The ancient pine box had probably sat in the upstairs closet of my parents’ farmhouse since the Late Mesozoic Era. At least that’s how it appears. The box’s wood has oxidized into a deep nut-brown and bears more than a century’s worth of scars. It reminds me of a grizzled old cowboy ...
NEW ULM – In 1992, musical fans missed out on a great scoop with “Newsies,” but modern audiences are carrying the story and running with it. The New Ulm Film Society (NUFS) will screen “Newsies” as part of its musical film series, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the New Ulm Public Library. “Newsies” is the rare film musical not based on a previously existing stage musical; however, it is loosely based on a real-life event. The plot of the film is lifted from the New York City news boy strike of 1899. At that time, major publications depended on an army of young kids to ...
One of the best things you can do for overall good health is to quit smoking or never start in the first place. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and the Great American Smokeout is on the third Thursday of November each year – Nov. 19 in 2026. The good news is that cigarette smoking rates have been declining for decades. Yet lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., accounting for about one in five of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers ...
Of all the months of the year, November most closely resembles a hangover. This is not just because it follows the twin bacchanals of Oktoberfest and Halloween. It’s also due to the fact that here in the Northland average high temperatures are plummeting and days are growing shorter at a pace that’s often associated with the Kentucky Derby. The trees have shed their Technicolor autumn wardrobe, and migratory waterfowl are booking airline flights for the Gulf coast. Another sure sign of the impending winter is that our cat, Sparkles, has transitioned from a rugged semi-feral ...
We can’t deny it anymore. It’s getting darker. It’s darker earlier and longer. This weekend, with the time change, the darkening goes into hyper drive. It is Global Darkening. (I know. It’s half the globe. Work with me here.) There are Global Darkening deniers. They say it is scheme of left-wing woke socialists who want us to turn our lights on. I say the evidence is irrefutable. Look out the window, you darkening deniers. I guess this has happened before. That is little consolation. This plague of dimness seems oppressive even if it did happen a year ago and the year ...
We’re afflicted with oodles of scariness and creepiness at this time of year. And I’m not just talking about Halloween; Election Day is also looming in the gloom. It’s bizarre that these bizarre things occur at roughly the same time. But I’m OK with that. Let’s get all the frightening stuff out of the way and be done with it. Kids dressed up as superheroes such as Batman or Spider-Man or Taylor Swift are honest when they ring your doorbell and chant “Trick or treat!” Adults who are running for elected office are basically saying the same thing except that they often ...
