JoAnn Miles drinks coffee in her van Monday, May 2, 2022, in Rotary Park while her Great Danes Gabriel, left, and Liv keep watch from the back window. The high Mississippi River water level has attracted several onlookers to the park in Brainerd.
I was raised on a farm in western Minnesota where I participated in 4-H, high school sports, and everything that farm kids do for fun after chores. Graduated from Ridgewater Community College with an AA degree and my first taste of newspapering. I worked a summer on the Ortonville Independent as a reporter and photographer.
