Opinions

by Reed Anfinson, Editor, Publisher

A Drop of Ink

When it comes to the nation’s security more than one third of America’s citizens believe the government should have greater control over what the press is allowed to publish and air. Thirty-seven percent of those responding in a recent poll said reporters should have to get government approval before certain sensitive stories could run.

By Reed Anfinson, Editor, Publisher

After the second or third polar vortex, I am getting tired of being inside, at home. But then I start thinking, that I must be grateful I have a home. There are, after all, many people, including families that are homeless.
When we were in Washington, school and offices closed due to a big winter storm. In the paper, we read about the homeless; families with children who lined up to get help in the cold only to find out the office for helping the homeless was closed due to the snow.  Some of them ended up sleeping on the floor in churches.
Duluth has more than 900 homeless people and was the first city in the US to pass a homeless bill of rights, although many states do have such a bill. This bill of rights is meant to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. The plan is to have the Human Rights Commission of the city take an in-depth look at the problem of homelessness and to find solutions. There is talk of having homeless people on the commission.

by Reed Anfinson, Editor-Publisher

Kathy A. Weckwerth

by Reed Anfinson, Editor - Publisher

by Hege Herfindahl

I would like to acknowledge all of the hard work that has been done so far in clearing the debris left in the wake of the Thursday and Friday storms. We have a long way to go but so much has been done in three days!
I have seen and heard countless instances of people helping people who had neither the tools or the ability to clear their own lawns. I admire the personal pride and initiative individuals used in clearing their property. It reaffirms what I already knew; we have  a wonderful caring community. Our community extends across city limits and we had many people from the surrounding area volunteering to help their city neighbors.

by Reed Anfinson, Editor, Publisher

Recently the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in the News Media came out with its annual report on the state of the media in America. Its findings don’t bode well for newspapers, but nor does it have good news for the citizens of this country.

We must first say that there is a vast difference between community newspapers in rural America and the big metropolitan dailies in this country. We are about community. We are the only ones interested in what is happening at the city council, school board and county commission meetings. We are the only ones who report about how our local sports teams are doing in detail, week after week. We are the only ones who report on the 90th birthdays, 60th wedding anniversaries, and the birth of the fourth generation in your family.