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Opinion

What’s the future of natural gas? 

Columns

We all expect the lights to turn on when we flip the switch. But today, many of us also expect to video call into a work meeting or check in with friends and family, cook dinner on electric stoves, and charge our cars, tools and devices. Electricity powers nearly every part of our lives, shaping how we live, learn, work, and travel. And demand for it is growing faster than ever. Across the Upper Midwest, forecasts show that electricity use could nearly double by 2050, as homes, businesses, and entire industries adopt more electric technologies in our everyday lives. Meeting that ...

Due process is a human right

Letters

To the editor: First, a reminder to Mr Platz and the Journal editorial staff: The title of Mr Platz’s letter to the editor of 7-31-25 referred to an “AP poll” when in fact it was about a Gallup Poll in an AP article. Regardless of a reader’s opinion of Associated Press articles, the Gallup Poll is a highly respected organization for factual information. Mr Platz’s words of caution are warranted regardless of the source of articles and information. Thanks for the reminder. Taking Mr Plaz’s words to heart, I watched the video mentioned. I also looked up Mr Roy Beck. I ...

Enjoying summertime celebrations

Columns

Call us wild and crazy, but my wife and I enjoy attending small-town summertime celebrations. The most recent such event was Arlington Days, held — brace yourself! — in Arlington. There are approximately a hundred municipalities and locales named Arlington in the United States, so we chose the Arlington that’s located about 15 miles from our house. We might be wild and crazy, but not to extent that we would travel the nearly 1,500 miles to the hamlet of Arlington, Oregon (population: 620.) No small-town celebration is complete without a bevy of booths where vendors can promote ...

More than a gut feeling

Columns

Dear Annie: I am a 43-year-old woman with a 6-year-old daughter. Her father is 50. We were never in a serious relationship, just friends with benefits, until I became pregnant. At first, he wanted nothing to do with the baby and even pushed for an abortion. I chose to continue the pregnancy, and eventually he came around and was there during that time. When I gave birth, he dropped me off at the hospital but didn’t come in. He was at home when I returned with our daughter. He stayed with us for the first six months and then went to jail. After he got out, he wasn’t consistently ...

Lip balm gets thrown in laundry

Columns

Dear Heloise: I love your column and all the great hints that I read daily. I accidentally washed and dried a small tube of lip balm in a load of my colored clothes. I have spots all over two T-shirts and a pair of knit pants. I need help getting the spots out. I’ve tried a couple of things without success. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. -- Helen S., in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana Helen, give this a try: -- If there is any lip balm left on the fabric, try scraping it off with the edge of a spoon. -- Next, mix together dishwashing soap, baking soda and laundry ...

Does your well water have nitrate?

Columns

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 ...