Minnesota Newspaper Assocation holds 159th convention

Rufus Friday speaking at the MNA convention on January 30 in Brooklyn Park.

The newspaper association of our state is 159 years old! The Minnesota Newspaper Association convention is being held at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest hotel in Brooklyn Park. The temperatures are hovering in the single digits above zero outside. It's cold outside but warm in the hotel with a great turnout of newspaper publishers, reporters, editors, photographers and other staff.

When I arrived just before 11 a.m., the morning sessions were underway. I went straight to the meeting room that held the following discussion, "I have to live in this town, too: handling the hard topics." One newspaper publisher spoke about an issue that hammered their news room, when a few people tried to hijack a school levy referendum vote. They tried to insert incorrect information into the public discourse via the newspaper, but that newspaper did not comply.

Also, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar provided a video update on what she's working on in Washington, D.C.

The keynote speaker today is Rufus Friday from the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. He's giving a great lecture to the media present in the banquet hall on rebuilding trust in media. He shared numerous statistical figures showing that the public finds far too much political bias in news reporting. No surprise here! It is out of control in many left-leaning newspapers in America. The public sees it. They're not dumb. A journalist can share opinions all he or she wants in opinion writing, but personal bias should not factor into news reporting.

It's worth noting that Rufus Friday's dad served in World War II. The website for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting is http://www.cfinr.org.

Brooten city council meeting agenda for January 26

The Brooten city council will meet in regular session on Monday, January 26 at 7 p.m. The meeting agenda summary is posted below.

7:00   Brian Bollig, Bollig Engineering - MN Public Facilities Authority Funding Water/Wastewater

  7:15   Gloria Trustheim – Grant Options for City Hall

  7:30   Thor Amundson, Brooten Fire Department secretary - 2025 fire department report

  7:45   Ambulance Meeting Update

  8:00   Request to Hunt Waterfowl at Airport 2026

  8:15   Approval of Belgrade Brooten Police Services Invoice 1st Quarter 2026 - $45,661.50

  8:30   Quotes for Garage Upgrade

  8:45   Runestone Telecom Letters to Residents – Informational

  9:00   Review ROW Ordinance for Final Approval on February 9th Meeting

  9:15   Other

Belgrade city council agenda for January 20

The Belgrade city council meets in regular session on Tuesday, January 20 at 6 p.m. The meeting agenda summary is posted below.

1. Consent agenda: Lawful charitable gambling permit for the Belgrade Commercial Club to host Designer Purse Bingo at the VFW on May 8, 2026.
2. Belgrade Fire Department: Fire Relief Association report by secretary Tony Nemmers; and fire station probable budget costs for design/construction from Breitbach Construction, Inc.
3. Belgrade Public Works: Water Main discussion, Team Lab 2026 Rip-Rap program.
4. Belgrade Economic Development Authority.
5. Belgrade Planning/Zoning Committee: the Belgrade Co-operative Association has two land use permits for consideration.
6. Discussion items: 2026 fee schedule, 2025 end-of-year assigned funds, 2026 loss control workshops and elected officials training.
7. Upcoming meetings: Monday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Belgrade Fire Hall with area townships served by BFD; Monday, February 9 at 6 p.m. for a public hearing with the Planning Commission; and regular meeting on Tuesday, February 17 at 6 p.m.

Brooten city council agenda for January 12

The Brooten city council meets in regular session on Monday, January 12 at 7 p.m. The meeting agenda summary is posted below.

 7:00   Nancy Miller - Vinna Human Resources

  7:15   Mark Torkelson – Fire Department Updates, Illegal Burn Charge

  7:30   Accept Resignation of Airport Manager, David Bohmer

  7:45   2026 Appointments
                        Council Appointments            Brooten Economic Development Committee
                        Planning Commission             Housing and Redevelopment Authority

  8:00   Resolution 2026-1 - Pre-Authorized Payments by Auditors Warrants

  8:15   Resolution 2026-2 - Resolution to Contract with a Councilmember

  8:30   Resolution 2026-3 - Elected and Non-Elected Employee Out of State Travel Policy

  8:45   Resolution 2026-4 –Resolution Allowing Electronic Funds Transfers and Wires

  9:00   Resolution 2026-5 - Accepting Donations

  9:15   Resolution 2026-6 - Resolution Approving Airport Grant Agreement #1061991 - Parking Lot &
                                                                                     Fence Design/Bid
         Resolution 2026-7 – Resolution Approving Airport Grant Agreement #1061992
                                                                             2” Mill/Overlay Apron and Runway Design/Bid
         Resolution 2026-8 – Resolution Approving Airport Grant Agreement #1061993
                                                                             ALP Sheet Updates and CZAP

  9:30   Well Pay Requests Boyce and Jeanne

  9:45   Approval for Boyce to Attend Water/Wastewater Conference – March 4-6   $350.00

10:00    Offer to Purchase City Parcel on Roe Street Behind City Park – Dekok

10:15    Consideration - Purchase of Elevator Property

10:30    Quote for Team Lab Rip-Rap Weed Spray - $1,980.00   (2025 - $1,950.00)

10:45    Boyce Fischer – Maintenance Update

11:00    Approval of December Minutes, approval of bills, approval of Brooten Auto bill.        

11:15    Approval of Interim Bills - 

11:45    Other

Garage Logic podcast on Walz's career concluding (VIDEO)

This is good stuff. Here's a January 5 Garage Logic podcast focusing on Governor Tim Walz's announcement that he is stopping his bid to run for a third term in Minnesota.

Video:


Political pundits have labeled this one of the greatest crash outs and biggest falls from glory in politics in a generation. Walz went from vice-presidential candidate to a soon-to-be has been.

Good riddance.

Out-of-area subscription payment link

With PayPal, I created a convenient payment link for out-of-area subscriptions. The link is: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/JULR2NCJ75HX4. Out-of-area subscriptions currently cost $37 a year. This includes all subscribers who do not live in these counties of central Minnesota: Pope, Swift, Kandiyohi and Stearns. If you're a new subscriber, you'll have to email me your address to get yourself added: lifeinbonanzavalley@gmail.com.

Fraud is a daily topic in Minnesota (VIDEO)

It's taken years, but the rampant fraud in Minnesota is finally a nation-wide topic of discussion. The worst part of this is how whistleblowers were retaliated against by members of the Governor Tim Walz administration.

Here's a 3-minute video outlining the Feeding Our Futures scandal in Minnesota:


National scrutiny is being applied to Minnesota leaders, especially Governor Tim Walz. That scrutiny is well deserved!