Though the holiday is coming to an end, the impulse to share one of the school visits of last week is strong. On Monday, when most of us return to work and school, the seriousness and the pace of our lives will come back quickly enough, but for just a while longer I want to linger in the run-up to T...

The Obama administration has now effectively delayed a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, which is designed to bring up to 700,000 barrels from Alberta’s oil sands into the U.S. This continues an administration trend of postponing controversial energy decisions beyond the 2012 election, as repo...

Thanksgiving is historically one of the year’s deadliest holidays on Minnesota roads, mandating special attention by officers. Special saturations and high visibility enforcement will focus on and around Thanksgiving eve, an active time for impaired driving and related incidents. In Minnesota duri...

On Nov. 11 our nation observes Veterans Day. It was established in 1919 as Armistice Day, a day to commemorate the end of the fighting in World War I, in 1918. It was a bloody and brutal combat, much of it fought in the trenches, where my dad said they sometimes climbed over the dead bodies of their...

afford it, how do we tell them that five dollars a month is more important to us than improving their schools, and making this a better community? Some would make this referendum about teachers. How sad. This is not about teachers; it’s about our kids, our community, and about making our country b...

Who are we? We are parents, community members, business owners, senior citizens, neighbors, and taxpayers just like you. We are strongly committed to supporting the future of our children and the communities served by Brainerd Public Schools. We are the members of the Vote Yes Yes 4 Kids Steering Co...

Now, you can be there for someone....

I don’t know about you, but fall is the most enjoyable time of the year for me, especially here in the lakes area. Nothing beats a crisp, sunny fall day with the changing of colors on our trees and football at Don Adamson Field. For many of you, running through the trails at the arboretum is what...

Often in life we are forced to make decisions. Sometimes it is easy, other times it is fairly difficult. We weigh out our options; make the pros and cons list. Sometimes we let others’ opinions influence our own, sometimes we do not. In the case of money we look for the best investment. Often time...

I feel compelled to respond to the guest column by John Ward. To begin I must compliment the Brainerd School District for operating budget control. It’s 10-year increases have been less than most school districts. On the other hand, the spending control for new building construction gets a grade ...