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Local Columns

World Almanac: Still a valuable resource in an era of technology

About a month ago I learned firsthand how much things have changed when it comes to finding information. I went to the Marshall Lyon County Library to look at the 2025 World Almanac. There were several things I wanted to check (election statistics, biographies of famous people who died etc.) ...

Continue season of giving by donating blood

Along with being the month when we make resolutions or start a new diet or exercise plan, January is also the month to raise awareness about the urgent need for blood donations. Donating blood is a simple and relatively painless way to do something amazing: save lives. January is National ...

New year, new you? How about new year, more kindness

Google what Americans’ top resolutions are for 2026, and you’ll find all the usual suspects at the top of the list: lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier and save more money. I skimmed a dozen articles from around the country and not one of the lists listed “be kinder” though, ...

Celebrate!

Happy New Year! It’s time to celebrate! Perhaps we should celebrate not only the beginning of a New Year, but, also, the many other daily occasions that we take for granted. Therefore, let’s all pause, take a breath, relax a bit and begin the New Year noticing all the people, places and ...

The kayak mystery

Cleaning out an old family farmhouse is an exercise in conundrums. As you sift through all the stuff, you have to constantly ask yourself, “keep or crap?” Many of the decisions are easy. It’s unlikely that anyone will want a yellowed feed store calendar from 2013. Ditto for the rubber ...