Opinion
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1820
Henry Boucha of Hockeytown USA - best player, lifelong champion
My first sportswriting job was at the Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, starting in December 1965 as a 20-year-old and for the kingly sum of $76.08 per week. The frightening part was being in a city enamored of hockey to the point it was building a new arena to house the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs - and my experience with the...
GOP impeachment probe marks a new low
The decision by the House Republican leadership to open an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden - without any evidence of wrongdoing - marks a low point in the mis-deployment of the Constitution's mechanism for removing a sitting president. Bad as it is, however, the inquiry itself won't put the nail in the coffin of the...
Letter to the Editor: Northwest MN's Clean Energy Efforts Thriving
Dear Editor, As someone who works across Minnesota helping communities harness the benefits of clean energy, I am impressed by Northwest Minnesota community clean energy efforts. Take the City of Warren, for example. Recently, the city created the “Design for Community Regeneration” (D4CR) as a way to plan their resilient future. The project lays out a plan for food,...
Response to MCCL Opinion Piece
Living infants in Minnesota have the same protections in 2023 they have always had. Claims by anti-choice forces that they do not are false. Every infant born alive is considered a person, with all the rights of a person, under Minnesota law. Delivering an infant and leaving it to die without appropriate care would be a crime as well as violating medical ethics and inviting a m...
Laws aside, 'no' is still the right answer on drugs
It surprises many people to learn that cannabis use originated in Arab cultures. As an Arab myself, I was surprised to learn this fact in a class at the University of Miami with a professor who argued that use of the drug first appeared in the Arab world. It is called hashish, a drug people use to calm down. Consumption of...
The economics of cannabis
If you’re expecting a robust discussion of economic data that addresses whether tribes’ next silver bullet is cannabis, so was I. That means that we’re all going to be disappointed, but not for lack of trying. The data is not there, but opinion abounds. So, off we go! It’s no secret that tribes are looking for their next economic silver bullet. It’s also no secret...
Culture of chaos taking over Minn. schools
In fulfilling their promise to "do something" to ensure safe and supportive schools across our state, Minnesota legislators in this year's session passed a discipline policy banning suspensions for our youngest students. In this culture of leniency progressing across the state, the success of the new policy will depend on whether existing laws — empowering teachers to govern...
New cannabis law needs work
Recreational cannabis becomes legal in this state starting Tuesday, and while many have hailed this legislation for restoring adult choice, expunging past crimes and other reasons, some significant issues remain to be worked out. Chief among them is the question of exactly where individuals will be allowed to light up....
Cops in schools can be part of the solution
With the reopening of Minnesota schools just weeks away, some district leaders continue to work on plans to keep students and staff safe. And once again, those efforts have sparked discussions on whether police officers should be stationed at schools. Supporters say cops in schools, often called school resource officers (SROs),...
Take note, seniors: RSV vaccines are coming
In what health experts have described as a needed step forward in medicine, adults over 60 will be able to be vaccinated this fall against RSV, a virus that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates to cause between 60,000–160,000 hospitalizations and 6,000–10,000 deaths among older Americans per year through...
The Supreme Court does right by tribes, kids and the law
Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom. ••• The U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act stands as an affirmation of this country's special obligations to protect the integrity of Native American...
Let the chocolate milk flow in schools
It's a challenge that parents, grandparents and child care providers are all too familiar with: In a world chock full of unhealthy but tasty processed foods, how do you get a notoriously picky group of diners - kids - to choose vegetables, fruit and other more nutritious alternatives? This common dilemma has even inspired...
It's Time for the Biden Administration to Walk the Talk on Domestic Mining of Critical Minerals
Saint Paul, MN – In response to the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to revoke the NewRange Copper Nickel section 404 water permit, Joel Smith, President and Business Manager of LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota released the following statement. “It’s time for the Biden Administration to walk the talk on domestic mining of critical minerals to combat...
To the Editor: Americans are losing faith in our Supreme Court
Americans are losing faith in our Supreme Court, and it’s easy to see why. The nine justices on the Supreme Court are the only federal judges not bound by a code of ethics. It’s up to the justices to self-police on ethical issues, and they want to keep it that way. That’s why nothing happened when Clarence Thomas didn’t recuse himself from January 6th cases that could...
World press freedom in danger
The Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists announced on Monday - including the Star Tribune in the Investigative Reporting category - recognized journalism's possibilities. Journalism's perils were made clear last week on World Press Freedom Day, with the release of the World Press Freedom Index, which evaluates the environment...
Letter to the Editor: We can't keep delaying Supreme Court ethics
To the Editor: The Supreme Court has a serious ethics problem, and the latest revelations about Clarence Thomas should be alarming to every American. For twenty years, Thomas has accepted high-end, luxury, all-expense-paid vacations around the world from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. What’s more, he also sold three properties to the billionaire and never reported it on...
Biden/Trump rematch: An extravaganza of unfitness
A lot can happen between now and next year's election, but President Joe Biden's decision to run and former President Donald Trump's barely diminished standing with Republicans make a repeat of their 2020 contest quite likely. Pause for a moment to consider this prospect - and the epic failure it represents. The Democrats' best...
In the end, there's no good reason to legalize marijuana
In his State of the State address, Gov. Tim Walz vowed to make Minnesota the best state in the country in which to raise a family. Now the governor and his allies are poised to diminish Minnesota's public health and quality of life by legalizing recreational pot. Extensive data from other states shows how legalization will unfol...
By 
Minnesota Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, has introduced a bill that would allow border counties to secede from the state
MOORHEAD - Now you know Minnesota Republicans are getting serious. Blanked in statewide elections for 17 years and currently in the minority in both houses of the Legislature, they've discovered what they believe to be the magical elixir. This is very serious stuff to illustrate the well of good ideas they have to attract more...
'You need a dream to fix broken wings.'
Olympic great Billy Mills (Lakota) believes dreams can come true. His dream certainly came true when he crossed the finish line of the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo to win a gold medal. Not expected to win, he shocked the world when he came from behind to take first place. Crossing the finish line and...
A LETTER FROM SHERIFF JASON RIGGS ON RECREATIONAL CANNABIS
As Sheriff of Beltrami County, I was elected to enforce our laws and keep the public safe. With the Minnesota Legislature considering the legalization of recreational cannabis, my job may be changing substantially in the near future. These bills have been moving through the legislature at a rapid pace, and I am concerned that state lawmakers may not address some key public...
Trump charges: The strongest/weakest case you've ever/never heard
For weeks, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has come under heavy fire for pursuing a case against Donald Trump. Potential charges were described as being developed under a novel legal theory. And criticism has come not only from Trump and his allies, as expected, but also from many who are usually no friends of the...
Empowering Tribal Colleges: The Urgent Need for Minnesota House Bill 750
Minnesota House Bill 750 is crucial to providing much-needed financial resources to tribal colleges in our state, opening doors for countless students who might otherwise be unable to pursue their academic dreams. As president of Leech Lake Tribal College, I am proud to support the mission of our institution and the intent of...
How a president's arrest can strengthen democracy
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested by a police officer for speeding in his horse-drawn coach in Washington. The officer stuck out his hand to signal a stop, and Grant obeyed and then accompanied the officer to the police station. Did that demean the presidency? No, I'd say it was a beautiful tribute to democracy....
Reproductive Freedom Defense Act Passes Minnesota House
St. Paul, MN — Today, the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act (RFDA) passed the Minnesota House, taking the bill one step closer to becoming law. The bill would protect patients in Minnesota, coming to Minnesota from a state that bans abortions, and doctors who practice in Minnesota or outside of Minnesota. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark case...
