John Draper

This Saturday is Valentine’s Day, a day to show our love for others. This day was first recognized in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I as a day to honor Saint Val

Washington nonsense on April 02, 2026 Once again, our elected bodies in Washington D.C. appear to be putting party and political self-interest ahead of what's in the best interests of the majority of everyday Americans. The lack of Congressional movement to find a funding solution for the Department of Homeland Security, specifically the TSA employees, is nonsensical. This shouldn't be a tough issue. If the core jobs of DHS are to protect American citizens, to offer support in times of emergency, and to enforce laws on the books, why would Congress deny them what it takes to carry out these core responsibilities? In Washington, things are never as simple as this, but maybe they should be. At a time when the war operations in Iran could be sparking new threats domestically, it seems crazy to be messing with TSA whose job it is to help assure traveler safety. Perhaps I'm just a naive small town publisher, but what would be wrong with parsing a monstrous bill down to first tackle funding of simpler things while Congress negotiates a path forward on what have become tougher issues? It seems a similar impasse has been found in the debate of the SAVE Act. This is the one that calls for identification to be used when casting an election ballot. National polls had this as anywhere between a 71-84% approval rating amongst polled citizens. If the general concept has this much approval, why can't Congress get to some agreement that serves the people? The Republicans may have put too much into this bill, taking it further than needed, while the Democrats appear to be saying “no” regardless of what's in it. Again, an impasse that should be relatively easy to negotiate if we had elected officials willing to honestly negotiate and serve those of us who put them in office. So the blame game continues with each side digging in to show their base they are ‘working for them,' meanwhile basic things like the importance of securing our homeland and providing honest elections get caught in the crossfire and move nowhere. Nonsensical.

This past Monday, the Pipestone community welcomed the opening of Scooter’s. The early morning line stretched for blocks as customers waited for the first tas

Memorial Day is one of the holidays that should give us all time to pause and reflect on the sacrifices paid by so many heroic men and women who have served in

On April 21, 2023, Cody Enger lost his life to accidental fatal fentanyl poisoning. Enger’s life of just 26 years, was cut short due to the actions of Jake No

Community Development Director Justin Schroyer provided a blighted properties presentation to the Pipestone City Council during its July 6 meeting. All told, Schroyer highlighted 10 properties that are in various states of poor upkeep or disrepair. Most are uninhabited, while others are currently lived in. The presentation was made in the effort to attain Council guidance on measures that can […]

Safe Routes to School trail A pay request for the Safe Routes to School trail/sidewalk project was presented to the Council for approval. Mayor Dan Delaney raised the point that some areas of the sidewalk are “very rough, and it actually vibrates your bicycle.” Council member Danielle Thompson added that she had recently ridden the path and that areas north […]

During the public comments portion of the Pipestone City Council meeting of July 6, the condition of the JBS Sportsplex soccer fields was again brought to the attention of the council. Myron Koets opened by asking that the council hear from some local soccer supporters regarding the fields. Prior to these individuals speaking, City Administrator Stephanie LaBrune provided an update […]

When my father, Chuck, died unexpectedly over a month ago (wow, time flies), the outpouring of well-wishes and support was quite remarkable. It’s often in lif

It’s the third week of August and once again we sense the wind-down of summer. In looking simply at a calendar one would see that summer’s end isn’t until