Karen Tolkkinen
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Amy Kendall is trying to recall the last time she had a full night's sleep. Twenty-one years ago, when they adopted the first of their eight (soon-to-be-nine) special needs kids? Or 36 years ago, when the first of their three biological children were born? "I'm tired all the time," confesses the Osakis-area nurse, who gave up diet Coke last year because everyone said it was bad for her. She hasn't found a suitable replacement, as she detests coffee. "The reality is that God gives us the grace to keep going," she said.
You may well learn some new words by reading Leif Enger's long-awaited third novel, "Virgil Wander." The title character suffers a concussion and loses part of his ability to communicate. As he recovers, adjectives slowly drift back to him, lending something of the feel of a thesaurus to the 300-page book. Manky. Contrapposto. Mordant.
You may well learn some new words by reading Leif Enger's long-awaited third novel, "Virgil Wander." The title character suffers a concussion and loses part of his ability to communicate. As he recovers, adjectives slowly drift back to him, lending something of the feel of a thesaurus to the 300-page book. Manky. Contrapposto. Mordant.
Next to the Osakis Creamery, thousands of solar panels face the sun, collecting energy for the adjacent electrical grid. Since Sept. 1, it has been feeding power to Xcel Energy. "Anything to save energy. And save on your electric bill," said Judy Thornbloom, who signed up when a sales team went door-to-door in her neighborhood. The deal, open to Xcel Energy customers, required no payment, and Thornbloom said the salesman promised that her bill would be "significantly lower than what we're paying now."
It's that time! Minnow races, mouth-watering pork chops, and bike giveaways all scream Douglas County Fair. The annual county get-together will take place for four big days, starting tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 16. Gates open each day at 8 a.m. A mix of old and new, the fair attracts about 40,000 visitors over its four-day span. Here's a look at what to expect this year. Saturday night party
A key deadline is approaching for farmers who need to file timely and accurate reports to avoid losing Farm Service Agency benefits, the local director said. "In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to visit the Douglas County FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline," said Steve Frericks, executive director of the local FSA office. By Sunday, July 15, farmers must report annually spring-seeded crops including but not limited to corn, soybeans, spring wheat, oats and barley.
As Newton Earl hung from a helicopter door, spraying the jungle with machine gun fire, he didn't think about dying. He thought about the job he had to do. Below him in Vietnam's Mekong River Delta, two Navy boats were trapped in a muddy canal, one boat disabled and the other nearly so, both taking sniper fire that was getting stronger. Twelve American lives were on the line. It was May 3, 1969, and Earl, a 21-year-old Eagle Bend graduate, had willingly volunteered for the dangerous position of door gunner for the Navy Seawolf helicopter unit.
Some women working in northwestern Minnesota have virtually closed the wage gap with their male counterparts, according to one measure cited in a recent state report. "Since the end of the recession, median hourly wages increased faster for women than for men in health care and social assistance — so much so, wage rates in the industry were relatively even in 2016," said the report by regional labor market analyst Chet Bodin.
There wasn't really a last straw that made Billy Euerle walk away from his Garfield dairy farm last year. Things had been bad for several years for Euerle, who grew up in Osakis. He trudged through his days, milking Hot Chocolate and Caroline and Brooke and all the others, barely sleeping. Facing terrible milk prices and crushing debt, he struggled to find motivation. Every chore seemed to take twice as long, and his whole family was feeling the stress. To top it off, severe storms in 2017 ravaged several farm buildings.
When a Minnesota National Guard captain sought a job interview with Head Start, the organization gave her a chance for an interview, then hired her and supported her while she served overseas. Now that captain, Chessie Andrist, who teaches Head Start in Osakis, has returned the favor, nominating the Head Start director for a Department of Defense award. Val Arnquist, who directs the Head Start office of West Central Minnesota Communities Action in Elbow Lake, accepted the Patriot Award on Friday, Dec. 15 at a meeting in Alexandria.