Minnesota is home to 14,000 lakes, 12,000 loons, 135,000 seasonal lake cabins and 3.9 million newspaper readers. Really?
Really. Every month, 86% of Minnesota adults read newspapers’ print and online issues, according to a new Minnesota Market Study conducted by Coda Ventures. The study measures media usage and purchase behavior of Minnesota adults across urban and rural zip codes (see full-page ad in this issue).

New Prague Times Sports fans or alumni of Ohio State University likely heard in the last week that the university has been successful in trademarking “The” when referring to the college. For anyone that doesn’t know beginning around three decades ago Ohio State started a campaign to make it stand out by referring to itself as The Ohio State University. It is something that has taken off in its use by football players and a lot of the alumni at the university.

This coming Monday is the Fourth of July. A time for gatherings, parades, picnics and fireworks. It is a celebration of when the United States declared its independence from the United Kingdom.
The Declaration of Independence was a document that basically said a people of a nation had a right to choose their leaders. Before that, most nations had been ruled by a king, queen or emperor. The idea put forth by a group of men in Philadelphia that the common people would get to choose their representatives and their president had not really been seen.

Tuesday was the first official day of summer and it was a warm day, although not as warm and humid as the previous two days. One thing we can count on with the weather in Minnesota is that it can go from extremely cold days in the winter to extremely warm and, at times, humid days in the summer. While some enjoy the change in the weather, you can always find someone who is going to complain about it.

This Sunday will be Father’s Day, a time that dads of all types will be celebrating with their families. There’s what we consider the traditional family, a dad and a mom, there are the single dads out there who are raising a child by themselves. Others are dads by marriage, even though technically they may be a step father, in all ways that matter they are actually a dad. Some have taken a big step and adopted a child, who grows up calling them dad. Some are foster fathers, who are trying to help a child have some stability.

I think many of us sometimes feel we have the weight of our own part of the world on our shoulders. For some of us it’s at work, whether you’re a manager of a certain department, or you own a business and are dealing with the issues of having to get supplies or products to sell. Others have to deal with being parents and trying to find something to keep the children interested in, besides what’s on TV or the internet, for the next few months of summer vacation.

Are we sure that the month of April knows that April Fools Day has come and gone? I think most people will understand that reference since this April has been quite cold this year. We did hit the mid 50s and even got into the 60s for just a bit, although it was very brief. I’ll admit I didn’t mind the warmer temperatures, but I also wasn’t surprised when the temperatures dropped into the 40s and the 30s.

I’m going to a wedding! Not mine.
I have eight months to plan for a niece’s wedding, which happens to fall during one of the busiest travel times of the year. The wedding also happens to be in another state. If I drive it’s about 16 to 18 hours. If I fly, there are headaches in the aspect of how much will it cost. Plus there’s also the expenses of getting a hotel room, plus meals and who knows if gas prices will still be up or will have dropped by then. It’s still eight months out, but I’m already wondering how I’m going to go about this.

As journalists, we rely on open government and freedom of information principles to keep the public informed about its government. Sometimes, we are met with roadblocks.
Sunshine Week, which is spearheaded by the New Prague Times News Leaders Association, champions open and transparent government at all levels. That means from the local school board or city council meetings, to the emails a state representative sent that supports a bill, all the way up to the President at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.

As we’re in the second decade of the 21st Century I think many of us have thought that the future would be different.

We’re definitely in January as temperatures are dropping and some days temperatures are only in the 20s. For the past few weeks we’ve had more temperatures that are below zero when you add in the wind chill. I hope most people are staying warm even if they do go outside for activities.

I know quite a few people are going to be enjoying the next few days because it’s going to be in the 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which compared to the previous temperatures when it was in the single digits, it will feel like a heat wave. Am I being too optimistic? Probably, but sometimes you just have to take the good times with the bad.
Another way to put it is with the song “I never promised you a rose garden” by Lynn Anderson. It talks about how things are not always going to be, well, rosy. There’s going to be rain, there’s going to be tough times when a person is by themselves.

We are now into the first week of a new year and like every turning of the calendar year this one holds promise for what we can accomplish over the next 12 months. For some of us that is something such as losing weight, for others it’s taking a few more walks, while a few of us are hoping to cut down how much time we spend on social media and there are those who are going to reach for a new job or buy a house.

I hope everyone had a good and safe Christmas this year. For me I was able to go north to my hometown of Thief River Falls and visit with family who lives there. Compared to the big get togethers in the past, this one was more scaled back and relatively quiet.

The fall season is winding down and we recently had a taste of winter. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and for a brief time last week the temperatures dropped enough for us to have snow on the ground. For some people this is the time to start the annual grumble against winter. I’m usually not one of those as I realize that it is November and our climate tends to snow and cold temperatures.

It’s that time again when the leaves begin to turn and people gather them up. When people enjoy apple picking, cider or a stronger harder apple drink. When farmers are out in the fields bringing in their crops and preparing the land for next spring. When children are talking to their parents about what they want to do for Halloween. It’s definitely fall.