Editorials - The Timberjay

Consider the future

One of the questions that every voter should be asking themselves as they head to the polls next Tuesday is whether to vote on the status of the country, the state, or their community today, or on … more

11/2/22 | 1 comment

What next for Tower’s ambulance service?

It appears the proposal for an ambulance joint powers board to operate the Tower Area Ambulance Service is all but dead, and that’s probably just fine. As we’ve seen in recent months in … more

6/21/23 | 1 comment

Ambulance funding

Communities around the region are increasingly aware that the old model of funding ambulance services exclusively through the insurance payments generated by users is no longer viable. As services … more

4/12/23 | 1 comment

Legislators we’ll miss

One advantage of working in the news media, is that we regularly get the chance to talk at length with our various elected officials. Over the years, we’ve frequently talked with Sen. Tom Bakk, … more

6/15/22 | 1 comment

Debt relief a start

While President Biden’s recent decision to forgive up to $20,000 in individual student debt is popular with young people, it’s come under criticism from some quarters as unfair to those … more

8/31/22 | 1 comment

Is the Fed blowing it?

It’s often said that generals prefer to fight the last war, which is another way of noting that we tend to address circumstances in the present based on how we responded to similar … more

11/9/22 | 1 comment

The Arrowhead and Stauber

Rep. Pete Stauber should pay close attention to the returns from the Nov. 8 election, particularly from the traditional seven-county Arrowhead. While Stauber won re-election by a fairly comfortable … more

11/16/22 | 1 comment

A changing planet

The numbers are increasing telling us the story about our rapidly changing climate. As has been widely reported in recent days, we had a three-day stretch from July 3-5 in which we beat the previous … more

7/12/23 | 1 comment

Fox News and its lies

Fox News lies to its viewers for money. That’s among the many revelations that emerged in the lead-up to what many expected would be a blockbuster trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox … more

4/26/23 | 1 comment

Aging outstate

Should the elderly in rural parts of Minnesota be allowed to age in place? That’s a critical question given the lack of many in-home services for frail seniors in rural parts of the state. … more

12/1/22 | 1 comment

High court falls

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is blaming the American public for the court’s loss of legitimacy. At a legal conference in Colorado earlier this month, Roberts made note of … more

9/21/22 | 1 comment

Go big on housing

When the Minnesota Legislature convenes in less than a month, it has the opportunity to do big things that could make a major difference for small communities in rural parts of the state. With an … more

12/7/22 | 1 comment

Transfer mileage fee

Several area townships are looking for ways they can better support the Tower Area Ambulance Service, which has been struggling financially for a combination of reasons. The TAAS is certainly not … more

8/2/23 | 1 comment

The federal deficit, part II

When it comes to the massive annual U.S. deficit and the growing national debt, it’s worth considering that 23 years ago, under the second term of President Bill Clinton, the U.S. ran a budget … more

10/11/23

St. Louis County Schools

Once again, the St. Louis County School District has shown it has little interest in actually engaging the residents it’s supposed to be serving. For years, the district has operated more like … more

9/28/22

Joe Heller's Year in Review

Joe Heller | 12/27/23

Rail safety

There but for the grace of God.It’s worth considering that the recent environmental disaster created by the train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, could have devastated virtually any … more

3/1/23

Too much regulation

When it comes to free enterprise in the U.S. there is always a balancing act between the rights of Americans to engage in private contracts for work performed and the need for regulation to protect … more

3/13/24

Altenburg’s ax-grinding

“Creating quite a bit of conflict without stating all the facts.” That was the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board’s take, issued in an official report last summer, on the … more

5/4/22

Clean water at VNP

It’s tough to argue with clean water, particularly in the only water-based national park in the country. That’s likely one reason that the Voyageurs National Park Clean Water Joint Powers … more

10/18/23

Young voters

Think liberal professors are pushing young voters into the open arms of the Democratic Party? Think again. Republicans are doing themselves a tremendous disservice by turning to easy (and false) … more

12/15/22

Stauber’s cowardice

During his five years as Minnesota’s Eighth District Congressman, no one could possibly mistake Pete Stauber as a leader. He is a follower, a minion, who does what he’s told, and that sad … more

1/10/24

Hurricane response

It’s often stated that Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That might be worth considering as U.S. taxpayers are preparing to be saddled with another … more

10/5/22

American theocracy

The America that our founders framed in our Constitution guaranteed religious freedom, yet that’s a tradition that is under threat in this country like never before. As we reported last week, a … more

3/20/24

So much for freedom

The law, as it develops over time through court decisions, is like a house that’s built on a foundation. Each precedent-setting decision is like another brick, which forms the base for the … more

5/11/22