When President Donald Trump called a Farmer's Roundtable at the White House last Tuesday, Valerie Earley of Wykoff, Minn., had a seat at the table.
Earley, a recent University of Minnesota graduate who grew up on a Fillmore County dairy farm, sat next to the president, wearing her royal blue Future Farmers of America jacket as he signed off on a new executive order that aims to reduce "regulatory burdens" on farmers and rural communities.
"Getting picked to go to the White House, it was like getting struck by lightning," said Earley, who serves as the National FFA Organization's central region vice president. "It was really refreshing to see how interested they were [in] the concerns farmers have."
Jennifer Brooks
Alexandria
City Council member fighting censure
Alexandria City Council Member Virgil Batesole is fighting his fellow council members over a proposed censure. The council voted 3-1 last month to draw up a resolution of censure against Batesole for neglecting his duties as an appointed board member of the Runestone Community Center, a city-owned ice arena and multipurpose facility. The censure carries no penalty, but would be a formal expression of the council's unhappiness with Batesole.
"Most of the time, Virgil, you do not understand what is going on with that group," Council Member Bobbie Osterberg said sharply.
The censure resolution is on hold amid plans for Mayor Sara Carlson, the city attorney and the city administrator to meet with Batesole and report back to the council.
It's not the first time Batesole has incurred the wrath of fellow council members. In 2011, then-Mayor Dan Ness ordered a police officer to remove Batesole from a council meeting after Batesole ignored the mayor's requests to stop speaking.
John Reinan
Worthington
Newspaper cutting print edition to twice weekly
The Daily Globe, which published its first edition 145 years ago, is cutting print publication from six days a week to twice weekly. The newspaper, owned by Fargo-based Forum Communications Co., announced last week that it would begin publishing its print edition on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, beginning June 3.
Currently, the Globe puts out a print edition Monday through Saturday, with a reported circulation of about 7,500. The paper said it would put greater emphasis on delivering news through its daily e-edition and its website, dglobe.com.
The newspaper cited industry trends of shrinking print advertising along with rising newsprint costs, as well as a struggling farm economy in its circulation area of southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.
"Rather than publish six thinner editions Monday through Saturday, our plan is to give our readers two healthy print editions filled with interesting stories and photos," the Globe's statement said.
John Reinan
