By Ben Olson Reader Staff You hear it in conversations at bars and restaurants all over town. Locals complain to one another about the summer tourist struggles but, when someone brings up September, their...
By Dick Sonnichsen Reader Contributor A friend of mine from Minnesota brags about the friendliness of the people of his state, a concept the inhabitants call “Minnesota Nice.” “Minnesota Nice” is a cultural stereotype...
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff It has taken 10 years, many miles and more car barfs, backseat brawls and emergency roadside pit stops than I care to recall (including an apocalyptic diaper eruption six...
By Cate Huisman Reader Contributor Anyone who reads the “Bouquets and Barbs” column of this newspaper may recall a recent rant by Ben Olson, who serves our community both as the paper’s publisher and...
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Every once in a while, as life stacks up a bit too high, the river calls. I dream of long days in the canoe, drifting along with the current,...
By Ben Olson Reader Staff I’ve played music at some interesting places in the dozen years I’ve been in a band. Once I played atop the freezers in Winter Ridge, my head just feet...
By Jen Jackson Quintano Reader Columnist A friend recently sent me a New Yorker cartoon. Depicted in it is a harried woman wearing a baby, a child and a dog begging for attention at...
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff I’ve found no greater sense of kinship in this world than while sitting at a restaurant bar on a Saturday night in summer, surrounded by fellow food service workers...
By Nishelle Gonzales Reader Contributor Owning a handyman and contracting company has been a great way to interact and learn about our diverse local community. We get to assist everyone from elderly folks who...
By Sandy Compton Reader Contributor You may have heard someone say, “That person is a real character,” generally in reference to a guy or gal who is somewhat, or very — ummm — unique....
