The wide diversity of birds on earth should be a reminder to us all that the natural world is a place where life takes all shapes, colors and forms.
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
Today’s paper includes an insert about the city’s proposed use of franchise fees to fund street maintenance and replacement. As your city, we are responsible for clean water, sanitary sewer and safe streets. The initial cost for this infrastructure was born largely by development. Developers…
Here’s something to think about: You could spend two, or even three, decades in retirement. To meet your income needs for all those years, you’ll generally need a sizable amount of retirement assets. How will Social Security fit into the picture?
The complexity of nature is sometimes hard to understand and even harder to justify or feel good about, especially when seen through the human lens. I was reminded of this the other day while filming a family of American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) that is nesting on my property.
Promise yourself to think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
The summer of 1990 found my wife and I staying in Rockland, Maine at a hotel overlooking Penobscot Bay. We’d been at a conference in Boston and decided to take a few extra days to explore the Maine coast and Acadia and Mount Desert Island National Parks.
During COVID-19, sentences like “Everything is OK!” “Look on the bright side!” and the infamous “Everything happens for a reason,” have been more prominent. Especially since we have been unable to see people in person, these messages have swarmed social media and have increased how much we h…
We hear a lot these days about racial injustice, white supremacy and systemic racism. There are many misconceptions and sometimes intentional misinterpretations that perhaps I can help clear up.
Greetings Prior Lake! For the past five years I’ve been reporting from the Land of Enchantment — New Mexico — but I’m originally from El Paso, Texas — a culturally rich border city that stands on the Rio Grande across from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
Words have meaning, but they’re imprecise. It’s why there are poets. Google the phrase, “small town feel” and you’ll find over one billion entries. Prior Lake is said to have a “small town feel.” But does a collection of buildings and humans in a political subdivision have feeling — except m…
Spring is a wonderful time of year. Especially right after the thick ice of winter melts off the ponds and small lakes.
If you have children or grandchildren, you may already be somewhat familiar with the 529 plan, a popular education savings vehicle. But you may not have kept up with some recent changes in the plan’s capabilities and in the educational environment in which the plan might be used.
Each spring in nature there is a lot of tragedy and triumph. Heartbreak and happiness. Success and failure.
Call it “The Big Lie,” or “Alternate Facts.” Tell a nation and a people who gave the world Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Martin Luther and Goethe that “You didn’t lose the War. You were stabbed in the back.” Make them yearn for a “savior” to avenge all the “wrongs.” Then sit by and watch …
At Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, feedback from staff, parents, students and our community is a critical part of our continuous improvement efforts. Our annual stakeholder survey responses help to identify strengths and set goals for areas in need of improvement at both the district and ind…
I am always interested in the unsung hero or the rulebreakers of nature. The kind of critter that is common, yet no one seems to pay any attention to them. Or the bird who is so common throughout the U.S., yet no one seems to notice them.
They were special places for special occasions: Harry’s Café, Charlies, the Criterion, Blue Horse, Gannon’s, Birch’s Café and more. It was the late 1940s and early 1950s, and I remember all of them because, at one time or another, I was there.
The rites of spring are particularly interesting, especially in the bird world.
I am incensed with what is happening at our southern border. If we have to be locked down, wear masks, social distance and keep business closed, why are we allowing illegal immigrants to be introduced to our general public with no COVID testing?
At Prior Lake-Savage Area schools we transitioned our secondary students back to in-person learning on April 15 so now all students, E-12, have the opportunity to be back learning in our schools. We also continue to provide distance learning for families who choose that model.
2020 was arduous in many ways for everyone. People were in lockdown with limited interactions and getting daily necessities was laborious. For those children and families who were already facing financial and food insecurities, this scenario was even more difficult.
The COVID-19 pandemic may end up changing our lives in some significant ways. To cite one example, it’s likely we’ll see a lot more people continue to work remotely, now that they’ve seen the effectiveness of tools such as video conferencing. Education, too, may be forever changed in some wa…
At one time developers paid local fees, built their subdivisions, pocketed their profits and walked away — but that wasn’t enough. They got greedy and wanted more. One of them sued the city of Woodbury over its road fees, and, in 2018, the Minnesota State Supreme Court ruled that local commu…
Spring is filled with so many cool and interesting natural things. The earth is awaking after a long and frozen sleep.
This year we seemed to zip right past Groundhog Day without even noticing. Perhaps this is because during COVID time, every day seems the same, just like the movie "Groundhog Day." Nothing new or different. Just one day like the other. But for the groundhog, also known as the woodchuck, spri…
This past week marked an important milestone. One year ago we were just beginning to understand the severity of what was in front of us as the governor announced the closing of public schools due to the COVID-19 virus.
In 1950, at a time when long distance telephone calls were reserved for special news and family emergencies, the U.S. mail was the most reliable way for most people and families to communicate over long distances — and that communication, everything from the handwriting to its grammar and se…
As winter loosens its grip on the northern states and it finally feels like spring, my mind turns to all the changes in nature. In particular, the animals in the northern climates that change the color of their coats (pelage) or the birds that change their feathers (plumage) from brown to wh…
In just a couple weeks, we will experience the vernal equinox — one of the two times in the year when the sun is exactly above the equator. Apart from this astronomical anomaly, though, the equinox is mostly known as the beginning of spring — a fresh beginning and the time to spruce things up.
A framed timetable from St. Paul Union Depot hangs on my office wall. I discovered it at an antique show many years ago; saved it, and look on it every day as a reminder of the passage of time and how it changes our lives.
The bison turned quickly, ready to charge. The two feet of snow didn’t slow its powerful hooves, but rather kicked up a rooster-tail of shiny ice crystals into the cold winter air, highlighting the bison’s efforts.
The bison turned quickly, ready to charge. The two feet of snow didn’t slow its powerful hooves, but rather kicked up a rooster-tail of shiny ice crystals into the cold winter air, highlighting the bison’s efforts.
For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic may be putting a hold on dinner at the charming local bistro, but the spirit of Valentine’s Day cannot be extinguished. This year, perhaps more so than in the past, you may want to make your Valentine’s Day gifts even more meaningful. So, for example, wh…
The events of Jan. 6 were a bad omen and a disappointing start to 2021, but I’m staying optimistic. COVID-19 numbers are trending down. My wife, Marcia, and I had our first COVID-19 shots — and hallelujah for that. We may live through 2021 and greet 2022. Still, I needed a distraction and in…
I enjoy watching most sports, especially football. During college bowl game season and now as we head into Super Bowl Sunday, a variety of storylines dominate talk radio and sports news. Oftentimes what I find personally inspiring or motivating is not necessarily what’s grabbing the headlines.
There is no question about it! It is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and now I have proof.
Illegal dumping, which is when people throw waste such as couches, tires, or hazardous materials in ditches or other unauthorized locations, is an ongoing problem. It often happens when people rent dumpsters too.
It’s Monday, Jan. 18 and I’m writing this as I watch the morning news programs — especially some disgusting, new videos of Jan. 6. It’s a national holiday, Martin Luther King’s birthday. It’s also an unhappy irony as we recognize and celebrate the meaning of Dr. King’s work and reflect on th…
The debate about who won and who lost is over, but events over the past four years and highlighted by the past two months, make it clear that Americans are losing.
It’s a new year and at Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools we are already planning for the 2021-22 school year, and looking ahead with hope and optimism that all students will be able to return to in-person learning. As we plan, our goal is always to create learning experiences that are personali…
A light and gentle snow started falling the other day while I was out in the woods. Quickly the tiny flakes started to build a uniform blanket covering the ground. It was a beautiful scene.
If you’re close to retirement, you’ll have several financial issues to consider, but you’ll want to pay attention to one of the most important of these issues: health care costs.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but not his own facts” — a distinction that gets more difficult in direct proportion to the popularity and proliferation of social media.
The New Year is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the fresh beginnings of January, the clean slate that is before us, just ready for us to create in any way we choose. So, If I am going to be completely honest with myself, I’m ready for this year to be done. Most of the people I t…
Winter is a time of plenty for owls. The nights are very long, and the days are painfully short. I was reminded of this the other day while out photographing and filming a wild Barred Owl sleeping in a tree. I spent several hours just observing this magnificent raptor as it dozed in a large …
Many seniors will be alone this holiday season, some separated from family and friends because of COVID-19, some afraid for the future. An experience I had as a middle-aged adult helps me understand what being alone and afraid feels like.
The year 2020 has challenged us in ways we never could have imagined and I know most of us are more than ready to leave it behind and look forward to 2021 with hope and optimism.
George Schultz is a Republican and a distinguished fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute. He is among the grand old men of 20th century public service, having worked for three US presidents serving on the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget and as sec…
