Editorials
- August 27, 2025Whether children walk, ride their bicycle or take the bus to school, it’s extremely important that they take proper safety precautions. As students return to school, the National Safety Council offers the following tips for children to safely travel to and from school: Walkers: Review family walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child. ●Walk on the sidewalk if one…
- August 20, 2025Wellness Month is observed in August when we’re encouraged to focus on improving our overall health and well-being. In our Rock County communities there are countless opportunities to engage in activities that support physical, mental, emotional and social health. We have walking and biking paths, splash pads, fitness centers and numerous classes for senior balance and strength training. But…
- August 13, 2025Aug. 6 marked the 60th Anniversary of the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act, which most historians would put on their top 10 list of most consequential acts ever passed by the U.S. Congress. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon reached out last week to observe the date and to encourage Minnesotans to continue their long history of strong voter turnout. He said the legislation stands…
- August 06, 2025The Star Herald has received a number of suggestions for “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” mentions in recent weeks. They include: Thumbs down — to train delays at intersections in town. The community appreciates that our railroad is vibrant and contributing to the local economy, but frequent and lengthy delays in the middle of town are not only an inconvenience to motorists, they can be a public…
- By Guest editorial by Al Cross, retired newspaper editorJuly 30, 2025When I attended a recent annual conference of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors in Sioux Falls, I planned a side trip to Luverne – for reasons that started out esoteric but turned out to be quite meaningful. I was interested in Luverne and its newspaper because Ken Burns and Tom Hanks had told me a lot about them, in Burns’ 2007 documentary, “The War.” It focused on the…
- By Better Business Bureau guest editorialJuly 23, 2025Since 2022, business scam reports to BBB Scam TrackerSM have totaled more than 3,600. These scams involved employee and vendor impersonations, theft of social media accounts, data breaches and many more scam types. Reports to Better Business Bureau® show that business scammers can steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in a flash without proper protections. Further reports to federal agencies…
- By Thomas Getman, Guest EditorialJuly 16, 2025Congress recently passed one of the biggest peacetime military funding increases for the military “to protect the country and make us better.” This burgeoning war fund takes inequitably from Americans and the world’s poor by cutting Medicaid, foreign assistance and food aid. It also affects farmers’ capacity to raise and sell crops and is estimated to cost 17 million lives. As Jewish scholar…
- July 09, 2025Our readers have had an active week with recent submissions for “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” sentiments in the community. Thumbs down — to motorists who park in front of local EV chargers. The charging stations are there for a reason, and if you’re not charging your vehicle, please leave the parking spots open for EV motorists who need a charge. Thumbs up — to last week’s July 4 celebration at…
- July 02, 2025‘… these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES …’ Friday is the Fourth of July, a national holiday that observes Independence Day — the day our forefathers adopted the Declaration of Independence from oppressors in Great Britain. Following are the words (in their original old English) from document approved July 4, 1776: WHEN in the Course of human…
- June 25, 2025Nearly six million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease. The sixth-leading cause of death and the only leading disease without a prevention, treatment or cure, Alzheimer’s kills more Americans every year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. This June, during Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, join the Alzheimer’s Association to help raise awareness…
- By By Thomas GetmanJune 18, 2025Washington, D.C., where my wife, Karen, and I have had a home for 48 years, is deeply shaken by the political assassinations in our beloved Minnesota. So many people here live and work in circles of friendships with (and have traditional aspirations about) Minnesotans. The Beatitudes teach, among other things, that “blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice.” Rep. Melissa…
- June 11, 2025National Flag Day is June 14, the anniversary of the flag’s adoption in 1777. The American Legion Post 123 will present an informational program on flag etiquette in honor of Flag Day at 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 13, at the Plaza on Main. The presentation will be appropriate for adults and children. There will be a drawing for new American flags and the Legion will accept and properly dispose…
- June 04, 2025The Star Herald hasn’t issued a “Thumbs” editorial in a while, and that’s partly because we haven’t heard from our readers. So … Thumbs down — to our readers for neglecting to share their “thumbs” up and down editorial ideas. Please send them to editor@star-herald.com Thumbs up — to our readers and community sources in general for keeping us informed of news and feature story ideas in Rock…
- By Amy Klobuchar, U.S. SenatorMay 28, 2025
- May 21, 2025We have a reputation here in Rock County of working together to solve complicated problems. This collaborative spirit — especially among local leaders and private enterprise — has put us on the map numerous times for many reasons. Thirty years ago, for example, Rock County emerged as a leader in the state when our planning and zoning commission adopted its own feedlot ordinance. It was 1995,…
- By Nikki FrakesMay 14, 2025A Minnesota native deeply moved by nature, I must have been in high school when I had the unforgettable opportunity to work with renowned National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg. On a frigid winter night, we ventured into the untouched wilderness near Ely, Minnesota. The cold was biting and the silence — vast and consuming. An audio technician placed microphones on the frozen lake, and…
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