opinion

Charitable athletic events — like walkathons, races and mud runs — may allow donors to both help a good cause and have the gratification of competing at an athletic event. But not all events are the same. Some events have high overhead, leaving little for charity. And at least...

Hot enough for you? Good. Despite various messages coming at us, the calendar supports the idea there is plenty of summer ahead. The back-to-school ads are in the paper and on TV, the Booya signs are out two months early and a weather forecaster made mention of “a touch of fall”...

To the editor, Kudos to the kindness of the people of Hastings! On July 27, I suffered a severe injury during a bicycle ride on Canon Street. No sooner was I down when a very caring man came from his house across the street to see if he could help me. Shortly after that a jogger came...

To the editor, Jason Lewis has to be shaking things up. His opposition is suggesting that he does not favor a strong military, which is simply not true. For years Minnesotans and citizens everywhere have heard him rally about the lack of readiness in all branches of the armed forces,...

To the editor, 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...

This year’s election has gained plenty of attention, and across the nation, people are speaking out for and against candidates. While much of the debate is focused on presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, there’s plenty to say about our local candidates as...

For the past few months, the Hastings Planning Commission has been discussing a piece of the city code called the Original Hastings Design Standards. It’s a unique set of standards, established to “preserve and enhance traditional neighborhood design by reflecting the general...

To the editor, Responding to Sharon Peterson’s letter (which I read while waiting to see a film at the Hastings Theater), I want to talk about Republican congressional candidate Jason Lewis because of his contradicting policies. Lewis has supported the isolationist policies of Senator...

To the editor, I am saddened by the Hastings City Council’s decision to opt out of the drop home option for residence. Since when is Hastings’ standard of leadership to follow Cottage Grove and Woodbury? Why would we ask them and not the citizens in our community who are struggling...

This year’s annual National Night Out celebration on Aug. 2 turned out to be a pretty good one. According to an update from the city, Hastings had 20 community parties on its official list, all of which got visits from local law enforcement, emergency responders and elected officials....

To the editor, The Hastings public boat launch is not really a user friendly boat launch! It has a very nice concert approach to the water, but that’s about it. I grew up in the Hastings area enjoying the river by boat and have been doing so for over 65 years. The boat launch does...

To the editor, Thank you Hastings! The Servant Road Board of Directors would like to thank everyone in the community who helped make our recent mission trip to Guatemala a huge success. Your assistance – from prayer support to financial donations – provided an incredible experience...

To the editor, The good: On Saturday, June 11, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, Hastings, hosted its popular church garage sale. This excellent sale showcases garden plants, furniture, kitchen items, electronics, books, toys, clothing and much, much more. An antique area is stocked...

To the editor, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders rail against what they see as a “rigged” political process. Unfortunately, we have an example right here in our district. Representative Denny McNamara filed to run the first day of the filing season. He sought and won the Republican...

The United States flag can be seen as a symbol of freedom, life, compassion and love of the American soldier and country. The hope and opportunity represented by our national symbol was not lost in the 19th Century. French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville who wrote that America “as...