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Prioritize your well-being

August is National Wellness Month, a time to focus on self-care, stress management, and building healthy habits that support overall well-being. In our busy lives, it’s easy to put ourselves last, but caring for our physical, mental, and emotional health is essential—not a luxury. Even small, intentional steps toward wellness can boost energy, improve resilience, and help us show up as our best selves for the people and commitments that matter most. This month invites us to pause, reflect, and invest in ourselves. Neglecting self-care impacts both mind and body. Chronic stress, ...

An airhead at an air show

The blue Helldiver — a WW II single-engine dive bomber — was taxiing placidly down the runway when its wing abruptly dipped. The airplane came to a halt at an unsettling angle. Its right wheel had strayed off the paved runway and onto its border, which had been turned into mush by a lengthy spate of monsoon-like rains. “This is wonderful!” I thought. “That’s exactly the kind of thing that might have happened in real life. This is so authentic!” Thus began the Victory at Sea airshow, held recently at the Fagen Fighters WW II Museum located near Granite Falls. The ...

Marshall comes together after flooding

As we prepare to welcome students back for a new school year, I’ve been reflecting on the remarkable way our community has come together since last month’s flooding. I have been inspired by the compassion, teamwork and generosity shown by so many — from neighbors helping neighbors to volunteers, city crews, and local organizations working side by side on emergency response and repairs. This collective spirit has been a powerful reminder of what makes Marshall such a special place for our students, families and staff. Further, I could not be prouder of how our district team ...

The role that the words yes and no play in sexual relationships is rarely given much thought, unless it is part of a police case or court proceeding. The main word here is consent. Situations involving non-consensual sex or sexual harassment should be a concern for everyone. Consent is actually a major part of any and all sexual interactions, no matter what the nature, status, or type of relationship that exists between two people. Over time, sexual activity has become a recreational activity. In the past, it was more of a path to reproduction, but modern methods of birth control ...

What’s the future of natural gas? 

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 ...

Enjoying summertime celebrations

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 ...