Columnists

09/30/2026 · Washington County

The Three-Second Pause That Protects Your Day

Before you answer that text, accept that favor, or volunteer for one more thing, try a tiny pause. It can keep an automatic “sure” from becoming an afternoon of resentment.

09/28/2026

Read Story

Column

The Trick That Makes Shakespeare’s Summer Last Forever

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” begins as a compliment and ends as a dare to time itself. Its secret is not that summer is beautiful—it’s that summer is unreliable.

09/28/2026

Column

The Most Radical Kind of Help Is Paying Attention

Simone Weil’s famous line about attention is often served as a gentler synonym for focus. It is stranger—and more useful—than that: she believed attention was a form of moral generosity.

09/28/2026

Column

Washington’s Loudest Week Has a Quiet Bill

The White House keeps selling speed, Congress keeps selling certainty, and households keep paying for the gap between them. The week’s biggest story sits where tariffs, budget cuts, and shaky consumer confidence meet.

09/28/2026

Column

The Giant Van Gogh Screensaver Has Gone Too Far

I have nothing against Van Gogh. I have something against being trapped inside a screensaver while a DJ whispers about “healing.” The immersive art craze deserves a little less reverence and a lot more fluorescent lighting.

09/28/2026

Column

Lanesboro, Minnesota: The Bike Trail Town That Forgot to Be Boring

Follow the Root River into southeastern Minnesota for limestone bluffs, a walkable main street, and a breakfast plate that justifies the entire drive. Lanesboro is small enough to understand in one afternoon and strange enough to keep you poking around until dinner.

09/30/2026

More Columnists

← Yesterday's Columnists Today's Full Edition

Local Venues

View all

Sky Zone

the Gibson's

Upcoming Events

View all

SEP

Yoga - Morning Yoga | Summer Session 2

9:30 AM - Free

SEP

Library Story Time

10:30 AM - Free

SEP

Adult Cards

1:00 PM - Free

Announcements

View all

Staff in Training

Staff in Training When: Friday, October 2, 2026 at 8:30 AM to Friday, October 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM

CVSO in Meeting

CVSO in Meeting When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 1:00 PM to Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM Page content: - VSO Schedule - Clearwater County, MN Skip to main content Search Air Quality: Search CVSO in Meeting When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 1:00 PM to Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM

CVSO in a Meeting

CVSO in a Meeting When: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 8:30 AM to Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 9:30 AM

Public Notices

View all

Access Case Records

Other - 09/25/2026

Forms & Instructions

Probate - 09/25/2026

ADA Accommodation

Other - 09/25/2026

Find Courts

Public Hearing - 09/25/2026