Columnists
Thursday, May 21, 2026 · Indian River County
A 12-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand Just Paid Off $4,000 in School Lunch Debt
Tristan Jacobson spent his summer selling lemonade and cookies to erase cafeteria debt for 123 students. He's already planning next year's menu.
Cast Iron Cornbread, Done Right
Cornbread shouldn't be sweet, and it shouldn't be dry. A hot cast iron skillet and a few minutes of attention fix both problems at once.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Traveler's Paradox: Why Getting Lost Leads You Somewhere Real
A medieval geographer knew something we've forgotten in the GPS era—the best journeys begin when you stop knowing where you are.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Why You Should Read a Poem Out Loud This Week
Most of us encounter poetry on the page alone. Reading a poem aloud changes everything—and you don't need a dramatic voice to feel the difference.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Start Your Sourdough Starter This Weekend
A jar of flour, water, and time transforms into one of baking's most forgiving yet rewarding projects. You'll have your first loaf in two weeks.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Fall Topwater Is About Timing, Not Casting
When baitfish bunch tight in September, one retrieve beats a hundred perfect casts. Here's how to read the water and get your topwater in front of feeding bass before they scatter.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Fed's Silent Admission: Inflation Isn't Going Anywhere Soon
Federal Reserve officials just signaled they're done cutting interest rates, and the market heard what they didn't say: price growth will stick around longer than they predicted six months ago.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Librarian Network Helping Formerly Incarcerated People Find Work
A coalition of public librarians across the country spent the last two years building something that rarely existed before: a coordinated job-placement system designed specifically for people leaving prison.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Brutalist Exhausts You on Purpose, and That's the Point
Brady Corbet's three-hour epic demands patience but delivers something rare: a film that trusts you to sit with discomfort. Here's what's worth your time this week, and what you should skip.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Streaming Wars Just Got Weird—And We're Here For It
Networks are abandoning the prestige drama playbook, and the shows people actually can't stop talking about look nothing like what HBO promised us five years ago.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Scramble That Rewards Slow Walkers
Rockslide trails look impossible until you realize the boulders themselves become your path—and the views from the top justify every careful step.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Mercury Stations Direct—Your Words Find Their Landing
After weeks of miscommunication and missed connections, the messenger planet shifts course today. Here's what each sign needs to say (and do) right now.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Winter in the Ozarks: Why You Should Skip the Resort and Drive to Table Rock
The Ozarks in January aren't crowded. The food is real. And a weekend here costs less than a single night at most resort destinations.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Why "Leopoldstadt" Matters More Than You Think
Tom Stoppard's final play isn't about nostalgia or historical trauma—it's about how we choose to remember when memory itself becomes political. This is theater that changes how you see your own family.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Peculiar Persistence of Forgotten Rules
A man fought city hall over a century-old ordinance. A woman discovered her town banned something nobody remembered banning. Welcome to the legal attic.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Stop Stretching Cold Muscles—Do This Instead
Your pre-workout routine is probably backwards. Here's what the science says you should do before you exercise, and why static stretching before a run or lift actually makes you weaker.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Soft-Spoken Revenge of "Quiet" Media
While everyone screams into the algorithmic void, audiences are abandoning overstimulation for shows, podcasts, and books that whisper instead of shout. The backlash against maximalism is real, and it's reshaping what we actually want to consume.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Homeowners, Alligators, and the Bureaucracy of Chaos
This week, a Florida resident discovered that some neighborhood disputes require scales and a measuring tape. Also: a woman hired a lawyer to fight her own homeowners association. It went exactly as you'd think.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The Slow Walk That Changes Everything
Winter invites you to move differently. A deliberate pace outdoors isn't laziness—it's the reset your nervous system has been asking for.
Thursday, May 21, 2026