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DIY distress

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing their nose — there are some undertakings that should be relegated to professionals. Brain surgery is a good example of something that should never be a DIY project. But just because a thing is beyond a person’s skill level and would likely tax his patience doesn’t mean that some guys won’t ...

Choosing progress over perfection in city projects

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” has been a phrase stated in government as a reminder that progress over perfection is important to the greater good of the community. In practice this mindset can help us as a city focus on our goals and ensure long-term success, whether it be for a planning tool, policy or a significant capital project. In particular, public construction projects are by far the most complex and challenging and often where we receive the most disagreement on whether the project is taking the right path forward. Some of the reasons we have extra scrutiny ...

Educators should take steps to ensure honesty in academics

The back to school season is always an adjustment; as students adjust to classrooms, a bell system, lunch lines and homework. Teachers are facing an adjustment in 2026. Artificial Intelligence technology has advanced to a point that it can complete homework assignments for students. They might be tempted to take shortcuts by using AI. There are good ways to counteract the AI factor. One is to have students write essays in class right away, in order to gauge their writing ability. If a homework assignment would far exceed their writing level, it would be obvious that they had AI ...

Your turn at new Marshall retail store

As a kid, I played board games all the time. Of course, Monopoly was a favorite, but I wasn’t into games like Scrabble or chess. But when Trivial Pursuit came out, I thought that game was pretty cool. I also took on my neighborhood buddies in board games that simulated football and baseball ...

Enjoying Toast

My wife, my sister Jane, and I recently got toasted. It had nothing to do with overconsumption of alcohol or being feted at a festive gathering. This toast had to do with bread. Sort of. The music group Bread flooded the AM airwaves with hit tunes during the 1970s. Bread essentially created ...

Empty buildings now just ghosts

For 90 years, summers in Sleepy Eye followed the rhythms of the Del Monte factory on the west end of town. Sights, sounds, and smells that everyone knew ebbed and flowed through the pea and sweet corn canning seasons. Now the lot that saw trucks and employees busily crisscrossing sits empty. Weeds grow from the cracks. The conveyors that carried ears of corn into the plant sit quiet, rusting. It’s still weird to drive by, even though it’s been six years since there were piles of sweet corn. Depending which way you go through town, Del Monte is the first or last of three prominent ...