the sins of the world (John 3:16), and as such, Christmas is a celebration of the arrival of Jesus as told in the Bible’s second chapter of Luke: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to…
- By Rev. Steve Voris, LuverneDecember 17, 2025Children can be cruel to each other, and examples at the Wolf Middle School were not hard to find. Ralph was an easy target of bullying. Being raised by a single mom with two younger sisters, Ralph frequently went without to make sure his sisters were taken care of. That was especially apparent when it was time to buy school clothes. Ralph insisted his clothing was fine and the majority of…
- December 09, 2025December is Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Month which calls attention to a winter depression condition now known as Seasonal Depression. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, the condition is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression in late fall and winter, alternating with periods of normal mood the rest of the year. This month, NAMI encourages people to…
- By Tom GetmanDecember 03, 2025November was Indigenous Peoples’ Month, a time to recognize and respect the history, spirituality and culture of those on whose territory we reside. We not only have recounted the traumatic history of our pre-colonial “first (Sioux and Piscataway) residents’’ but have begun to deepen our awareness and alter our own Pipestone, “Indian” and Pilgrim stories and are finding new ways to seek healing…
- November 25, 2025This week, the Star Herald offers a thumbs up, thumbs down, editorial comprised entirely of thumbs up. That’s not to say there’s nothing to complain about, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it’s best to focus on what’s going right in Rock County. Thumbs up — To the bumper crops hauled in by our local farmers. Just when we think our dirt can’t do any better than the year before, new genetics…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterNovember 25, 2025Over the decades, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. It’s a day where I’ve stayed home, and Bryan and I would prepare a Thanksgiving dinner. We grew to be partners in the kitchen, each of us preparing a portion of the meal. At first, the guest list included only grandparents, but it grew to include our four children and my sister’s family. We’ve served as many as 20 people in our…
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