Opinion

LETTER: You can support centers that offer alternatives to abortion

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In our state of Minnesota, our 2023 DFL Legislators and Governor Walz repealed a $3.35 million Positive Alternatives Grant which had been given to pregnancy care centers that provide essential care for thousands of Minnesota families. The care, which these centers continue to provide, includes pregnancy and parenting education, car seat distribution, material support including formula, diapers and baby clothes […]

LETTER: Would it happen again?

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With this week being Holy Week, it dawned on me during the reading of the Passion of our Lord, would this happen again in the world we live in today? Everywhere you look, media platforms control the way we view people and events in the world, just like in Jesus’ time. The kings and high priests did not like Jesus […]

Spider screams and other exercises in silliness


It all started with a quote on social media: “Imagine if spiders screamed when you found them.” First off, wouldn’t that make finding a spider doubly scary? At least horror movie-jump scary. I, for one, am glad spiders are incapable of screaming – at least at a vibrational level that is heard by mere human ears.  But, beyond that, this […]

’Tis the season … to care for one another

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First, a warning I’ve been receiving a new wave of email phishing scams. Two waves, actually. At least half a dozen a day. I send them to “junk mail” and then promptly delete them. One is an email from someone I don’t know, sharing photos with me through a Google Photos account. NEVER open a link or attachment from someone […]

Northern cold versus southern cold

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I’m a recent transplant – from a northern state to a southern one. I now spend winters in Florida but, for most of my life, I endured the (harsh, frigid, bitter, unending, Arctic, hyperborean) winters of Minnesota, a.k.a. Minnesnowta (cold nose, warm heart). I like to think it made me stronger. Hell, I know it did. You can’t survive and […]

Compromise is not a bad word

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“Compromise” is not a bad word. Neither is “cooperation.” Or “compassion.” One of the most important lessons we learn in Kindergarten is how to get along. Cooperation is perhaps second only to lining up single-file. Okay, maybe third in importance after learning the “be quiet” signal. Some of us took to these essential lessons easily, while it was a struggle […]

Sick days (and nights)

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I was sick last week. It felt like a long and miserable 12 days – and that was just Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I’m not good at being sick. Thankfully, I don’t get much practice. I’m one of those robust and healthy types. I like to joke that I’m too crabby to get sick; germs know it’s best to steer […]

Another week on ‘hold’

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It’s been a long time since I got sick, truly sick. So this past week and a half was overdue, perhaps. No, I wasn’t “sloppy’ sick, and did not go through a tree a day in Kleenex. But some nasty cold virus went straight to my chest and I’m still coughing like crazy. I am able to learn, in my […]

Being invited

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For much of my life, I’ve been the inviter. I enjoyed planning and inviting people to those plans. But in the last few years I haven’t invited much of anyone anywhere. I didn’t have the heart for it. I lacked momentum and (to be honest) felt broken so I took on a rather new role. I found myself waiting to […]

MNA convention: time for awards, reinvigoration

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Everyone loves to be acknowledged for their hard work, and newspaper folk are no different. We may even need it a bit more than others. What we do can be very isolating. Most of our work is done hunched over a computer in an office (or home office), in isolation. We do receive accolades from our readers, and we appreciate […]


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