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In her debut play, ‘Muyehpen,’ the state’s only Karen theater artist explores one of her culture’s most important folktales

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

Ehkhudah Zar is the only professional theater artist in the state from the Karen ethnic group — perhaps even the world — and her debut play based on a cultural folktale is premiering this month in St. Paul.The Karen people are a minority in their native Myanmar and have long faced persecution and violence from Burmese authorities, so many — Zar included — became refugees. With a Karen population in the ballpark of 10,000, St. Paul is one of the most important cities in the U.S. Karen diaspora.Zar’s play tells the legend of Muyehpen, an ethereally beautiful Karen woman who, long ago, was captured by a Thai king and sacrificed. In Karen history, Muyehpen (pronounced “mou-yeh-peh”) is a powerful symbol of resilience.Exposed Brick Theater is presenting Zar’s adaptation of “Muyehpen” from May 19 to 27 at the Historic Mounds Theater (1029 Hudson Rd.).  Tickets are pay-what-you-can, from $7 to $22, and a select number of free tickets are available for each show as well. Some showtimes are ...

Ask Amy: A guest waffles on potlucks and raffles

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

Dear Amy: My girlfriend hosts birthday parties for her grandchildren every year, and on the invitation she asks that we bring a dish in exchange for a raffle ticket.She has a raffle at the end of the party for something that is not of great value.So, along with bringing a birthday present for her grandchild, I also bring a dish.One time I did not bring food. She asked me where it was, and I said that I didn’t have time to prepare something. She told me I wouldn’t get a raffle ticket.When she was pulling the raffle ticket for the winner of her door prize … she looked at me and said in front of everyone that I was not to be included in the raffle because I did not bring food.I feel that if you are having a party, the guest should not have to bring a dish. She is now having a graduation party for her oldest grandchild and once again on the invitation she is telling guests to “bring a dish.”Am I wrong to assume that when you host a party you should also provide the foo...

Bridge: May 20, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Beginners are taught to “return partner’s lead.” Indeed, not doing so is a near-felony. A shift is perilous: If you return partner’s lead and it doesn’t work well, unlucky; but if you switch and that’s wrong, he may want to stake you to an anthill.Today’s West led the queen of spades against 3NT, and East correctly overtook with the king to get out of his partner’s way. South played low. Since East wanted to avoid recriminations, he returned his last spade.NINE TRICKSSouth won, lost a club finesse to East’s king, won a diamond shift and lost a heart finesse. He won the next diamond and had nine tricks.East should see that returning West’s lead is futile. West can’t have an entry to his spades; the deck doesn’t have enough points. But if East shifts to a diamond at Trick Two (hoping West has the jack), careful defense beats the co...

Word Game: May 20, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DEPARTS (DEPARTS: dih-PARTS: Goes away, dies or deviates.)Average mark 37 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 45 or more words in DEPARTS? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — RAPACIOUS rasp acai aria aspic aura auric pair pica pious pour prosaic carp casa ciao coir copra corps corpus coup craps crisp crop croup curio cusp opus orca ours uric sari scar scarp scour scrap scup sirup soap soar sora soup sour spar spur supraTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not all...

Get to know Travis Bell: Q&A with the new Chicago Bears defensive tackle’s college coach

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

Even after selecting two defensive tackles on Day 2 of the NFL draft, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles could not resist the opportunity to scoop up a third.There was too much about Travis Bell’s makeup and hustle that drew Poles to the player, so the Bears selected him in the seventh round with the No. 218 pick, adding a developmental player from the FCS level to the position group.“This is probably one of my favorite human beings,” Poles said of the Kennesaw State product. “He is a special person. I didn’t want him to leave after his 30 visit and he didn’t want to leave either. There’s something different about this guy. He is passionate about the game.”Kennesaw State coach Brian Bohannon described a similar affinity for Bell and what he meant to the school’s program. Bohannon spoke to the Tribune about the defensive tackle’s development and prospects for a professional career. Here’s that interview, edited f...

Experts urge caution as forest fire season ramps up in Ontario, flames spread in the west

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

As flames continue to fan across parts of Alberta and British Columbia, experts urge caution in Ontario while forest fire season ramps up in the province.“We’ve been lucky we haven’t had a terrible season yet and while there is the potential that we’ll see more fire activity later on this season, we’re already being impacted by forest fires because of the smoke from B.C. and Alberta,” Dr. Eric Kennedy, an associate professor of disaster and emergency management at York University, told CityNews during an interview about fires.“Folks need to remember that that smoke can be really bad for your health, not just for those with preexisting conditions, although they can be affected worse by it, for everyone including even our pets.”The haze seen occasionally in southern Ontario in recent days serves as a reminder of what’s coming to the province and reinforces the need to be prepared.“Agencies across Canada have been attuned to t...

How the Kyle Dubas, Brendan Shanahan negotiation fell to pieces

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

An emotional and honest press conference.A request for more money than anticipated.An email expressing a desire that arrived too late.These are the levers that, as President Brendan Shanahan presented in a measured press conference Friday, pulled Kyle Dubas away from the Toronto Maple Leafs after nine years of heart-on-sleeve service, the final five as general manager.“This was ultimately my decision,” Shanahan asserted.Here, according to Shanahan, is how he arrived at the decision to not renew Dubas’s contract Friday and begin an urgent search to hire the next general manager of the Maple Leafs as soon as possible.Flash back to the summer of 2022, Dubas having guided the group to its sixth consecutive opening-round exit, the fourth under the young executive’s tenure.Shanahan walked into Dubas’s office at Ford Performance Centre and informed him that he would not be receiving a contract extension. Dubas would be judged on the full five years of his orig...

Boy, 17, shot and killed on Northwest side

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are looking for a man in connection to the fatal shooting of a boy on the city's Northwest side early Saturday morning.According to police, the 17-year-old boy was walking outside near the 2000 block of North Pulaski Road in Hermosa around 3:37 a.m. when a man wearing a white hooded sweatshirt fired shots at him. Parents want answers after 2 Chicago elementary schools went on lockdown The boy sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and abdomen and was transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead shortly after.No one is in custody and police are investigating the incident.

Minnesota teen lands monster sturgeon while fishing from dock

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

NEAR BAUDETTE, Minn. — At first glance, it looked as if the boy fishing off the dock last Sunday at Ballard’s Resort near the mouth of the Rainy River was hopelessly snagged.His fishing rod was bent nearly double, but a closer look revealed it wasn’t from a snag.Dawson Erickson was wrestling a fish, and it looked to be a real monster.Erickson, 14, of Thief River Falls, and his dad, Kevin, and sister Ava, 9, had wandered down to the dock Sunday morning, May 14, to try and catch a sturgeon before heading home for Mother’s Day. They’d opened up the family camper for the season in the lot they rent from the resort just across the street, but Kevin’s wife, Alicia, hadn’t made the trip because of a prior commitment.“She was just sick that she couldn’t be here, and we thought, ‘Well, we’ll open up the camper and just fish a little bit from the dock,’ ” Kevin said. “My boat’s still in storage.”About two hours had passed without so much as a nibble from a sturgeon.“They’d been jumping ...

Glenn Zimmerman's long-range summer 2023 forecast

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:02:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS – We are in the middle of a major global pattern change. We are moving from our third La Nina year to an El Niño pattern. And there are some indications that this pattern could be what’s called a Super Niño. That sounds pretty ominous – and it could be.The last Super Niño pattern was in 2016, and we saw the warmest global temperature on record. It also could bring a heightened risk of droughts and floods and stronger storms. However, it could also bring a quieter hurricane season. But what does that all mean to St. Louis? Let’s dive into it.JuneWe begin June a bit behind the eight ball. April and May have trended dry and our yearly average for rainfall is running a little bit short.The drought severity across Missouri is heightened just a bit because of this. So, we need rain.Ask your lawn or garden. I’ve seen more sprinklers running in the last few weeks because of this. I think the dry pattern of the last few weeks will continue into June. We will have some opportun...