http://www.granitefallsnews.com/section/editorials granitefallsnews.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. Fri, 24 May 2013 11:25:35 +0000 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130523/OPINION/130529725/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 23 May 2013 13:48:58 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130523/OPINION/130529725/1010/OPINION Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.
As I was thinking about Memorial Day, I wondered about the traditions of Memorial Day, [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519730/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:17 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519730/1010/OPINION Early on we reported on the proposal to remove the old dam that was built across the Minnesota River in 1905 and then we recorded the removal of the dam over this past year.
Before it was removed, we all wonder what the river would it look like when the dam was gone. Would there be a pronounced falls that had given the site its name? Would there be any evidence of any other [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519731/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 16:20:41 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519731/1010/OPINION I’ve always enjoyed the way that phrase sounds as it slips though the teeth creating a soothing ‘sss’ sound. More than the sound, I enjoy the images of cold, dirty snow being transformed into a plethora of color.
Spring, as marked by the Vernal Equinox, began on March 20. Of course, this year Mother Nature ignored the path of the planet to the sun and just kept dumping snow on us. Even though the planet was in alignment to bring increasing [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130509/OPINION/130509499/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 10:18:18 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130509/OPINION/130509499/1010/OPINION My brother Dick and I were talking the other day about planting corn. He recalled when he was little and went to stay on Grandpa’s farm during planting time, Grandpa would put a board across the two row planter; Dick would sit on the board; Grandpa would drive the team of horses. Well, actually the team of horses did not need much assistance from Grandpa. Dick shared, “My job was to wake Grandpa up when the horses got [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130501/OPINION/130509904/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 1 May 2013 16:38:06 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130501/OPINION/130509904/1010/OPINION “It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month when everyone goes Blissfully astray… It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May! Whence this fragrance wafting through the air? What sweet feelings does its scent transmute? Whence this perfume floating ev’rywhere?... It’s May! It’s May! When all the world is brimming with fun, Wholesome or “un” … It’s mad! [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429625/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:09:24 Scott Tedrick http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429625/1010/OPINION In regard to the statement that I suggested the Indigenous dislike of Lincoln was due to only one act––that was not my point.
What I was saying is that in all of us there is the potential for much good [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429626/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:07:06 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130429/OPINION/130429626/1010/OPINION I am referring to the use of smart phones over face to face social conversations in social settings.
Last week David and I met my 10th grade grandson for lunch. Across the aisle from us was another teenager having lunch with her mom. I had my smart phone out on the table and had used it to show a [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419455/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:39:19 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419455/1010/OPINION When I bought those tickets it seemed like a long way into the future. As usual, my biggest question was what day of the week the event was on. When you work at a weekly newspaper, the day of the week matters almost more than anything else.
With that in mind, April 11, a Thursday, seemed like a [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419458/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:05:14 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130418/OPINION/130419458/1010/OPINION “The life in us is like the water in the river. It may rise this year higher than man has ever known it, and flood the parched uplands; even this may be the eventful year, which will drown out all our muskrats. It was not always dry land where we dwell.” – Henry David Thoreau
“For [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130417/OPINION/130419507/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:36:45 Sen. Amy Klobuchar http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130417/OPINION/130419507/1010/OPINION With interactive video, a patient in Lac qui Parle County can be seen by a medical specialist in Minneapolis. With e-commerce, a small business in Fergus Falls can sell its product to anyone, anywhere. With online learning, a student in Two Harbors can tune in to a class at Stanford [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409740/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 4 Apr 2013 17:42:33 Brenda Cassellius http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130404/OPINION/130409740/1010/OPINION http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130326/NEWS/130329662/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:39:11 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130326/NEWS/130329662/1010/OPINION Indeed, it’s darn hard to champion states’ rights as defined by the 10th Amendment, a favorite of many conservatives, while simultaneously defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal law passed in 1996 — also [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309668/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 7 Mar 2013 16:31:21 Lyle Koenen DFL-Clara City http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309668/1010/OPINION The new forecast is a positive sign that Minnesota’s economy is experiencing a fragile recovery. The state seems to be heading in the right direction. However, the improved forecast number does not change the fact there remains a significant budget deficit of [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309670/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 7 Mar 2013 16:29:18 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309670/1010/OPINION The play takes place mostly in a small town in Ohio during 1961. I was pretty young in 1961 but by dint of having a sister 12 years older than me, a graduate of high school in 1959, I probably had more exposure to teen-age [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309672/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 7 Mar 2013 16:18:26 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130307/OPINION/130309672/1010/OPINION I am going to share some of my thoughts on a controversial topic: gun control. I am not writing this column to try to convince readers to change their opinions, or to add clarity to this difficult issue. I am writing this column because the Constitution of the United States, in [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229896/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:13:47 Dave Smiglewski Publisher http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229896/1010/OPINION The success of the hardworking and very talented YME Silhouettes is becoming legendary.
For 17 straight years, beginning back in the tough winter of 1997, they’ve been fixtures at the state Dance Team tournament. This tradition has gone on so long that the oldest girls on this year’s team were just a year old when the Silhouettes made their first state tournament appearance. The majority of the team wasn’t even born when this run first [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229897/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:11:59 Andrew Falk DFL-Murdock http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229897/1010/OPINION Federal Tax Conformity adds clarity and [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229898/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:09:28 http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229898/1010/OPINION Prairie and native grasslands are disappearing rapidly, taking soil and habitat as well as hunting, ranching and other economic opportunities with them. Congress should ensure that federal farm and crop insurance subsidies don’t exacerbate the loss of these vital natural resources.
Fortunately, Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD), Tim Walz (D-MN) and six bipartisan co-sponsors, including House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Representative Collin Peterson (D- [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229899/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:58:18 Kathy Velde http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130220/OPINION/130229899/1010/OPINION When I was growing up, Lent was a time to give up something. I know I have written about this before, but making a sacrifice during Lent is worth writing about again.
When I was a kid, the nuns at [...]]]> http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130214/OPINION/130219756/1010/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:39:25 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar http://www.granitefallsnews.com/article/20130214/OPINION/130219756/1010/OPINION A part of that promise is keeping prescription drug prices affordable for our seniors. When Medicare Part D was created in 2003, its goal was to supply cheaper prescription drugs to senior citizens. Ten years later, it is time to make improvements to this program to ensure we are meeting that goal.
The [...]]]>