Opinion/Editorial
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Oversight committees should have role in hiring chief deputies

The Taylor County Board, through its standing oversight committees, needs to continue to have a role in the hiring of key employee leadership positions within county departments. Over recent years,...
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Standardized testing doesn’t help kids learn
Opinion/Editorial

Standardized testing doesn’t help kids learn

Mandating more tests for school children to make them learn and wondering why they aren’t improvin...

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Opinion/Editorial

Judge wisely when selecting a Supreme Court candidate

Who’s to judge? This spring we saw the most expensive state supreme court race in history. On April 7th, we’ll vote again, and I’m not looking forward to another flood of dark-money attack ads. Chris Taylor, a liberal, and Maria Lazar, a conservative, are on the ballot—yet most voters know little about either. So how do we choose? I start by asking: What are their values? What does t...

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Opinion/Editorial

Don’t villify immigrant groups

When President Trump labeled Somali immigrants “garbage,” he was weaponizing presidential power to diminish an entire community. As novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned in her powerful TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story,” power lies not only in the ability to tell another person’s story, but to make it the definitive story of that person. Yes, some Somali Americans in Minnesot...

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Opinion/Editorial

Wires

One of the tires on The Star News delivery’s boy light display in the city park is out. At least it is out at the time I am typing these words on my computer screen. It is my hope, and my plan that by the time people read these words, the tire will again be lit and be merrily rolling along. For those who haven’t seen it, it is metal artwork of a cartoon paperboy tossing a bundled newspap...

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Opinion/Editorial

Shop local this holiday season

The holiday season is here. It's time to put your phone down, grab a friend and go shopping for a day or even a few hours. Americans are spending more money than ever on holiday shopping with some experts, such as the National Retail Federation, projecting a potential trillion dollars in spending this season. Other polling, such as Gallup’s projection for the season, suggests stable spending ...

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Opinion/Editorial

Give local this holiday season

The holiday season is often characterized by consumer spending. Newscasters report on the billions being spent by consumers or the hottest new gifts and trends. The holiday season is also an important time when it comes to charitable donations. Nationally, about 30% of all charitable giving is done during the month of December with about 10% of annual giving occurring in just the last three day...

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