Opinion - The Timberjay

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

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

Adult summer school has just ended

I am back from one of my periodic writing breaks. My last column was in the June 3 edition, and now it is three months later. Time does fly and in many ways I feel like I just completed summer … more

Scarlet Stone | 9/21/22

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

When pumping gas became a life-changing experience

When it comes to the world of work, for the most part I’ve been a very fortunate soul. From Dodge City to Chicago, from St. Louis to Los Angeles, and from hometown Marion to my newest home in … more

David Colburn | 9/14/22

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

Some thoughts I have as we turn with the seasons

As I write on my small deck, surrounded by flowers, on this Labor Day morning, I enjoy the chill that requires a sweater. For as long as I can remember, this shift from summer to autumn has been a … more

Betty Firth | 9/7/22

A dystopian future?

The signs of catastrophic climate change are increasingly undeniable all across the globe. While it’s been a relatively cool and wet summer here in northern Minnesota, don’t think … more

9/7/22 | 2 comments

Where John Muir and Dorothy Molter meet

As many of my closest confidants know, recently I have been living a lifestyle that I affectionately refer to as “My Dorothy Molter Moment”. Three years ago, I assumed the task of … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 8/31/22

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

The January 6 Committee reminds us of what Congress can do

Watching the hearings held by the Jan. 6 committee as it delves into the events at the Capitol last year and what lay behind them, I’ve been struck by what you might think of as the … more

Lee Hamilton | 8/24/22

Stauber votes no again

It seems nearly every missive from the office of Pete Stauber in recent months has left us here at the newspaper shaking our heads, jaws agape. We think we’ve grown used to the … more

8/24/22 | 7 comments

The moon speaks different names to different people

Call me a spoil sport, a curmudgeon, a sour puss, a grump, call me whatever you’d like, but I really do get annoyed, and have for years, at the media’s seeming love affair with, of all … more

David Colburn | 8/17/22

Lock him up

The same violent anti-government rhetoric that led to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City has made a disturbing return to America in the wake of the FBI’s … more

8/17/22 | 1 comment

Why your voice and your feet and your vote count

Why Your voice and Your Feet and Your Vote CountI’m writing on Tuesday, Aug. 9, the day of the primary elections in Minnesota, and I’m feeling nostalgic about times in our democracy that … more

Betty Firth | 8/10/22

Summer of the arts

What a difference the arts can make here in the North Country. While our region has long attracted artists inspired by the region’s natural beauty, our area communities are benefitting from an … more

8/10/22

VNP law enforcement

As we reported last week, Voyageurs National Park officials received an earful at Crane Lake from local residents and the owners of resorts and other businesses that serve the park over what appears … more

8/3/22 | 2 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

The future of news

Newspapers around Minnesota have been making a point in recent days, and we’re joining that chorus in a full-page advertisement that appears in this week’s edition. At a time when so much … more

7/27/22 | 2 comments

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

9/10/09