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Wedding by the numbers

Dear Heloise: Recently on the news, I heard that the average price of wedding in America is $35,000! Just how many engaged couples have that kind of money to invest in their big day? — Carmon H., Trenton, Ohio Carmon, weddings today have gotten very expensive, but there are ways to save money on your big day. Costs can be kept down by budgeting, trimming the guest list and settling for less show and more intimacy. Sometimes it’s not the bride and groom who want an elaborate wedding, but their families. Spend a little or spend a lot, you are just as married either way. — ...

Low iron level

Dear Dr. Roach: My daughter’s iron level has been dangerously low for several years. One measurement was as low as 5, but mostly it is between 9 and 15. She took iron pills, which affected her in many other ways. She was given one iron injection, which affected her negatively. She refused the second one. She has been on an antidepressant and an antipsychotic med for bipolar disorder for 10 years. She is 45. They cannot figure out why her iron stores are so low. She had an endometrial ablation done two years ago, and her menstruation stopped. Her iron stores are still low. She is ...

It’s all about the cows

COTTONWOOD/WOOD LAKE There used to be 40 dairies along Minnesota Highway 23 in Lyon County alone. Now there are only six in the county, dairy farmer Dan Louwagie said. Louwagie and his two brothers, Tim and Bruce, farm together, starting the dairy in 1991. The Louwagies run 180 Holsteins ...

A week to remember

MARSHALL Eleven young men from Marshall recently had the opportunity to take part in the 70th annual American Legion Minnesota Boys State program held on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville, and for many of them it was a life-changing experience. Boys State is a unique ...

School’s out, but fun’s not

MARSHALL It was mid-June, and classes were in session this week at Marshall High School. These weren’t the kind of classes you got graded on, however — these were strictly for fun. In the art classroom, a group of area kids were learning how to turn pieces of fence wire and stretchy ...

Finding a cause

TRACY Kevin and Wendy Haney of rural Tracy don’t ride motorcycle, but they are participating in Ride-For-A-Reason in two big ways. Wendy Haney designed a quilt for raffle at a national convention, and Kevin Haney will provide electronic and medical support for the fundraising ...