Opinion

With nearly 2,000 babies affected by birth defects each year in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed January as Birth Defects Awareness Month in Minnesota. January is also National Birth Defects Awareness Month.   This year the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is joining with the National Birth Defects Prevention Network to highlight the “Every Journey Matters” campaign. The national group…

On New Year’s Day my sister sent me a video of our 86-year-old father ripping down the driveway on his new Honda Monkey. The big bike was getting to be a little much, so Dad thought it wise to downsize. He’s usually a safety guy, but in the video Dad – with no helmet – spins his baseball cap around backward and tears off the farm yard. The video records my sister giggling and saying, “There…

Recognize the most fiscally responsible leadership This weekend I was reading the Star Herald and took notice on page two on the story of county tax levy, that Rock County has the lowest tax rate in the state of Minnesota. Kudos to the county leadership for being fiscally responsible over the year. This story got me thinking how does Luverne stack up compared to its peers as it relates to the…

January marks National Blood Donor Month, a time to honor the invaluable contributions of the millions of blood donors nationwide who assist patients during critical moments. Community Blood Bank, Sanford Luverne Medical Center, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and the Luverne Fire Department will compete in the annual “Heroes Behind the Badges” blood drive on Monday, Jan. 13, at Sanford…

My dad in the 1970s sold O’s Gold Seed Corn and often wore a bright orange windbreaker and cap to advertise his farming side-gig. As a little girl I didn’t give much thought to seed corn, but I could always spot Dad in a crowd in his orange cap. Today, it’s not just the ag salesmen wearing the labels. It seems everyone who buys feed, seed, chemicals, tools or machinery has a matching wardrobe…

There are always a few of those “changing over to the New Year” tasks that need our attention. Getting used to writing 2025 on checks usually takes a check or two to get in the swing of the New Year. I know you’re probably thinking, “Who writes checks anymore?” I probably write two, maybe three checks a month. We get about eight different weekly newspapers at the office. All eight are from…

I started out the new year with a spearing trip to northeast South Dakota. I was looking to do a little pike spearing, and southern Minnesota is not the greatest place to do that. For one, we only have a few lakes that have a decent pike population and even fewer lakes that have water clear enough to make spearing enjoyable. Some of only decent pike lakes had frozen out two years ago, and even…

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is encouraging Minnesotans to identify and prevent scams that harm consumers, organizations and communities.   “We are seeing an alarming increase in scammers who trick people into sharing their private financial information,” said Commerce Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement Jacqueline Olson. “As you set goals for the new year, especially with plans to…

Amid the excitement of this spring’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, I purchased matching “You break it, you own it” Nike T-shirts for my 6-year-old Iowa granddaughter and me to wear. The slogan was a nod to Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking basketball season. Neither of us is a diehard basketball fan — we just appreciate Clark’s athleticism and love of the game. An added bonus is that Clark…

Question: Hello, I am looking at getting my kids an e-scooter for Christmas. I was just curious before making the purchase what are the laws and rules for these things. Answer: Motorized foot scooters (also termed “electric scooters” or “e-scooters”) have seen a marked increase in use recently, primarily due to their introduction in fleets of shared rental offerings in cities throughout the…

Christians believe “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” to take away the sins of the world (John 3:16), and as such, Christmas is a celebration of the arrival of Jesus as told in the Bible’s second chapter of Luke:   In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to…

Our Kentucky granddaughters told us their “Other Grandparents” are taking them on a Disney cruise. They’ve been promised day spas and swimming with dolphins, carnival shows, island expeditions and food served from mile-long buffets. Grandpa and I were spending last week with the two girls, ages 7 and 9, when we learned about the cruise. Their parents were off galivanting at a tropical resort…

Christmas on a Wednesday followed by New Year’s Day just a week later are not ideal days for those of us in the paper business. Early deadlines set forth by our printer and postal deadlines make for a very chaotic two weeks. A big thank you to our advertisers for their understanding and willingness to get us copy for their ads well ahead of normal deadlines. To the staff at the Star Herald,…

As the holiday season continues, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is coordinating a statewide driving while impaired (DWI) extra enforcement campaign through Dec. 31. More than 300 local law enforcement agencies will be providing extra DWI enforcement weekends through New Year’s Eve. Drivers are urged to make responsible decisions and drive sober to…

The calendar says our Dec. 19 edition of the Star Herald is the final publication before Christmas. Next week’s paper is Dec. 26, at which point we’ll be working on our year-in-review coverage and moving on to 2025. That means on Dec. 15 — a good 10 days away from Christmas — I found myself considering a column about Christmas. Which I wasn’t ready for. Again. It’s not that I’m a scrooge. I…

With about 10 days before the big Christmas holiday, I suppose I should start to think about those on my Christmas list. I never fail in this department, but I won’t fight the crowds on Black Friday or any weekend day, for the most part. I really try hard not to buy gift cards. Sure, they work and get the job done, but they do show limited effort to match a gift to the recipient. So, I made up…