Op/Eds - The Timberjay

“2000 Mules” is a minefield of gaping holes

One of the first things to keep in mind when considering the credibility of the Dinesh D’Souza film, 2000 Mules, which made its way to Ely this past weekend, is that it makes no attempt to get … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/29/22 | 3 comments

Remember what government can do

Here’s a question: When was the last time at least half of Americans said the government in Washington could be trusted to do the right thing all or most of the time? It was right after … more

Lee Hamilton | 7/27/22 | 2 comments

Being a teacher in a challenging time

Last week, National Public Radio featured a poem created by Kwame Alexander, NPR’s 2022 poet-in- residence that that included submissions from listeners entitled “Who Will Clean Out The … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 6/8/22 | 1 comment

Our country needs us now more than ever!

For the past few months, as the country has slogged through the murky waters of mid-term election campaigning, I’ve struggled with a frequent need to “do something!” I guess the … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 11/2/22 | 1 comment

House of Representatives dysfunction is cause for alarm

Like many Americans, I watched with dismay this month as the House of Representatives struggled through 15 votes over four days to select a new speaker. The sense of dysfunction was remarkable. … more

Lee Hamilton | 2/1/23 | 1 comment

Are we ready to quit whistling past the graveyard?

Remember back a few weeks when we were living under gloomy skies for days in a row with itchy eyes, a runny nose, even some shortness of breath? If you had asthma or another lung condition, you might … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 7/19/23 | 1 comment

Why Black history is my history

I’ll never forget the day in eighth grade when I was digging around through a box of my Dad’s college papers in the basement and came across a family tree he’d done. There was a … more

David Colburn | 2/22/23 | 1 comment

Thinking on the power of words

When does it make sense to speak up and when is it better to refrain from speaking? Is it ethical to lie sometimes? Should you always reveal information you believe to be true even if it hurts … more

Betty Firth | 7/13/22 | 1 comment

Facing our fears can change our world

I am a longtime radio fan. One of my favorite stops on the dial is 91.7 KAXE-FM, broadcasting out of Grand Rapids. I first discovered “Northern Community Radio” in 1979, soon after moving … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 10/11/23

Now is a good time to plant some seeds

From noon until 1 p.m. on most Fridays, you’ll find folks with hand-painted signs standing on a prominent street corner in Cook. Some contain relevant messages on issues. With an important … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 9/28/22

This Kansas kid misses Minnesota winter

As a kid growing up in Kansas, snow and ice were happy aberrations in the otherwise brown and dreary winter months. It was a true marvel when we would get enough snow to cancel school, dust off the … more

David Colburn | 12/27/23

Searching for joy in the smallest of things

It’d been a long winter already when I was hit with a flu bug that sent me into quarantine for two weeks. After a few days, determined not to let the isolation drive me crazy, I came across a … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 3/1/23

Old recipes and a pinch of this and that

These past few days I have been sifting through recipes for an upcoming spring family gathering at an eccentric aunt’s. I got the notion to bake up some of our favorites and bring them for … more

Scarlet Stone | 3/13/24

Airport trauma and adventures in Great Britain

Before I get too far into my Great Britain story I have to say... air travel in 2022 is not easy, even within the United States. A few days past Easter, I traveled by car to Missouri to visit my … more

Scarlet Stone | 5/4/22

Angling through my memories of fishing

I’ve not yet jumped in to join the fishing opener frenzy here in Minnesota, but the big event has sparked a bit of reminiscing about my angling past. I remember the first rod and reel I held in … more

David Colburn | 5/17/23

Harvesting health and happiness

Life is good! I begin with an update on my alcohol cessation to report I am now in the 11th week since I drank my last alcoholic beverage. I recently visited my doctor and had my blood work checked … more

Scarlet Stone | 8/9/23

After a century, sports finally rights a wrong

You know you’re getting older when something happens to which your first reaction is, “Well, I never thought I’d live to see the day when ….”That was exactly my … more

David Colburn | 7/20/22

A Republican-inspired Halloween list

“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers Will Rogers, a man of Cherokee lineage who was born and raised in Oklahoma’s … more

David Colburn | 10/18/23

A quick detour in life, to discover wonder

Four years ago, on the night of Dec. 13 and on into the wee hours before dawn on Dec. 14, I was in northwest New Mexico at one of my favorite spots in the world, Chaco Culture National Historical … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22

Speaking of New Year’s resolutions...

It is the beginning of a new year. I just turned off my radio after the top of the hour’s morning news. I try to keep abreast of what’s happening in the big world out there without … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 1/10/24

Keep your bans off our books!

Throughout history, people have attempted to ban books that they felt were inappropriate or controversial. We seem to have an unstoppable delusion that we have a right to make decisions about what … more

Betty Firth | 10/5/22

What are your body rhythms telling you?

I promised in my previous column to write in more detail about the rhythms of the body as utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to assess, diagnose, treat, and prevent illness. Oriental … more

Betty Firth | 3/20/24

When “Lean on me” becomes essential to survival

In her article entitled, “Taking Care: Our interdependencies, from nursing homes to glaciers,” that appears in the Spring 2022 edition of Orion Magazine, British essayist Daisy Hildyard … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 5/11/22

A representative democracy has served us well

We Americans live in a representative democracy. That’s a fundamental feature of public life in the United States, a part of who we are as a people. We elect leaders to make decisions on our … more

Lee Hamilton | 3/8/23

How can we make our communities more welcoming?

What do you think of when you hear the words, “Welcoming Community”? Maybe you recall the time you were new to town and a stranger knocked on your door with an unexpected invitation to … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 5/24/23