opinion

Minnesota faces significant challenges as its population ages. Aitkin and Crow Wing are among counties in our state at the front of the aging pack. Reports indicate more residents in our state will reach retirement age this decade than the previous four decades combined.

Vaccines are supposed to be safe for you, but you might be floored to find out the ingredients can include such nasties as aluminum, formaldehyde, mercury (thiomersal) and monosodium glutamate (MSG). That's unimaginable! Isn't formaldehyde used to preserve dead people? And mercury...

With due deference to my less-than-conservative counterpart, it is tragically laughable that we are having any sort of debate over whether Brian Williams should get his job back. I personally don't care. I no longer watch any national news network.

We who live in the Northland feel a certain sympathy for our brothers and sisters in the Boston and New England area this winter. We know how it feels to experience a never-ending winter. We've been there. It's a good thing the pilgrims aren't landing on Plymouth Rock this winter. The...

Browsing through some yellowed clippings in a notebook the other day I came upon something by my old mentor, the late journalist Sydney Harris. Titled "How to Understand What's Going On," it offers a 10-question guide toward making sense of what's happening to the world today. 1....

When the subject of media sports guys comes up, I don't think of those good-looking, smart-alec fellows on the television tube. I think of Wayne "Wheaties" Wallin. On the subject of athletes, Reggie Jackson, Michael Jordan, "A-Rod" Rodriguez, Tom Brady or Adrian Peterson barely...

I grew up in suburbia - Hastings, Minn. Back then we dressed up for school - no blue jeans - and had hair that took the average young suburban male 10 minutes to get ready for school. That is, if you don't count the time I grabbed the toothpaste instead of the Brylcreem, or was it...

The family of Betty Rudlang would like to express our gratitude to everyone for the love and support shown during the loss of our loved one. The many acts of kindness and sympathy continue to be a great comfort to us during this difficult time. Ken Rudlang family

The majority of Minnesota's roads are more than 50 years old. It is expected that in the next three years one in five roads will pass its useful life. Forty percent of Minnesota's bridges are 40 years old or older. In the next 10 years, most will be past their useful life. Gov....

There are many organizations in the surrounding area and communities that do many great things for others. Local Legion posts, VFWs, Elks, Moose, Lions and snowmobile clubs ... the list goes on and if I missed some, I'm sorry. These are organizations that create positive things that...

Does Brian Williams survive in the news/entertainment arena? In the old days we'd probably bet on it now and forget who won a few months later. Now, the whole nation is, and will continue to be, tweeting, twittering, speculating and otherwise weighing in.

I'm writing to express my support for wilderness designation within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Recently, President Obama announced new protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell released a new Comprehensive Conservation...

Every year, thousands of tourists flow in and out of northern Minnesota. Traditionally, these tourists take advantage of many of the wonderful second homes and cabins in the area - creating jobs in the process. With tax season in full swing, we need to acknowledge the key role the...

In a recent article of mine on global warming, I stated that in the past 17 years (1998-2015) the global temperature has only increased at a minuscule rate of .04 degrees C per decade, as measured by the U.K. Met office in Exeter and the Research Unit at the University of East Anglia...