Opinion - The Timberjay

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

Summers with books, Brach’s candy, and boys

From an early age, I became aware that I was more of a doer than a reader. As a child, growing up at our summer cabin on the Cook end of Lake Vermilion, I have vivid memories of my family sitting … more

Scarlet Stone | 2/14/24

Time is your only real possession

“Time keeps on tickin’ tickin’ tickin’ into the future….” Steve Miller Band. “There’s never enough time.” “Make time.” “Only … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 2/7/24

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

History has lessons about today’s dangerous leaders

Bad things happen when good people become complacent and forget that they need to stand up and stop the evils happening on their doorstep. These are two true stories. Ignore them at your peril. The … more

Catie Clark | 2/1/24

The rise of the digital voice clones – are you next?

Instead of having to read his insightful articles, how would you like to have Marshall Helmberger read them to you? To make that happen now, Marshall would have to record himself reading each article … more

David Colburn | 2/1/24

Ambulance impasse

Representatives from Greenwood Township and the city of Tower should stop talking past one another and sit down to discuss what is really at issue in their ongoing impasse over financial support for … more

2/1/24

Let’s talk....why not?

From an early age, I recognized that my family was better off than some others and was aware of inequality between groups of people, as well. I questioned why that was and why we weren’t doing … more

Betty Firth | 1/24/24

Judicial power grab?

The conservative activists on the U.S. Supreme Court appear eager to take an axe to one of the most important and widely-cited legal precedents in American jurisprudence using a case involving … more

1/24/24

Investigation needed

A newly-released report from the federal Fish and Wildlife Service (see related story page B4) , or FWS, suggests that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources misused millions of federal grant … more

1/17/24

GOP claims are historically wrong and needlessly divisive

While I knew that the minority caucus in each legislative chamber disapproved of the new official state flag because of shared concerns about process, the claims in a recent press release from … more

Aaron Wittnebel | 1/17/24

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

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

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

Joe Heller's Year in Review

Joe Heller | 12/27/23

The ambulance crisis

It appears that state lawmakers are hearing the message about the need to fix the broken funding system for the state’s ambulance services, particularly those serving rural areas. The message … more

12/20/23

Savor the light and the dark

Here in the midst of the holidays at the darkest time of the year, it feels right to explore the layers of light and dark that we experience in many ways in our lives. Author Susan Caine, through her … more

Betty Firth | 12/20/23

Do you know anyone confined to an iron lung?

A picture is often worth 1,000 words. Here’s one that I drafted for a blog during the measles outbreak of 2019, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The whole point … more

Catie Clark | 12/13/23

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

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

A lifelong appreciation for the power of trees

As a young child, I discovered the most peaceful place in the whole world, or so I thought, high among the boughs of a backyard scotch pine. There I found refuge from the chaos inside my … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 12/6/23

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

Your child’s next best friend could be an AI robot

There’s a host of new friends for young children with names like Miko, Roybi, Moxie, and Zivko, but they’re not new classmates or neighbors. They can’t play football or soccer in … more

David Colburn | 11/29/23

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

Write from your heart, and by hand

This week we might pay more attention to what we’re grateful for. I have an odd one. I’m grateful that I was was taught cursive writing in elementary school by teachers who insisted on … more

Betty Firth | 11/20/23