columns

I found out recently that sometimes a car crash can be a good thing. My trusty silver 2007 Chevy Aveo was never much of a car. It was a base model that didn’t even have power windows or power locks. I bought it the day after Christmas in 2006 at a dealership in the Southern California...

It is with a heavy, yet overwhelmingly excited heart, that I write my final Sarah Sez column for the New Richmond News. My heart is heavy because I’m leaving behind the News, my coworkers and the community contacts I have made; but I’m thrilled to undertake a new challenge and...

With ice fishing tournament season in full swing I thought it might be worth a quick tongue-in-cheek review of how we got to this point. Toward the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, or ice age as simpler folk call it, some 12,000 years ago, a daring band of Neanderthals, snow-boarded...

As many of you know, I have experienced a few big milestones over the last year or so, including celebrating my one-year anniversary at the News, getting engaged and turning 25. This year will see even more life-changing events take place, from getting married to moving out of...

It hurt so bad. My unhealthy level of fanaticism of the Green Bay Packers has once again cost me my sanity. In the final five minutes of the Jan. 18 NFC Championship Game, my mood quickly went from eager to anxious to ill, as the Packers squandered a prime opportunity to defeat the...

My best friend Derek turned 35 on Wednesday, Jan. 21. It’s hard for me to believe that we’ve been best friends for 30 of those 35 years. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite things to say is “Everyone needs a Derek.” If everyone had someone like Derek in their...

You may not know me, but many of you might recognize me by now. I’m the friendly, chatty guy, possibly dressed a little funny, goofy hat, shorts when it’s too cold, who approaches you, encourages you, sometimes guilts you, lures sounds wrong, entices sounds better, and certainly...

By the time you read this I will most likely have already started my, seemingly, annual trek to the great state of Texas for yet another FCS National Championship game for my alma mater North Dakota State Bison football team. The Bison will play for their fourth straight national...

I love this time of year. No, not winter. I hate winter. What I love is when the calendar page flips from December to January. I love putting the holiday season behind me, getting back in the saddle at work and at home, and plotting a new course for my professional and personal...

I am a rural girl through and through. I grew up on a hobby farm in Pierce County where I mucked out stalls, fed the cows, cared for an army of barn cats, cut firewood, refused to wear shoes until it snowed and helped raise a huge garden. I raised rabbits for 4-H, learned how to shoot...

Val and I made a mad dash down to Waukesha over the weekend for the wedding of my best friend’s only daughter Carly. When you attach such an important moment to a big holiday season it has advantages and disadvantages. It becomes easier to remember, but it also risks sharing some...

Having just turned 25 in November, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’ve got a decent-sized list of pet peeves that I’ve built up over the years. Some of those pet peeves are rather general and others are a little more specific. In general, I’m not a huge fan of people...

The outrage over the grand jury decision to not indict a white police officer after fatally shooting an unarmed black teen is just the latest case that underscores how much we ask of our cops, and how much trust — rightly or wrongly — we place in them. It’s not for me to say...

According to Wikipedia, “Sisu is a Finnish word generally meaning determination, bravery and resilience.” Urban Dictionary describes Sisu as a uniquely Finnish quality, the word used to typify the Finnish spirit, a concept that is at the heart of how all Finns and Americans...