Skip to Content
Opinion

Important Friday Open Thread Question: Can You Breathe?

It's time for you talk about whatever's on your mind, Racket pals.

The air in Minnesota seems to be clearing up some after a smoggy, smoky week. But it was not pleasant, and that seems like an obvious starting point for our open thread discussion this week.

The lousy air also makes me want to mention something I'm kind of evangelical about. Have you ever gotten allergy shots, or thought about it? I have and I gotta say it changed my life. Before I did, there were days when I simply could not function and others when I was simply disgusting to be around. Now I rarely if ever suffer more than a couple sneezes and my eyes no longer look like Rocky's going into the 15th round.

Of course, this open thread is, as always, a place where you can gab about whatever you want. Feel free to ignore my health advice or the gross air completely and talk about what's on your mind.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

MN Reformer Asks: Will Rep. Hudson’s Extremely Embarrassing Gun/Booze Incident End His Extremely Online Ways?

Plus Cardamom abruptly cans human servers, a look at the evil 'challenge coins' inside Whipple, and the Times takes the 'Purple Tour' in today's Flyover news roundup.

April 13, 2026

Record Store Day, Vintage Finds, the Return of Kirby Pucker Beer: This Week’s Best Happenings

Plus MSPIFF and the Saint Paul Art Crawl carries on, tons of concerts, mini-golf, and more.

April 13, 2026

We Found It: Bryon Noem Bimbo Dominatrix Ginormous Balloon Boobs Story Has Local Angle

Plus a 'Wanna Buy' no one can afford, a conspiracy nut segues into an immigrant judge, and Weather Loon in today's Flyover news roundup.

Tell Us How You Use—Or Don’t Use—AI in This Week’s Open Thread

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, the readers.

April 10, 2026

Meet the Guys Who Decide What Beers Appear at Your Local Liquor Store

France 44's Bill Nosan and 'Fitty' Fitzpatrick at Thomas Liquors have almost 50 years of beer-buying experience between them.

April 10, 2026

Freeloader Friday: 103 Free Things To Do This Weekend

Bike rides, gallery crawls, Indigenous-run events, rock shows, and more.

See all posts