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By LAUREN SCHWAHN NerdWallet via AP I haven’t set foot in a grocery store in nearly four months. With a 10-month-old baby to think about, my husband and I have kept trips to the store to a minimum out of an abundance of caution during the pandemic. We’re fortunate to have just about every grocery delivery service at our disposalî and we've taken advantage. In between orders from Costco, Whole Foods, Imperfect Foods and more, I've noticed our virtual shopping habit is changing how we budget. We’re accounting for new grocery-related expenses. We’re also more deliberate ...

Sweet stuff: Indiana man amasses 3,000 collectible candies

LOGANSPORT, Ind. — He was known as a “numbers guy” for 55 years. Then, one fateful day, Logansport resident Clarence Kapraun turned his back on the infinite possibility of sums and found favor in letters. But it was only one letter, really … specifically, the “Ms,” as he ...

Taking note: Connecting the dots

I craned my neck upwards, searching for meteors plummeting through the velvety black sky. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I continued to scan the heavens, hoping to catch a glimpse of even one meteor. However, my efforts were to no avail. I didn’t see any meteors that night. But there was an upside to the situation: I was able to focus my efforts on trying to identify constellations. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were easily spotted. Cassiopeia and Lyra were a bit more of a challenge. I’m still not sure if I actually saw Cygnus and Draco. I’ve always found that some ...

Taking note: Mysterious treasures

The glint of bright orange shining through the glass of the frame immediately caught my eye. I couldn’t help but investigate what this partially hidden treasure might be. I gently moved the several framed images that stood in front of it on a low, dusty shelf of a local secondhand shop. When I saw the image as a whole, I was astonished. It was a photograph, entirely in shades of yellow, orange and red. The image itself almost defied description or categorization. A tall, serpentine shape, reminiscent of a ribbon, a piece of suede — or perhaps a thin, curving wall — ...

Man helps spur creation of a new park in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. — David Pergande was biking on Washington County 18 last fall when he noticed a prime piece of real estate for sale just north of Afton’s Old Village. The nearly $1 million property — 31 acres in all — is home to part of the Valley Creek trout stream, wetlands, a ...

Minnesota family farms see business surge during pandemic

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Roberta Ehret paused when asked if her family farm could possibly survive the coronavirus pandemic. “I feel a little guilty,” she told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Actually, business is booming.” She and husband Brian own KDE Farms in Hugo, a four-generation farm that, to their amazement, is thriving. Thanks to soaring demand for their beef, vegetables and pork, business has doubled in one year. Most of the food industry is in crisis, with meat processing plants shuttered, prices rising and masks worn in every supermarket. Yet, family operations are ...