News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 21st 2025
Winter Gains a New Perspective Through the Eyes of South Junior Frances Pickar
Reprinted with permission from The Southerner.
Plainly put, the Minnesotan winter is hard. Over eras and generations, the people who occupy the land we now call Minnesota have faced wintry temperatures and the dreaded and universal experience of cold toes and stinging ears. Living through winter in our state takes quite the toll on you and I, but it bakes something into us. The cold can influence our moods and actions, sometimes even more than the people around us can. It can anger us, it can chill us to our core, and interestingly, it can inspire us. One of the many inspired by this annual ice we encounter is Frances Pickar, a junior at South High.
Enrolled in AP Art, Pickar’s sustained investigation explored her “general feeling of cold and ennui in the winter months.” She added that she’d like to magnify “what it means to be frigid physically and emotionally using color, perspective, and many portraits.” One of her latest pieces, an acrylic painting titled My Favorite Hat, shows a weary and cool-toned version of Pickar.… Read the rest “Winter Gains a New Perspective Through the Eyes of South Junior Frances Pickar”
Predictions for the 2025 Homebuying Season
By NICOLE ROTHSTEIN , a contributing writer for Sunrise Banks.
Over the next few weeks, as winter gives way to clearer skies and greener grass, many people will turn their thoughts toward buying or selling a home.
April through June is typically peak homebuying season – homes tend to sell faster, competition is higher for buyers and more homes are on the market.
Will 2025 track in that direction? What will be different about this homebuying season? Should you consider buying or selling?
To get some answers, we talked with Chuck Meier, Senior Vice President – Director of Mortgage Sales at Sunrise Banks. Chuck has over 35 years of experience in financial services, including 30+ years in mortgage lending.
Q: Will 2025 be a better time to buy a house than in the past few years?
Chuck: Indicators are leaning toward a better housing market in 2025. Inventories continue to grow and the amount of time houses are on the market is rising. These are both good signs for homebuyers.
Q: What are your thoughts on home prices and affordability?
Chuck: This will depend on price points in specific markets. Home prices will remain elevated in the entry-level housing market, with demand being greater.… Read the rest “Predictions for the 2025 Homebuying Season”
The Best Films of 2024
from the series Movie Corner…
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
- I’m Still Here (Portuguese with English subtitles), Directed by Walter Salles
- Nickel Boys, Directed by RaMell Ross
- A Complete Unknown, Directed by James Mangold
- Small Things Like These, Directed by Tim Mielants
- The Substance, Directed by Coralie Fargeat
- Sing Sing, Directed by Greg Kwedar*
- Conclave, Directed by Edward Berger
- Sugarcane, Directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie*
- The Brutalist, Directed by Brady Corbet
- A Real Pain, Directed by Jesse Eisenberg
Other films to consider:
The Apprentice, The Order, Nosferatu, Between the Temples, Power, Lost in a Mountain of Maine, Limbo, Bonjour Switzerland, The Wild Robot, Wicked, Queer, Civil War.
*Films from the Minneapolis- Saint Paul International Film Festival, 2024.
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