editorials

No journalist in their right mind would want to touch the hot-button issue of Muslims in our Minnesota communities, right? Surely, regardless of what is written, there will be strongly worded messages of "concern" waiting for us Monday morning. But forget that. Let us give a proverbial...

A recent study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine shows that drug companies are bribing doctors with food to prescribe their expensive, brand-name medicines. At least that's the way it's been reported in the media. Dig deeper into the study, however, and it becomes clear that doctors...

Give Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith credit for their 87-counties-in-86 days tour around Minnesota. No leader can know or accurately gauge the needs of residents, border-to-border, without ever leaving the comforts of the capital. Even a whirlwind swing — especially...

Cheers to Minnesota's new emphasis on encouraging all high school students to take the ACT college entrance exams. New data shows that virtually all of Minnesota's high school graduating class of 2016 took the ACT college entrance exam as an 11th or 12th grader. In total, 64,145 students...

The time to write my last Wave Column has arrived, and I couldn't be more proud to pass it onto the next Wave Columnist, Anna Schumacher. She will not disappoint you. It has been almost four years, but first, here is my last Wave Column. I will write more about Denmark itself in my...

The democratic process is about bridging differences. Properly done, journalism can help consensus emerge, improve the knowledge and judgment of voters, and sharpen the performance of public officials and government as a whole. Politicians spend a good bit of their time complaining...

As we see increasing local and national coverage of the protests on the Standing Rock reservation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (which does not, in fact, touch reservation lands) the mantra that is often repeated by organizers is that the protests are peaceful. Except, they're not...

Perhaps we’ve missed this, but when did it become an option to show up to school? In speaking to a few young adults who have graduated from high school within the last five years, it is apparent that somewhere along the line, it has become acceptable to simply not show up to high...

Are you looking for an opportunity to hear candidates for office respond directly to voters’ questions on issues that matter in your community? For nearly a century, the place to do just that has been the League of Women Voters Minnesota Candidate Forums. LWV does not support or...

There is just no way to throw a party for 30,000 people without that party generating some complaints. We get it – WE Fest at its worst can be - for a lack of a more sophisticated word – nasty. Thousands of people are there, many of whom are drinking. This causes behaviors and...

Today’s members of Congress are good at attacking political opponents, and not so adept at governing. But Capitol Hill has worked before, and it can do so again. Voters can make that happen by electing candidates who are willing and able to work with colleagues who don’t necessarily...

As flower gardens strut their stuff this summer with yards and parks awash in a rainbow of color, gardeners should take the opportunity to steal planting ideas. Beyond being jealous of the neighbor’s hydrangeas, it’s worthwhile to give thought to putting in more plants and flowers...

A new study shows one way to help smokers quit their deadly habit: Make it more inconvenient. How do you do that? Don’t allow smoking in rental housing units. Not only will smokers be less inclined to light up if they have to leave the building to do it, it will result in a healthier...

On July 22, President Barack Obama signed into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, legislation that is the first of its kind to offer a multifaceted federal response to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic ravaging communities across the United States. With nearly...

Cheers to Minnesota for improving its credit rating, which means taxpayers will pay less interest when the state borrows money. Top financial analyst Fitch Ratings just upgraded Minnesota’s credit rating to AAA, the highest rating awarded by the analyst. Fitch Ratings had previously...