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Treasure Hunters undaunted by fierce weather

Noodling over ice boogers: How to talk like a Pioneer Press Treasure Hunter

They’re out there, determinedly searching for the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion, even in this frigid weather.

And, like any subculture in society, hardcore hunters have developed their own language.

Here’s one we hadn’t heard before: “ice booger.” With little snow in which to bury the medallion, one veteran expects it to be inside an “ice booger” — an ice clump with leaves and other things attached for camouflage.

“That’s what they’ve done in years past,” said avid hunter Ed Brodie of White Bear Lake, referring to the clue writer. “They go home and they’ll freeze a big clump of something together, whether it’s cockleburs or leaves or inside a frozen jeans pocket. It’s a big frozen booger.”

Here are more words and phrases that have evolved during the 68 years of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt. Read More...

Radio Interview

Plot to Pilfer Minnesota Lakes

A Wisconsin-based plot to steal Minnesota’s 10,000-plus lakes is gaining the attention of similar groups of vigilantes. Read More

A family dog went missing for weeks, and a whole community responded

A little Sheltie dog was missing 33 days in a wooded St. Paul-Maplewood park, but her owners and a sympathetic community never gave up.

They deployed fliers, trail cams and even a live trap. They laid out scent trails. They followed carefully crafted guidelines from lost-dog experts.

And in the end, their work paid off. Read More

Piles of pickles, quilts, woodcarvings are shown at the Fair. This guy wrangles it all.

Every year starting in mid-August, a would-be mountain of afghans, quilts, Norwegian sweaters, pickles and pies begin arriving at the Minnesota State Fair from artisans across the state. Read More

They’re Quilts on a Stick, Minnesota State Fair-style

Five years ago, the folks at the Minnesota State Fair’s Creative Activities building decided to mix it up a little and launched a quirky new category, Quilt on a Stick. Read More

Editor and Reporter/Nursing Minnesota

Feature story — Judi Johnson

Judi Johnson was a rising star in 1991. The American Cancer Society had transformed her PhD dissertation into a national patient education program, called “I Can Cope,” and she had become a nationally renowned speaker. She broke more ground by helping establish Minneapolis’ first hospice, then brought media attention to hospice and cancer nursing when she coordinated nursing care for Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey during his final weeks....read more

Nursing the Troops in Bosnia

Flight nurse Linda Jensen, RN, spent much of October, November and early December in tents in the middle of a windy Hungarian plain. The temperature dipped to 20 degrees at night, flights were difficult and dozens of desperate Americans soldiers passed through. But Jensen, a captain in the Air National Guard, neverthless would volunteer again to support U.S. peacekeeping troops in Bosnia....read more

Healthy Seniors Project

Allan Swanson, 89, is glad to be back at his home in south Minneapolis, with its beautiful view of Lake Nokomis. He had lived there for years, running errands for the older folks and contributing to his neighborhood. But in 1995, surgery to remove a tumor in his lower back nearly devastated his health.
"I lost everything," he said. "I couldn't walk. I was like a baby."....read more

Pioneer Nurse Practitioner

On a recent autumn day, mothers stream through the neat, curved hallways of the Ne-ia-shing Clinic in rural Onamia with their children. Some wheeze with allergies, some ache with colds and flu. The nurse practitioner dispenses practical advice and medications. The young patients make their routine stop at the treat drawer as the visit ends. But one by one as the small groups leave, the mothers call out the same thing.
"Thanks, Gert." ...read more

Mental Health Nurse

Phyllis Goranson, RN, was a nursing student when she set out to be a mental health nurse. She had just finished a psychiatric clinical rotation at a state hospital, in the 1950s, the time of lobotomies and punitive-style care. Stereotypical loose-hanging light bulbs, patients screaming from windows and nurses straight off the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest were part of her experience....read more