The News, Lancaster, MN

The news. Well, for starters lets talk local. Locally not much happens that is news worthy in Lancaster. The local news tends to be filled with articles documenting festivals and restaurant openings. The biggest piece of news circulating the area is about the recent flooding. During my first month here we were constantly under severe flood warnings. While it rains a lot here, it has never rained/stormed so much. Therefore, resulting in some very nasty flooding. It was so bad they actually shut down the university last year during final exams. Additionally, many businesses in town were flooded and are currently undergoing reconstruction. Fortunatly, nothing too important was damaged, however there is a French restaurant that I am anxiously awaiting to reopen.

My main source of news has been the Economist these days. I changed my subscription so I still get my magazines here in England. The most interesting news in England is the issue over whether or not the UK will leave the European Union. There seems to be lots of problems surrounding the issue. First of all, being in the EU allows for free trade across all nations - which means I can get a pizza imported from Calabria for a very low price. Additionally, UK acts as a gateway to the EU in the economic world. Many third parties use the UK as a stable and reliable way to enter into business in the EU. The UK is probably the most stable economy in Europe, and therefore attracts a lot of business for the EU. Some worry that if the UK leaves the EU it may hurt the EU more than the UK. Others seem to fear a chain reaction, and warn of other nations using Britain's exit as a means to leave as well.

The other news that has been circulating greatly just by word-of-mouth and talking to people on my travels, seems to be surrounding the immigrant crisis. After talking to several people on this issue, I have found that this issue is important. There seems to be a general consensus among those I have spoken with that they are fine to opening up their borders to refugees. It is nice to hear this from peers and fellow travelers. Talking about this issue is very different from just reading about it or watching news reports. Talking to people about recent events can result in much more exposure to a regional opinion than just reading news papers.

Until next time. --Ellie Najewicz