Marilyn Hagerty: The news is everywhere, but life goes on – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — They came from far and wide to attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. At the same time, the Lofthus brothers gathered in nearby McVille, North Dakota.

I found them having coffee here in Grand Forks on Wheatland Terrace, where they stopped by to visit their aunt Darlene Lofthus. And it helped me realize that life goes on. No matter what’s happening at the political conventions. And on the national stage.

It was interesting to hear South Dakota Governor Krisiti Noem say at the national convention, “We hit the gas pedal in South Dakota. Our economy has taken off. In South Dakota,” she said, “our economy broke budgets, balanced budgets.”

And when a presidential candidate withdrew on Sunday, the news began to circulate again. Who would replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee was the question from coast to coast, from cities to towns.

And then you wonder: what does Donald Trump think about this?

So the news is rampant. But life in the summertime goes on. There are lots of family gatherings. And the Lofthus brothers who visited the area were Russell from Sioux Falls, Philip from Pipestone, Minn., David from New Orleans, Jeffrey from Juneau, Alaska, and Rich from Yankton, South Dakota.

Paul, formerly of Grand Forks, has passed away.

The Lofthus brothers remember eating a lot in the fields as children. And they all rode motorcycles.

They went hunting and fishing. “Everything McVille had to offer,” they said.