Opinion - The Timberjay

The life of a professional meeting watcher...

An alternative job title for a journalist is professional meeting watcher. We go to all those city council, school board, township, and zoning meetings and write them up. Those of you who prefer … more

Catie Clark | 6/5/24

The U.S. is no longer the dominant superpower

It was an article of faith, through most of my life, that the United States was the world’s dominant power. We had the most powerful military, the biggest and most vibrant economy and the most … more

Lee Hamilton | 5/30/24

Franking abuse

A recent mailing from U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber’s office caught our eye for what looks like another misuse of the congressman’s franking privilege to disseminate material nearly … more

5/30/24

Legislators come through when Legislature doesn’t

In the normal course of the legislative cycle, this was a year the Minnesota Legislature was expected to pass a bonding bill to fund. To be sure, it was to be smaller than usual, given the $2.6 … more

David Colburn | 5/23/24

Media misinformation

The major media in the U.S. are continuing to fail the public, and that failure is playing a major role in the current state of the presidential race. If polls can be believed, large majorities of … more

5/23/24

There is hope where there is help

I found out my mom was an alcoholic when I was 17 years old. That was devastating, but eventually shed some enlightenment for me on our household dysfunctions. I shouldn’t have been surprised, … more

Betty Firth | 5/15/24

Politicians for sale

Rarely has a presidential candidate been so blunt. During a meeting with some of the country’s top oil executives at Mar-a-Lago last month, Donald Trump reportedly pushed them to raise a … more

5/15/24

Hikers losing ground

Social media has its uses. Unfortunately, it tends to generate more heat than light. That was certainly the case with a recent post on the Facebook group, “What’s Up Tower MN,” that … more

5/9/24

Road trips: exploring and simply meandering

The almighty road trip is a favorite activity in my household. Journeys too often get second billing to destinations. For that reason, the road trip gets top billing in my house. Many a weekend has … more

Catie Clark | 5/9/24

The road to recovery (the rest of the story)

As promised in my last column, “Facing the fear and finding hope”, that appeared in the April 5 edition of the Timberjay, I’m resuming the story of Kelly Cramer and her recovery … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 5/1/24

This isn’t democracy

“I have a spoiler alert: There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence the election. It’s called democracy.” So said defense attorney Todd Blanche last week as he tried to … more

5/1/24

Discovering the past through digital newspaper archives

If there’s one thing I’ve loved about the digital age, it’s the ready window into history provided by searchable online newspaper archives. It’s become a regular practice of … more

David Colburn | 4/24/24

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

Voyageurs National Park

In a perfect world the National Park Service and the businesses that serve users of Voyageurs National Park would work as partners with the goal of making the experience of park users the best that … more

4/17/24

It’s time for leadership and vision

People around the world are concerned and confused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has confounded peace seekers for years. I have joined them in wondering why a just, peaceful solution is … more

Betty Firth | 4/17/24

Biden and Israel

The United States has long been a friend to Israel and that’s appropriate. But sometimes friends have to tell a friend when they’re in the wrong, and it is well past time for the Biden … more

4/10/24

It must be a sign...our favorite travel game

Some people collect seashells or coins. Others collect art or Hummel figurines. In my household, we collect signs. To be accurate, we drive around and take photographs of signs. The long-suffering … more

Catie Clark | 4/10/24

Facing the fear and finding the hope

When I wrote an article months back about my intention to overcome my excessive anxiety over spiders, I had no idea the reactions I would get from readers! One email thanked me for publicly … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 4/3/24

Expensive audits

It’s the auditing season for small cities in our region and, if this year is like others we have covered over the past three-plus decades, taxpayers will learn very little from a time-consuming … more

4/3/24

Constitutional amendment

Lawmakers in St. Paul should resist a proposal for a combined government reform amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that would open the way to a full-time Legislature. The measure, as the … more

3/27/24

AI is getting too smart for our own good

You’re all probably channeling Ronald Regan’s classic debate line “There you go again” as you realize I’m writing once again about artificial intelligence, but I just … more

David Colburn | 3/27/24

American theocracy

The America that our founders framed in our Constitution guaranteed religious freedom, yet that’s a tradition that is under threat in this country like never before. As we reported last week, a … more

3/20/24

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

Too much regulation

When it comes to free enterprise in the U.S. there is always a balancing act between the rights of Americans to engage in private contracts for work performed and the need for regulation to protect … more

3/13/24

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