opinion

While other states aren't making new investments to treat mental illness or are even cutting programs, "We've done a lot as a state investing in mental health," Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper told the Duluth News Tribune editorial board last week....

Drivers need to be careful during harvest season The other day we brought our farm machinery home from the field. It was a distance of nine miles. There are three fairly steep hills with double no passing lines on all of them. On the first trip home, we had the tractor and baler and...

Question: Could you explain the Zipper Merge for merging into construction zones in Minnesota? I have tried using the Zipper Merge many times and it seems that hardly anyone else on the road knows about how it is supposed to work. If another driver intentionally blocks a lane, isn't...

Veterans from recent conflicts have expanded the role of service dogs. While many Americans still identify "service dogs" as "guide dogs" for the visually impaired, "service" now extends into many other dimensions.

Are your small children in danger while riding in the car? They are if they aren't secured properly or put in a car seat that was installed incorrectly. The risk is real. Every 34 seconds, a child younger than the age of 13 is involved in a crash in the U.S., according to the National...

Question: What are the driver's license requirements and equipment laws for the new three-wheel type motorcycle vehicles? Answer: The law changed on this Aug. 1. An auto cycle is a motorcycle that: • has three wheels in contact with the ground; • is designed with seating that...

The Social Security Administration reports that in 2015, over 59 million Americans received almost $870 billion in Social Security benefits. Social Security is the major source of income for most of the elderly in the United States. According to SSA: • Nine out of 10 people age...

Changes are in the air — the arrival of autumn, shorter days, the football season and a new school year. That means motorists need to pay more attention to school buses and young children and teens who are returning to school. Every school year, there are reports in the police...

Many reasons to be proud of Wadena As long-time residents of Wadena (34 years), we always took pride in our community, our schools and the residents. In the past year that sense of pride has grown. Last August a Minneapolis Star contributor took a drive up Highway 10, stopping in...

Question: I drive truck for a living and was talking with some folks the other day and was wondering if there is any regulation to these bee boxes in proximity to the highway. I travel all over and see a lot of them. I've noticed when I pass by these areas I find quite a few bees...

One of the advantages of being older is senior discounts in restaurants. Here is a list of restaurants that offer discounts to seniors. Keep this list and send a copy to your senior friends and relatives. Note: you must ask for your discount. Restaurants Applebee's: 15 percent...

What question is among the first when you meet someone? It reliably is this: "So what do you do?" We are a nation that values work. We are people who classify ourselves by our work. We proudly tout a work ethic that, when motivated, is the envy of the world. We tend to attribute all...

Question: Can you talk about the history of the Minnesota State Patrol? Answer: I was educated about the history of the Minnesota State Patrol while I was a cadet at the training academy. Listed below are some of the important changes and a timeline on when they occurred. In 1929,...

Hinson will continue to fight for truth Now that I am not a congressional candidate I can write a letter to the editor. Yes, while I was a candidate for the US House of Representatives, dozens of papers in our district refused to write about the race or allow my own letters to the...

Rich treasure troves of public data exist about our cities, but for the ordinary person, these can be hard to dig up and decipher. That's why citizens, nonprofits, and start-ups have been trying to convert some of these complex datasets into comprehensible and usable forms. Even the...