As the partial federal government shutdown continued this week, one thing is certain. For the first time since President Trump took the oath of office, the Democrats have gained some level of …

Minnesotans have exceptional confidence in the fairness, accuracy, and integrity of our election procedures, and that confidence is seen year after year in the highest voter turnout in the country. …

Inflation at the grocery store is spiking, and most agriculture and food economists believe it’s only going to get worse. But unlike the inflation we experienced in the wake of the COVID-19 …

Back in June, we urged voters to play their proper role in tamping down the rising tide of political violence, by voting out politicians who cling to power by furthering division in America. At the …

The hyperbole came fast and furious at times during the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s public hearing in Virginia last week on Keetac’s water discharge permits and the …

If an accurate history of America’s descent into authoritarianism is ultimately written, it will pinpoint Chief Justice John Roberts and the court he has led for the past two decades as the …

In the annals of unsung heroes, the people who undertake the Sisyphean task of maintaining the portages and campsites throughout the 1.1-million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness must be at …

Since last November’s electoral defeat, Democratic leaders have engaged in plenty of navel-gazing as they struggle to find a way to appear relevant to an increasing number of Americans, …

This summer’s abundant rainfall has revealed in more dramatic fashion than before a reality that has been increasingly difficult to avoid in recent years — foreign invasive plant species, …

As we reported back in June, the St. Louis County School District is in dire financial straits. Without major changes in the way it currently operates, the district could be facing some existential …

Who wants more mercury in northeastern Minnesota lakes? President Donald Trump, apparently. That’s the only conclusion from the administration’s recent announcement that Trump was …

“And that’s the way it is.” For years, that’s how Walter Cronkite signed off from his nightly news broadcast on CBS. And for most of America, that was the gold standard, and …

We’re often reminded that there’s a reason for old sayings, such as the one that advises us to remain silent on an issue and only appear uninformed rather than weighing in and removing …

Back in May, health care officials in our area were incredulous at the scale of the Medicaid cuts passed by the U.S. House in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but remained confident that the …

Today is America’s 249th birthday, and that is cause enough for the usual celebrations and flag-waving with family and friends. But given the current state of our nation, we would hope readers …

It’s said that good things come to those who wait. That may be, but even better things come to those who persevere. That’s certainly the case with two recent success stories in our area, …

Minnesotans were left in shock this past Saturday morning as they received news of the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman, the DFL’s top leader in the Minnesota House, and the attempted …

For President Donald Trump, Saturday’s big military parade is clearly akin to keeping up with the Joneses. He’s seen the military parades usually associated with the world’s …

Here we go again? That’s the very real concern as the area experienced several days with unhealthy levels of wildfire smoke this past week. Already this year, the North Country has experienced …

Should the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the U.S. House last week and supported by Eighth District congressman Pete Stauber ultimately become law, the quality health care …

The heavy smoke that made breathing a chore for many in northern St. Louis County this past week is just the latest reminder that our future is clouded by the changing climate. We know that our …

Through all the noise and chaos of the first 100 days of the Trump administration, a single, relatively small bit of news caught our eye last week. The administration’s widely reported plan to …

There is justified public skepticism over the specifics and the timing of a proposal by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to create what is known as a multi-discharger variance, or MDV, in order …

Humanity may soon face an existential crisis, and we are deluded if we believe a free market will save us. Here’s the problem: Our brains are increasingly being filled with plastic. According …

For many of us, as children, we frequently learn the lessons of our society and culture through stories, often frightening tales that hold profound life lessons. That was as true in traditional …