Editorials - The Timberjay

Making a difference

Our report this week on the tax study conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy provided an enlightening reality check to which rural Minnesotans should pay attention (see story on … more

2/7/24

Corporate piracy

“Where is the outrage?” That was the question rightly asked by fellow publisher Reed Anfinson, of Benson, Minn., in an op-ed that appeared last week in this newspaper and many others … more

4/24/24

The four freedoms

America can seem a discontented nation at times. Perhaps it is built into our DNA, since this is a country that was built by the those who weren’t content in the places they were born. This is … more

11/20/23

A stolen birthright

Our story last week on the latest research on the prevalence of chemicals known collectively as PFAS in freshwater fish should have brought a tear to the eye of every Minnesotan. Catching and eating … more

2/1/23

The new normal

The past several weeks have offered residents of the North Country and much of the rest of the northern U.S. a reminder that no one can escape the effects of a warming climate. Twenty years ago, the … more

6/30/23

Trump’s minions

Republicans in Congress, including our Eighth District Rep. Pete Stauber, have helpfully clarified any illusions that may have existed about their loyalties to this country. It’s Trump first, … more

2/14/24

Time for action is now

Thirty years from now, there won’t be much argument about climate change. Even today, only the truly deluded or utterly ignorant continue to deny the warming that is fueling extreme weather … more

11/29/23

This week's cartoon by Joe Heller [Photo gallery]

9/10/09

An old school president

As President Biden laid out in a key domestic policy speech this past week in Chicago, his administration is leading what amounts to an economic revolution that is already remaking America’s … more

7/6/23

Gun rights and wrongs

“A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”The Second Amendment to the U.S. … more

6/22/22

Impeachment investigation

The capitulation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to Donald Trump and his loudmouth acolytes in Congress to the planned impeachment of President Joe Biden shows the extent to which the Republican … more

9/21/23

The Fairness Doctrine

One of the foundational principles of a democratic form of government is the idea that the free exchange of ideas is essential. A democratic nation, in other words, can’t long survive with an … more

2/21/24

Turning back the clock

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court abolished a woman’s right to control her own reproduction. Soon, they may take away a woman’s right to avoid gunfire at the hands of an intimate … more

2/8/23

What about the economy?

One of the biggest head scratchers in our current political moment is consistent results of polling giving former President Donald Trump a wide lead over current President Joe Biden on the question … more

12/6/23

Student Resource Officers

Did some of the state’s top law enforcement officials jump the gun in opting to pull student resource officers, or SROs, from schools in the wake of a new state law that limits prone restraints … more

9/27/23

Radical justices

In the wake of two jaw-dropping, yet hardly unexpected, decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the past week, it is clearly time to remake the political lexicon in this country. For decades, the high … more

6/29/22

Unemployment and workers

Just over a year ago, generous unemployment benefits were being blamed for creating a shortage of workers, as employees laid off during COVID were supposedly lounging at home living on the dole. … more

9/14/22

Chickens in town

When it comes to ordinances, few communities seek to reinvent the wheel. Most adopt ordinances based on the work done by others, with only minor modifications. That could be how Tower’s … more

7/19/23

Park Service violations

The Timberjay’s ongoing investigation into the tasing of an Ash River business owner by rangers in Voyageurs National Park has raised troubling questions about the actions of park law … more

2/15/23

Minnesota Power

No one likes to see higher prices for anything, particularly something as basic to our everyday lives as electricity. And that’s one reason that most states in the U.S., including Minnesota, … more

12/13/23

The big lies

How do we achieve accountability for politicians who tell big lies? We’re not talking about the little white lies that people tell every day without much thought. We’re talking about the … more

2/28/24

Take a second look for schools

The Legislature appears to be giving to schools with one hand and taking away with the other, and it could prove a huge challenge to school districts in our region. We’ve spoken to two business … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/3/23

The federal deficit

The United States has a deficit problem, and we don’t need extremist threats of a government shutdown to address the problem. We need members of Congress to actually understand what’s … more

10/4/23

Tower harbor

For all of two decades, hopes for development at the Tower harbor have met with frustration as the dreams of city officials—to convert the city’s link to Lake Vermilion into an economic … more

7/26/23

Election interference

The U.S. Supreme Court, as has become its pattern in recent years, acted recklessly last week when it announced it would hear former president Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from all … more

3/6/24