Year: 2025

An older woman stands in front of a mini-bus holding a bin of snacks and juices.

Area Public Health Officials Remain Vigilant at All Times

Since long before Covid 19, health officials have worked hard to stay ahead of ‘the next’ potential regional health threat; David Phillips reports on one example of a dedicated health team.

collage of event pictures

In the News: Opportunities to Create!

Several recently announced spring and summer activities will spur participants’ creativity in music, performing arts — and gardening!

Giants of the Earth Center street level photo

Commemorating Norwegian Crossings with Music and More

Giants of the Earth Heritage Center has lots to celebrate! Steve Harris guides our way.

Groups of people of all ages sit around tables in a library with sun streaming in the windows.. They are leaning over tables sorting garden seeds.

Cultivating Community: How the Chatfield Public Library is Sowing Seeds

Move over books and periodicals: Laurie Byrne explains how seeds are making their way into area libraries.

Maple syrup pours out of a metal valve with a blue handle into a large stainless steel urn with handles.

‘Sweet Business’ in the Hardwood Forest

Into the woods in search of Carlin’s Sugar Shack — and a sweet surprise! Alison Leathers teases us with syrup and more.

photo of lady slipper flowers

Poetry | “Love…” In Springtime

Original poems — and a doodle — by southeastern Minnesota artist and poet, Diane Knight.

A woman with blonde-brown hair reads a picture book to a child with red hair pulled back in a partial pony tail.

The READ Act: New Teaching Methods for Reading in Minnesota

Alison Leathers checks in on local schools as they implement a new comprehensive reading program through Minnesota’s READ Act.

A young child wearing a blue sweatshirt stand next to the trunk of a large maple tree. On the side of the tree is a silver metal bar holding a blue clear plastic bag that is half filled with clear maple sap. The sunshine peeks behind the tree and across the brown woods in early spring.

Essay | Maple Syrup–A Homesteading Tradition

An impulse-buy at a local farm store leads to a sweet new family tradition.

river restoration project

Root River Restoration Project: Major Milestone Achieved

An amazing feat is making progress. Colleen Froehrenbacher has a video update on moving a stretch of the Root River’s main channel back to an earlier bed near the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center.

A woman with short gray hair holds a small rectangular, unframed landscape painting in front of her.

Profile | Joan Finnegan’s Dream Was Always to Be a Painter

Steve Harris interviews nationally known local artist, Joan Finnegan.

upper mississippi river backwaters photo

SE Minnesota’s Mississippi River Fisheries to Benefit from Proposed Legislation

Upper Mississippi fisheries and environmental quality could benefit from the proposed Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission Act of 2025, reports the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk.

A black and white photo of women wearing long skirts marching in a parade under various Scandinavian flags.

Women Who Shaped Southeastern Minnesota History

On the occasion of Women’s History Month, Jane Skinner Peck reminds us of the rich history of the women’s civil rights movement in southern Minnesota.

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