Benning Printing & Publishing

Apparently, I have become the unwilling host of a spider nursery. Earlier this summer, as per usual in my home, I found a spider. I am not a big fan of spiders, and we have an agreement: You stay away from me, I stay away from you. I don’t like them in my house, but I don’t particularly like bugs in my house either. So the spiders can take care of those. They control the bug population, and I let them live. But I won’t save them from the cats. This summer, however, was th

Editor’s Note: Letters to the editor are opinions expressed by the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of this publication and have not been independently fact-checked. To the Editor: Dear Neighbors, According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), it is illegal to post political or other advertising signage in the road rights-of-way. Illegally posted signs pose hazards for drivers and maintenance crews and are considered misdemeanors. They

I learned about an interesting folktale from the Old Farmer’s Almanac. August 17 marks the start of “Cat Nights,” a tradition rooted in an old Irish legend about witches and cats. According to this legend, a witch could change into a cat eight times, but on her ninth try, she would be stuck as a cat forever. This story is often linked to the saying that cats have nine lives. The Cat Nights folklore may be related to legends of the Cait Sidhe in Ireland and the Cait Sith in

I finally did something fun this summer. As the chaos of a hectic and depressing summer finally begins to wind down, my boyfriend and I found ourselves with something we haven’t had much of lately—a day with nothing planned. The weather was nice, and he wanted to get outside and do some hiking. We started looking at local parks when I came across the Thomas Dambo trolls in Detroit Lakes. I thought that sounded like a fun adventure and something his kid may like, so we decid

Grief is contagious. To say this has been a busy and stressful summer would be an understatement. Mom’s battle with cancer has been only half of it. Recently, my boyfriend lost his older brother to cancer. After spending his entire life in and out of hospitals for medical conditions he was born with, and for countless surgeries, and also living with a tracheostomy, he made the difficult decision not to pursue treatment. He was only 41 years old. From what little time I kn

The newspaper hasn’t changed, but the way mail is delivered has. Each week, we get calls from people wondering why their newspapers are late or they never receive them. Recent changes in the Postal Service mean that mail delivery is more unpredictable, especially for rural newspapers. Even if a newspaper is printed, labeled, and sent to the post office on time, it doesn’t always arrive when expected. For one person, a newspaper mailed on Tuesday might come on Wednesday, but

I hurt my back while switching out a five-gallon water jug over the weekend. I’ve done this many times before, but this time I felt something pull in my back. By the evening, I was in horrible pain. That night, I wasn’t home and wasn’t paying attention when I took a steroid, which kept me awake, resulting in a horrible night’s sleep. I took another one in the morning. Between that and the Tylenol, I was able to make it home for muscle relaxers, hoping Monday would be better.

To the Editor: No Reason To Die Who am I? My name is Norman Hagelstrom. I was born at the Thiel hospital in Bertha on January 27, 1940. I graduated from Bertha-Hewitt School in 1958. I have spent the last sixty plus years studying the human mind. The following is what I’ve learned. Our cells are constantly dying every few days to ten years. New young cells replace these retiring cells. If we completely renew our cells every ten years why do they wear out? They wear ou

Every time I scroll through social media, I see another event flyer. After a while, they all start looking the same. They all have the same bold fonts, the same glossy backgrounds, and the same over-the-top lighting. Before I even read the words, I can usually tell it was made with AI. I understand why people use AI. Not everyone has the budget to hire a graphic designer or the skills to create something from scratch. AI can be a helpful starting point. But when everyone is

Having a sick parent is challenging for anyone, but dealing with a parent who experiences hallucinations and incoherent mumbling takes it to another level. My mom is currently battling her second bout of lung cancer, which has spread to her neck and brain. She has undergone radiation treatment for her brain and is currently going through chemotherapy. Things are about as good as they can be expected, but she hasn’t gone a week without a trip to the hospital or emergency room