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Does your well water have nitrate?

If your family drinks from a private well, there’s one stop you can’t afford to miss at this year’s Farmfest: the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s free nitrate water testing booth. Bring a sample of your well water to booth #517S, and we’ll test it for nitrate — on the spot, in under five minutes. No paperwork. No cost. No catch. The MDA and its partners offer water testing clinics across the state to increase public awareness of nitrate contamination in rural drinking water. Results from the testing are for the private well owner’s use. Well owners may remain ...

Boundaries under one roof

Dear Annie: My husband and I live in a three-bedroom house with our two grown children. Recently, our youngest daughter had a baby and moved back home -- bringing her boyfriend with her. We told her beforehand that he couldn’t stay here, but they moved him in anyway. Now, the two of them -- and their baby -- are living out of her bedroom. They both work but don’t earn enough to afford their own place. He wants to stay close to the baby, which we understand, but the situation is far from ideal. He’s a picky eater who prefers restaurants over our home-cooked meals. Five adults are ...

Protecting Minnesota’s safety net means cracking down on fraud

Fraud in state programs isn’t a victimless crime. It affects every Minnesotan who pays taxes and everyone who depends on these programs. When money meant for seniors, people with disabilities, and families in need is stolen, the people hurt most are the ones these programs were designed to help. Minnesota s Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said our state could be facing up to one billion dollars in fraud. That kind of money could cover school district deficits a couple times over. It s more than the $750 million bonding bill we passed this year to repair roads and bridges. ...

Boundaries and burnout

Dear Annie: I am almost 40 and trying to rebuild a healthier relationship with my dad. When I was a child, he was my hero, the person I looked up to and went to for advice. When I was about 10, he told me that I would probably have trouble getting along with him during my teenage years, but that things would get better when I became an adult. I really tried to stay close to him as a teenager, but nothing I did ever felt good enough. He was strict and often dismissive, which left me struggling with anxiety and depression, even though he also taught me many good things. Now, as an ...

The joy of summertime gardening

It’s summertime and the living is easy. The weather is tropical, and the sweat is flowing like lemonade into a glassful of frosty ice cubes. The corn is actively pollinating as of this writing, untold millions of plants making whoopie right out in the open where anyone can see them. This is the short-lived time of year when my entire world smells like fresh sweet corn. Not a bad thing if you ask me. Much has been made lately about the heat and humidity and how these things are amplified by so-called “corn sweat.” This is not to be confused with David Corenswet, the guy who ...

Not the ring I hoped for

Dear Annie: I’ve been with my loving partner, “Daniel,” for six years. We’re both in our 40s and have children from previous relationships. Our life together is generally very harmonious. We share responsibilities, enjoy spending time together and support one another deeply. We align on most values and have built a life that, in many ways, feels incredibly solid. But there’s one issue I can’t seem to shake. For the past couple of years, I’ve been yearning for the commitment and security of marriage. Daniel, however, has always been hesitant. He never married his ...