By Gwen Hanzlik of Dassel The storm arrived like a door slammed by winter itself — sudden, unannounced, unforgettable. In February of 1972, the snow didn’t fall so much as it claimed territory. Towns across central Minnesota and the surrounding counties found themselves paused inside the same white silence. The roads disappeared first. Then the familiar sounds of engines, school bells, and daily errands all faded into muffled waiting. What remains now are not weather charts,

By Jim Palmer I am writing this on Jan. 24 -- also referred to as “Blue Monday.” The third Monday in January was given this designation by a psychologist years ago because of multiple negative factors that stack up this time of year -- specifically post-holiday letdown, gloomy weather, financial stress from Christmas bills, and (for most) a time when they realize that New Year’s resolutions aren’t sticking. While some experts consider this formula less than scientific, menta

By Carrie Classon “I miss our conversations!” Marilyn wrote to me. I don’t know Marilyn well, but I like her very much. “You want to get a coffee sometime after Christmas?” I asked. Life starts to pick up and get moving again in early January. After hibernating in a cookie-induced coma for two full weeks, we’ve had a brief reprieve from normal. Now, with enough cookies consumed to keep us safe from a sudden cold snap and make the zipping of our trousers just a little more cha

New year, new stories. Select your area, or check out the stories from other parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. All the great local advertisers can be in these full papers, along with the puzzle, jokes, recipes and more for you and your friends to enjoy. Lindbergh Edition All around Mille Lacs Lake and specially tailored to the areas near Brainerd, St. Cloud, Little Falls, Princeton. Brilliant buttons; Back on the road. Prairie Edition Focusing on Willmar, Marshall, Appleto

This albino deer is famous in the area of Father Hennepin State Park in Isle, Minn., and John Bodenhamer of Lonsdale was lucky enough to capture this beautiful image of her. Christmas trees always seem to bring extra magic to this otherwise cold and dark season, as seen by this little girl admiring her grandma’s work, captured by Grandma Susan Peterson of Long Prairie. Man’s best friend is happy as ever, seen here cuddling up with her human dad. This adorable moment of Jeff R

With the 250th anniversary of America nearing... a look back at scenes from 150 years ago By Julie Parent N.J. Trenham was a photographer who lived in Alexandria 150 years ago. He took several photos of people and places in the area that can now be viewed at area museums. These photos helped paint a picture of what life was like in this part of the country during the latter part of the 1800s. Photo courtesy of the Douglas County Historical Society On July 4, 2026, people acro

School art masterpiece refurbished, brought home By Jennie Zeitler Jeannie Brever Goligowski, who grew up in Browerville, collected buttons for the Button Madonna in 1951. She helped her grandma cut buttons, which were saved in a coffee can. She donated buttons again for the Madonna’s recent restoration. Contributed photo Sr. Elvan Drayna was a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Little Falls in 1951, when she and her 53 third- and fourth-grade students created an artwo

Deerwood man coordinate restoration of ‘34 truck By Jillian Kellerman Quint Hanson of Deerwood is the owner of a 1934 Chevrolet 1.5-ton flatbed truck. This rare truck, originally built during the Great Depression, has been rebuilt from the ground up, as close to original specifications as possible. “It happened over a long period of time, and there were times when my wife wanted me to give it up, and I probably would have agreed with her,” Quint said, “but at some point, you

Clara City man, 101, served as a medic By Patricia Buschette Bob Brix, a 101-year-old resident of Clara City Senior Living, in Clara City, Minn., has a vivid memory of his experiences in WWII. Bob Brix at the Iwo Jima memorial. Bob was given the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to see this memorial and others as part of the Honor Flight program. Photo by John Donner Bob was born in 1924 in North Minneapolis where he graduated from North High in January of 1942. “My fat

Silver Lake woman writes Amish romance novels By Patricia Buschette Stephanie Sorensen of Silver Lake with one of her novels “A Merry Amish Christmas.” Sorensen’s interesting life experiences with the Amish, other groups, have helped her with developing storylines. Photo by Patricia Buschette A lifetime of choices made by Stephanie Schwartz Sorensen, 72, of Silver Lake, Minn. has led her down paths even she would never have anticipated. Born into a Jewish family in Upstate N

Hobby has become way of life for Fergus Falls man By Carol Stender Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls earned the nickname “Cast Iron Mike” for his cast iron collection and methods to remove rust and seasoning from the pans. His collection includes some unique as well as commonly used pieces from cast iron figurines to pots and pans. Photo by Carol Stender They call him “Cast Iron Mike” for good reason. Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls is a cast iron expert and has quite a collection

Minneota man donates 25th gallon of blood Article originally appeared in the Minneota Mascot; reprinted with permission By Scott Thoma Rick Bot walked into the gymnasium at Lakeview High School in Cottonwood two days before Thanksgiving and sat in a metal folding chair waiting to be checked in for a Red Cross blood donation. None of the nurses on hand or organizers of the event knew that this man was about to do something that few others have ever been able to accomplish. Whe

Hutchinson man has volunteered for DAV for 30+ years, was recently recognized nationally By Scott Thoma Van Karg of Hutchinson has been volunteering his services as a driver for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization for over 30 years, logging over 15,000 hours in the process. Van Karg of Hutchinson assists a disabled veteran to a medical appointment at the Veteran’s Hospital in St. Cloud. Van Karg has been helping veterans through DAV for more than 30 years. Phot

By Tim King We generally have a small Christmas tree with modest ornamentation. The few ornaments that we do display have sentimental value. Among them are tiny colored bird ornaments with actual feathers. The colors range from scarlet to turquoise to yellow to improbable. Often their wing colors will contrast with a birds body feathers, adding to the little ornaments colorful brilliance. Our mothers purchased these birds 70 or so years ago. Their feet are made from strong wi

By Rachel Barduson of Alexandria One of my son’s favorite cereals when he was growing up was Honey Bunches of Oats. Mine was an occasional bowl of Corn Flakes; Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger was a luxury. I only had Wheaties on top of oatmeal. Rice Krispies was definitely a crispy treat of snap, crackle and pop. If I remember right, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Wheaties were the only thing in our kitchen cupboard. We ate at the kitchen table and I actually don’t remembe

by Jan Stadtherr For many seniors, the memories of using a dial phone evoke a sense of nostalgia. These sturdy devices had a rotary dial where you would spin the dial to connect your call. Phone numbers were often a combination of numbers and letters, like “OR4-5678,” where “OR” represented “678” on the telephone keypads. For urgent connections, you’d go through a local operator, who’d seamlessly connect calls and help with directory inquiries. The party line system was also

By Jim Palmer Around Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces the most popular baby names of the previous year. For the SSA, which I can only guess is a fairly serious/low-frill place to work, this announcement has to be one of the more fun and exciting things that happens all year long. But since it is the end of one year and the start of a new one, other organizations always jump in every December to release predictions on the top names from the yea

by Nancy Leasman of Long Prairie It was a slippery slope. No, not the ice out on the road nor in the woods. It was inside... me. The slippery slope of pain killer dependence. Everyone who has joint replacement surgery is familiar with the need for pain control. Research has shown that healing occurs more quickly when pain is managed properly. To that end, there are dosage limitations, spacing of doses, and term limits. Fearing any potential dependence on my prescribed medicat

By Rita Kostreba of Holmes City, Minn. Towering above his head, Sam said goodbye to his tree and leaves it in his grandmother’s care. Contributed photo When our grandson Sam came to stay with us during his two-year course at Alexandria Technical College, he didn’t come alone. He brought a spindly plant that he said was “ sort of a science experiment of moms. I know you will love it Gram.” It turned out to be an avocado plant that his mother had started from some seeds that s

Today’s Wisdom: If you claim something, you can own it. – Carrie Fisher By Bill D. Ward In researching some old history stories, I have found several references to the practice of literally driving stakes into the ground to claim land. Often these were wood or metal, but at times, even a pile of rocks was deemed adequate for a legal claim. The point was to do something asserting your right to the land. We no longer actually drive stakes into the ground, but in modern times w