By Matt Mitzel As I continue to spotlight some unique and great people in our community, I can’t stop thinking fast enough before Maria Hoffman pops up as one of the greats. The funny thing is, it’s always what she does behind the scenes that is the most notable since taking credit isn’t really her thing. Well, it is time to give her some. When I moved here, the thing she stood out for was that she was the main vocalist at the St. Mary’s Church in Munich. If anyone has been to a mass where she is leading things, she has a bright smile and you followed her hand for when it was your time to sing. I’m not much of a singer. I noticed she raises up her hand to get the audience to sing. If I didn’t sing, instead of an open lifted hand, she would kind of knife dagger it in my direction, which I knew was my cue to sing louder. Even last night, I went into church to look at the reading roster to make sure I could have a beer at lunch, and she was there practicing.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia I’m penning this week’s column as I sit at gate C26 in Minneapolis awaiting my final flight to Grand Forks, culminating a week’s long adventure that took me to New Zealand for our fall broadcaster’s group convention. Our gathering was held on the northern part of the island in a city called Whakatane. The ‘Wha’ in Whakatane is pronounced with the Fah sound (as in fa so la ti do), so let’s say it together so you can get an idea of what I endured - FAHK A TAH NEE. Now, say it three times fast, and try not to laugh. To make matters worse, there is an I-Max Theatre called the WhakaMax that the locals, of course, pronounce as - FAHKA MAX. That’s a great radio commercial - See Taylor Swift in Party of a Showgirl at the Fahka Max Theatre in Fahk a tah nee. Yeah, you’re getting the idea.

Last week was my birthday, and if you took a few seconds to text, call, send a card or post a message on Facebook, thank you. I love my birthday month even though sometimes October can be a little spicy in the weather department. A few years ago, I posted a picture of me sitting on our deck on a Tuesday wearing shorts and enjoying the sunshine next to a picture of our deck two days later covered in over a foot of heavy, wet snow. This year, October has been a little dreary, but plenty of sunny days have been sprinkled in. Last Sunday was perfect fall weather - sunny, high of about 52 with just a slight breeze. My tireless hubby managed to drain, clean and refill the hot tub; drain the patio fountain; haul the patio furniture up to the office for winter storage; mow and trim the yard; haul out the recycling and go hunting. An unfortunate reality that spoils my birthday month of October a teensy bit is sharing it with another columnist. He Who Shall Not Be Named is the writer of the column below me. Both his first and last name start with an “M.” While that guy spent his birthday whining about getting the wrong pickles on his burger, I spent the eve of mine giving a lifesaving blood donation. I have O negative blood, which means my donations are in high demand, and the lovely volunteers at Vitalant have my number on speed dial. I give as often as I can, especially now that I’ve figured out how to handle it. I’m not afraid of needles, I don’t get woozy at the sight of blood, I don’t get too bothered by a newbie tech having to adjust the needle when it’s already in my arm. What has put me under the table in years past is the time it takes to fill a bag of blood and the ensuing drop in my hemoglobin. I would get so wiped out after a blood donation, it would sometimes take weeks to recover. I never put two and two together until one time, a day or two after donating, I was on a 10-mile training run with my running buddies, Jenn and Abby. About six or seven miles in, I could barely put one foot in front of the other. Jenn and Abby wondered if they should call Greg. Frustrated, I called my doctor and had some bloodwork done. My hemoglobin was in the tank.

There’s no better way to get out of a cloud funk than a wedding! Last Saturday, we road tripped to Fargo for the wedding of a beautiful young couple from Langdon, Amber and Kyle Witzel. The sun was shining, and the couple was married outdoors with beautiful scenery and landscape decorated for fall.

Illness combined with deadlines is a recipe for chaos, and my day has certainly reflected it. Phil and I spent the weekend battling whatever bug is going around, and I was still feeling the effects of dehydration and fatigue when I started the work week.

Playoffs? Did you say Playoffs?!? YES, it’s that time of year!! As we start up this week, we are ready to go for the start of the 2025 North High School Football Playoffs, beginning on Oct. 25.

My hat is off to the Ranchers’ Rights Initiative directors for filing their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the North Dakota Beef Commission’s appointment process. The beef commission wields a multi-million dollar annual budget funded by producers across N.D., many of them choosing not to affiliate with cattle producer organizations.

A few weekends ago, my sister called and asked if she could hang out at our house for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. This is not a normal request, so I asked why she was coming here from Grand Forks. Well, it turns out that through the help of social media, her 17-year-old son, a senior at Grand Forks Central, had met a pretty girl from Edinburg that he wanted to see, and my sister had decided she didn’t want him navigating the treacherous roads of Highways 2 and 32 on his own. I stifled a giggle and said sure, come on up.

I recently became aware of another new scam in our area, which reminded me of a scare I had a few years ago. I wrote about it then and decided to reprint it in this week’s column in the hopes of retaining awareness for all.

It might be gloomy and chilly outside, but I received an email last week that absolutely brightened my day. One of my favorite things about this job is hearing back from readers (especially when they are compliments)! A dear reader named Vonnie Johnson reached out, and although she is from Watford City, she has been subscribing to The Borderland Press since we’ve been printing because “it feels so hometown” to her, as she put it.