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Thomas Friedman: To win the war, defeat Hamas and stop settlements

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

I have great admiration for how President Joe Biden has used his empathy and physical presence in Israel to convince Israelis that they are not alone in their war against the barbaric Hamas, while also trying to reach out to moderate Palestinians. Biden, I know, tried really hard to get the Israeli leadership to pause in their rage and think three steps ahead — not only about how to get into the Gaza Strip to take down Hamas but also about how to get out — and how to do it with the least civilian casualties possible.Although Biden expressed deep understanding of Israel’s moral and strategic dilemma, he pleaded with Israeli military and political leaders to learn from America’s rush to war after 9/11, which took our soldiers deep into the dead ends and dark alleys of unfamiliar cities and towns in Iraq and Afghanistan.Nevertheless, U.S. officials left Jerusalem feeling that although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands that an overreach in Gaza could set the whole ne...

Sunday Bulletin Board: Fourscore and one years ago . . . school was out for summer!

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Then & Now . . . and: The Permanent Family RecordAfter a considerable absence, we welcome back JIM FITZSIMONS of St. Paul: “Subject: Uncle Ralph Then & Now.“A couple/few years ago, the Pioneer Press ran a special section in their Sunday paper. It was a retrospective featuring several photographs that had appeared in the paper over the decades.“One photo was taken in June of 1942. It shows a group of very excited second-graders getting out of school to start their summer. My dad showed me the photo and asked if I recognized any of the kids in the picture.“In the center of the photo, there’s a boy with what looks like a note pinned to his overalls, for his parents. (They did that then.) That boy is my dad’s older brother Ralph. He was about 8 years old.“Ever since I saw it, I’ve wanted to get a picture of my Uncle Ralph, who is still alive, holding the photo.“Last month, my younger brother got married, and all sorts of family members gathere...

Skywatch: Get a stellar start to your day

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

This week in Skywatch I want to share the joy of stargazing in the early morning hours. I was a regular super early riser for many years, but not by choice. Before I retired over three years ago, I was a morning radio broadcaster at WCCO Radio In Minneapolis and had to be out of bed a little after 3 a.m. As brutal as that was, one of the great things about it is that if clouds didn’t get in the way, I could start my day with the stars. This time of year, it’s really a treat because the morning stars are dazzling and bright, especially in the southern half of the sky.  That’s because those stars make up the great winter constellations, the same stars and constellations we see in the early evening skies in early January. I lovingly call this part of the sky “Orion and his Gang.”(Mike Lynch)Even if you don’t know many constellations, chances are you recognize Orion the Hunter. It’s the one that resembles an hourglass or a cockeyed bowtie. Its hallmar...

On its 40th anniversary, Kowalski’s remains committed to being a civic-minded neighborhood grocer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Officially, Kris Kowalski Christiansen is the chief executive officer of the grocery store her parents, Mary Anne and Jim Kowalski, started 40 years ago in St. Paul.But still. Even after years in the role, something about that title doesn’t feel quite right.“We never viewed ourselves as chain, or corporate,” she said. “(Mom) and Dad always taught us, we’re a neighborhood grocer. We just stayed small in how we viewed ourselves.”That neighborhood ethos — spending time in their own stores, not growing too fast, prioritizing a business’s civic role in the community — is partly what’s kept Kowalski’s Markets around for four decades, Kris and Mary Anne said. The business now has 11 stores around the Twin Cities.The Kowalski family buys their groceries there, too, of course.“We’re consumers,” Kris said. “We just want to bring an experience to people that we would want to have.”“A common-sense neighborhood kind of thing”Growing up in St. Paul, Jim Kowalski and then-Mary Anne Oase were “neig...

Is the Lexington haunted? That mystery among local Halloween events

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Halloween rolls around again, and this year is chock-full of events for young and old to enjoy. Whether it’s wholesome family fun or something a little more spine-tingling for adults, these events are sure to invite one into the spirit of the spooky season.Twin Cities Paranormal Society Cocktail Party: Reminisce and drink over the Twin Cities Paranormal Society’s spooky adventures Oct. 27, 28 and 30 at The Lexington restaurant in St. Paul. On Oct. 30, the party will be joined by paranormal investigator Dave Schrader, host of the podcast The Paranormal 60, who will reveal the findings of his overnight investigation of The Lexington itself. Tickets available at opentable.com/r/the-lexington-saint-paul.Minnesota Jack-O Lantern Spectacular: Through Nov. 4, the Minnesota Zoo invites families to walk its pumpkin-lined trail. This year’s theme is “Seasons of the Year” with pumpkins carved by artists. Ticket prices range from $18-24 for adults and $14-20 for children...

It’s been a century of learning and friendship for the Friday Study Club in Stillwater

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Gerrie Granquist researched and gave presentations on many topics as a member of the Friday Study Club in Stillwater.Her most memorable report — one she spent months researching — was on Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre and existentialism.“I didn’t understand it then, and I still don’t,” Granquist, 89, of Stillwater, said last week during a panel discussion on the club’s history.Granquist joined the Friday Study Club in 1967, but stopped attending after she took a job at Stillwater Junior High School. But “once you’re a member, you’re always a member,” she told the group gathered at the Stillwater Public Library.The Friday Study Club was founded as a branch of the Delphian Society, a national organization that promoted women’s education in the arts, literature and history. According to its charter, it was “organized in the interest of social progress, higher education and personal improvement.”The club has about 25 active members and has met at least once a mon...

What you need to know: 2023 Dakota County education levy referendums

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Many Dakota County voters will be asked on Nov. 7 to consider giving more money to public schools.The Farmington, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school districts are asking for additional funding.Here’s a rundown of what will be on the ballot next month, why the funds are needed and, if passed, how the levy referendums could impact homeowners.FarmingtonFarmington Area Public Schools is proposing to revoke the district’s existing operating levy and replace it with a new one following a budget reduction for the 2023-24 school year and a projected deficit of $3.5 million for the 2024-25 school year.The district will ask voters to consider replacing the current operating levy of $677 per student to $1,239.92 per student for taxes payable in 2024, which will provide $9 million annually for the first three years, with $5 million coming from the current levy and $4 million from the new levy. The question then asks voters to approve an addit...

Literary calendar for week of Oct. 22

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

C.M. ALONGI: Minnesotan discusses her science fiction debut “Citadel.” Alongi is best known for her CaFae Latte TikTok series about a cafe run by fairies. “Citadel” is the only human city on an alien planet, ruled by the tides that bring both deadly danger and much-needed resources. The Flooded Forest is ruled by demons from Hell and Citadel must kill every one of them. 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.BRITNEY CELEBRATION: It’s Britney, B**** is the theme of a celebration of rock star Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me,” with a reading and conversation with Chris Stedman and Kara Nesvig. 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, SubText Books, 6 W. Fifth St., St. Paul.CURTIS CHIN: Award-winning filmmaker and activist, co-founder and first executive director of New York’s Asian American Writers’ workshop discusses his debut memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Res...

New Minnesota law cracks down on organized retail theft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Charlie Anderson went from St. Paul patrol to investigative police work in 2011 and, as he followed up on shoplifting reports, he realized some weren’t as simple as a person slipping merchandise into their pocket and walking out the door.“There’s something else going on here,” he thought.As he talked to other law enforcement and retailers, he said his eyes were opened “to this world” of organized retail theft, Anderson said.Organized retail theft — stealing to sell goods to other people — isn’t a new problem, but it’s in the public eye more. Target recently announced it was closing nine stores in four states (none in Minnesota), saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.Charlie Anderson (Courtesy photo)Anderson’s experiences more than a decade ago led him to start an organized retail crime association that grew into a statewide nonprofit, and he and others in the field ha...

Ask Amy: Holiday in Europe might involve a rental

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:37 GMT

Dear Amy: Our son’s mother and father-in-law, who live in Europe, have repeatedly invited us to stay at their house, including over the upcoming holidays.We are considering going, and told them so.Then I got a text from my daughter-in-law with an Airbnb listing where she said we could stay to be “away from the mayhem.”Amy, mayhem is part of the holiday experience! (And by the way, this Airbnb property is already booked over the holidays).We think this might be a dis-invite, but don’t know how to formulate a response.We are on good terms with everyone and want to keep it that way.As the parents of two sons, I feel like we need to “hear” from our daughter-in-law.What do you think?— Holiday HousedDear Housed: “Mayhem is part of the holiday experience,” while true, is not necessarily a selling point — certainly for anyone contemplating hosting for a presumably long-ish overseas stay.Your daughter-in-law might be trying to deftly discourage...