Opinion

If you’ve followed media coverage of Congress over the past few years, it’s been hard to escape two impressions: Not much gets done there, and members spend a lot of their time tearing into one another. We can argue about the first — certainly, recent Congresses have been less productive than their predecessors — but now there’s hard evidence that the second impression is just plain wrong.The vast majority of members, it turns out, focus on substance and policy, not on personal attacks.

September is here. School is underway. I love shopping for school supplies. The array of notebooks, paper, pens, pencils and organizational gadgets makes me smile. I like having a stockpile of paper and pens waiting to be used.

We’ve just passed Labor Day and what is traditionally considered the heart of election season. It’s the moment, according to political lore, when most Americans start paying attention to electoral contests. This may or may not be true, but here’s one thing I think we can count on: This is when politicians seeking office are most eager to understand the mood and concerns of the electorate.

When visiting the Meeker County Museum, it’s hard to take in every single artifact. So let’s take a closer look at a few items.

Do you have things you will not eat? I always say I eat everything which is not true. It is almost true, because I eat most things. I am known as an adventurous cook and eater. I like to say I will try eating anything once, but that is not true either. Instead, I have things I do not eat simply because I cannot make myself eat them.

The Litchfield Library is getting a fresh new exterior this fall. You may have noticed that the stucco and trim need some work, and that sometimes the rain has been coming in near the newspaper reading area.

We’re less than 100 days away from a presidential election that many Americans consider the most consequential of their lifetimes. So, it’s hardly surprising that most of the attention in the run-up to November is focused there. But I’m here today to make a plea: Pay attention to congressional and legislative contests, too.

I was reading a Jane Austen novel when I came across a passage in which one of the characters talks about holds on happiness. She is telling a friend about another friend who has discovered a passionate interest in daffodils. That is so wonderful, she says, now she has another hold on happiness.

Retiring state Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, recently received two awards for his efforts to support infrastructure needs throughout the state.