Opinion

A young prince, deposed when an enemy overran his kingdom, fled to a neighboring realm where a friend ruled as king. He hoped his friend would grant him a new kingdom. Instead the king gave him 100 sheep.

Minnesota. It’s a great place to live, but an even better place to explore. We’ve got 10,000 lakes, 66 state parks, 87 counties, 853 cities, thousands of fantastic eateries, many known attractions and even more hidden gems and quirky places to visit. This new column will take its readers on a “Minne-venture” through the state on trips that can be done solo, in an hour, over a weekend, on a spontaneous whim or on a planned adventure with friends or family. Watch for this series to pop up at random times, cover random places and possibly only cover a portion of a city or area at a time. Hope you enjoy.

Greetings from the University of Minnesota Crookston, and welcome to the second half of this unusual school year. We have welcomed new students; international and domestic, who arrived on campus in early January and the Golden Eagle athletic events and activities continue to keep many of us entertained and busy.

Minnesota has been hit with so many “unprecedented challenges” over the past 24 months that it may be time to banish the phrase, along with other COVID-era cliches like “the new normal” and “you’re on mute.” But this legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers will face yet another unprecedented challenge: what to do with a massive $7.7 billion budget surplus.

Question: Sometimes while I am traveling I’ve noticed a set of reflective triangles out behind a semi? Can I use those on my personal passenger car if it were to break down? Any advice is appreciated.

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on farms separated by a creek fell into conflict. It began with a small misunderstanding and grew into a major difference and finally exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.