opinion

Perham Rotary has been giving back to Perham and the surrounding area, as well as to humanitarian projects around the world, for more than 50 years. In 2012, a change was made to the club with the creation of the Perham Rotary Foundation. This non-profit, 501(c)(3) entity is separate...

This school year I am hosting two foreign exchange students who are both Muslim. They are seniors at Perham High School. They are here to learn about America and to inform Americans about their countries, culture and religion and promote better relationships between us. Their experience...

The siren heard around the state last week -- blaring from nearly every cell phone from Worthington to Warroad -- was a siren that led to a joyous, sigh-of-relief, safe return of an abducted 8-month-old baby boy. It signaled a moment of true historic significance. It was the first...

Between 1973 and 2012, the United States experienced 65 cases of rabies, while the National Institutes of Health offered 89 major research grants to tackle the subject. There were 266 polio cases during that time as well, and the NIH made 129 major polio research awards. Between...

To the residents of New York Mills, Perham, and the surrounding areas: We would like to say 'thank you' for the huge amount of support we've received since our daughter Eva was diagnosed with a pontine glioma (brain stem tumor.) The attendance at the benefits was more than we could've...

The shallowness of Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen's analysis of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is disturbing. (See last week's letter to the Perham Focus. Ingebrigtsen is wrong to impugn the integrity--by questioning the sincerity of their oaths of office - of those...

Commencing with the 2020 Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week proposed dropping wrestling as an Olympic sport. The world-wide wrestling community is certainly not going to take this proposal lying down. Indeed, the members of the IOC should be careful of finding...

Don't be too quick to write off newspapers, even as the industry struggles to adapt to the financial struggles of the digital age. Here are a few reasons from the National Newspaper Association why newspapers will be relevant far into the future: A key area of strength for newspapers...

Some people take their job very seriously, and on Sunday I witnessed this in person. With the snow falling and accumulating at a good pace, there was the Contact shopper delivery guy out on the unplowed roads, making sure his route was being done even in the terrible conditions. I...

I am writing today, for those that haven't heard, about some very extreme bills that have been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature. HF 241,242, and 243 are horrible bills that would turn good and decent Minnesota gun owners into felons if they refuse to turn in their property...

As a former sheriff and current state senator, I was sworn to uphold the Constitution of the State of Minnesota and the United States. I take this oath seriously. Unfortunately, it is apparent that some do not. I have noticed Freedom of Speech, under the 1st Amendment, continually...