Opinion
Staples is a great place to live!
I especially want to thanke those wonderful neighbors who help moved snow this year. Frank, Steve, Chuck and those young guys who stopped by with scoop shovels to clear the heavy snow thrown in by the plow.
I hope other “elderly” have as great neighbors as I do....
Minnesota has a roster of official state icons. On this lengthy list is our state bird, the loon; we have a state fish, the walleye; a state flower, the showy ladyslipper; even a state grain, wild rice. We also have a state tree, the red pine. It’s often referred to as Norway pine, but based on my...
I’m optimistic about this year’s legislative session; the state Capitol is buzzing with new energy. Senate Republicans have proactively started to build positive relationships with Governor Walz and Speaker Hortman, with an agreement that we’d like to make early progress on issues that have broad...
Letters to the Editor
Positive trends on environment
I appreciated the article by Ray Gildow in the January 24, 2019 issue of the Staples World. I respect Ray’s concerns but would like to offer a different perspective on the environmental issues he raises. I see several things that are moving in...
The steady loss of local newspapers and journalists across the country contributes to the nation’s political polarization, according to research published recently in the Journal of Communication.
With fewer opportunities to find out about local politicians, citizens are more likely to turn to...
Small cities across Minnesota, including Staples, are dependent on the state annual contribution – Local Government Aid (LGA).
City councils use this funding to crunch annual budgets. An increase or decrease in LGA is a major factor on local property taxes.
Cities have been on the rebound since...
The Motley community has started working on new uses for the school building in town, since most of it will likely be empty next year when just the preschool will be used by the school district.
There have been a lot of good ideas that have covered many different options, but I decided to find some...
Winter Reminders from City Hall:
As you know, we are having a real “Minnesota Winter” again this year! Snow, rain, wind and cold temperatures have caused our streets, alleys and sidewalks to be very difficult to maintain.
I wanted to remind property owners that they are responsible to remove all...
