Suicide prevention advocate Emma Benoit’s return trip to Mankato this week has been expanded to include an additional community event as well as the opportunity for more high-schoolers to hear her story.  The community is invited to a free screening of Benoit’s documentary “My Ascension” and panel discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 28 at West High School. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Mel and Todd Hoffner family. Refreshments sponsored by Mayo Clinic Health System. Support by Mankato Area Public Schools. No registration required. 22-year-old Benoit participated in a similar community event at Mankato East [...]

I bet you know at least one person who belongs on this list:  Someone on Reddit asked people to name annoying things people willingly let define them and base their whole personality around. For example, "Disney adults" who brag about how obsessed they are.  *PLEASE NOTE* Grilling or ball caps did not make the list.  Here are a few more that people came up with . . . Being a sports fan.  A lot of guys are guilty of that one, but women do it too. Your job.  Then your whole identity is rocked if you ever LOSE that job. Politics.  [...]

With inflation and everything else going on, we knew this number would be higher.  Now we know how MUCH higher . . . According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average Fourth of July cookout will cost just under 70 BUCKS this year . . . a full $10 more than it cost in 2021. The average is $69.68, up from $59.50 last year.  That's still only $7 per person, but an increase of 17%.  (It was $59.66 in 2020, and $54.88 in 2019.) They base it on 12 different things you might serve at a backyard barbecue for 10 people WITHOUT including [...]

We've got a new "World's Ugliest Dog" for the first time in three years.  The annual event near San Francisco got canceled the last two years thanks to covid.  But it was back on again this weekend, and a VERY ugly mutt named MR. HAPPY FACE won. He's a 17-year-old hairless Chinese crested-Chihuahua mix.  Chinese crested are the ones that look like big rats with a weird tuft of hair on their head.  He's got that, plus his head leans to one side, and he can't keep his tongue in his mouth.  (Here's a photo.) The woman who owns him got him from [...]

It's officially summer, and the Fourth of July is less than two weeks out.  So an annual study on PATRIOTISM just hit. WalletHub.com does an annual ranking of the most patriotic states in America based on two factors:  Military engagement and civic engagement. That includes things like how many people enlist in the armed forces . . . how many veterans there are . . . how many people vote . . . and how many of us volunteers. For the third year in a row, there's been a reshuffling at the top:  ALASKA is the most patriotic state in America [...]

If you asked kids TODAY this question, I bet "being on their phone" would make the list:  A new poll asked 5,000 parents to name their favorite OUTDOOR activities when THEY were kids.  What was your favorite?  Here are the top ten . . . Hide-and-seek.  43% of us used to love it. Water balloon fights, 42%.  Tag, 42%. Playgrounds, with things like slides and swings, 41%. Playing sports, 40%. Riding bikes or scooters, 40%. Swimming, 40%. Snowball fights, 38%.  That's the only cold-month activity on the list. Just running around your neighborhood with friends, 37%. Playing catch, 36%.  A few [...]

It's official. Listening to this station every day is good for your brain . . . and not just because of our brilliantly witty banter. A new study found listening to SONGS you love is good for your ol' noodle. Especially songs that make you tap your feet. Scientists in Japan looked at how brain activity is affected by music that's got a "groove" to it. And they found it has a positive effect on our prefrontal cortex. That's a part of the brain that helps with planning, self-control, short-term memory, and abstract thinking. The one catch is it doesn't work [...]

Here's a weird food combo we didn't see coming:  For National Pizza Party Day tomorrow, Pepsi worked with the Culinary Institute of America and came up with Pepsi-infused PEPPERONI.  (???) They're calling it "Pepsi-Roni."  They say the Pepsi adds a "citrusy sweetness" to it.  New Yorkers can try it tomorrow at a pizza place in Lower Manhattan.  Then they're planning to offer it up in other cities soon, but haven't said where yet.  (Here's a photo.) For everyone who can't try it, they're doing two different pizza-related deals tomorrow:  You can get $5 off a DoorDash pizza order if you buy a Pepsi with it. And [...]

Would you say you're an introvert or an extrovert? According to a recent survey, you're twice as likely to say one of those . . . and it's INTROVERT.  That means you prefer being alone, or hanging out with a few people instead of big groups. A thousand Americans were polled.  56% said they're an introvert, and only 28% said extrovert.  The other 15% or so said they had no idea what they are. They broke the stats down even further than that too:  Only 13% said they're a "complete introvert" . . . and 43% said "mostly" introverted. 23% said [...]

Now that we've all binged cooking competition shows on TV, we THINK we know what we're doing in the kitchen. There's a thread online where people are sharing the cooking "rules" that they ALWAYS ignore . . . like "don't put pepper on steak, because it'll just burn."  Here are a few that people mentioned: Throwing out a whole block of cheese when there's a little mold on it. Using olive oil while cooking, instead of cheaper oils with higher smoke-points. Don't cook with wine, tomatoes, or anything acidic in cast iron pans. Don't eat uncooked cookie dough. Unsalted butter in a recipe.  [...]