Midwest
‘American Gothic’, famous piece by artist Grant Wood, is displayed to visitors at the Art Institute of Chicago
“American Gothic” is a famous piece of artwork by Iowa-born Grant Wood.
The painting by Wood depicts a man and a woman standing in front of a house.
The man, a farmer, wears overalls, with a pitchfork in his hand, looking straight at the viewer, where the woman’s head is turned slightly with a stern look on her face.
Grant Wood from Iowa is the artist of “American Gothic.” (Getty Images )
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Though there is a clear age gap between the man and the woman in the painting, the relationship between them is unknown. The painting could depict a husband and wife, or a father and his daughter.
To create his famous work, Wood used his sister Nan, and his dentist, Dr. B.H. McKeeby, as models for the pair standing in front of the house in the painting, according to Britannica. The two posed separately as Wood worked on the painting.
The house in the background of the painting was inspired by one Wood saw in Eldon, Iowa, according to the Art Institute of Chicago’s website.
Many who view “American Gothic” have theories about the story behind the famous painting. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The house was built in the Carpenter Gothic style, one that was popular in the 1880s.
The painting was completed by Wood in 1930. Upon completion, Wood submitted it to the Art Institute of Chicago, where it was accepted into a major show, according to the art institute.
Wood won the Norman Wait Harris Bronze Award for his painting and won $300 as his prize.
“American Gothic” is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
The painting has remained at the Art Institute of Chicago to this day. When it was first put on display, it quickly grew in popularity.
Much of the public interest in the painting came from viewers trying to fill in the blanks of the story. Not much is known of the background story of the painting, so many have made their own guesses.
One popular belief of the painting is that it was meant to be a satirical take on the Midwest, according to the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood repeatedly rejected this throughout his life, according to Britannica.
The Art Institute of Chicago says on its website that Wood wanted to “convey a positive image of rural American values, offering a vision of reassurance at the beginning of the Great Depression.”
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Michigan
Thousands without power in mid-Michigan
ROSCOMMON, Mich. (WNEM) – Power outages are starting to pop up around mid-Michigan as severe thunderstorms roll through the area.
Consumers Energy is reporting these outages:
- Roscommon County: 1,305 customers affected
- Ogemaw County: 5,989 customers affected
- Iosco County: 840 customers affected
- Clare County: 390 customers affected
- Gladwin County: 1,187 customers affected
- Arenac County: 732 customers affected
- Bay County: 222 customers affected
So far, DTE Energy is reporting 94 outages in Huron County.
Click here for the Consumers Outage map and here for DTE.
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Minnesota
Minnesota Wild Signs Goaltender Calvin Pickard to a One-Year Contract | Minnesota Wild
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goaltender Calvin Pickard to a one-year, $1,000,000 contract for the 2026-27 season.
Pickard, 34 (4/15/92), has appeared in 191 career games (157 starts) over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Colorado Avalanche (2014-17), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-18), Philadelphia Flyers (2018), Arizona Coyotes (2018-19), Detroit Red Wings (2019-22) and Edmonton Oilers (2023-26), owning a 74-77-14 record with a 2.96 goals-against average (GAA), .901 save percentage (SV%), and five shutouts. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Moncton, New Brunswick, has also played in 13 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (nine starts) across two postseason appearances with Edmonton (2024, 2025), posting an 8-2 record with a 2.72 GAA and .892 SV%.
Pickard tallied a 5-6-2 record with a 3.68 GAA and .871 SV% in 16 games (13 starts) with Edmonton in 2025-26 while also appearing in eight games for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he recorded a 4-3-1 record with a 3.26 GAA, .886 SV% and one shutout. He has posted a 161-117-61 record, 2.66 GAA, .913 SV% and 21 shutouts in 329 career AHL games across 13 seasons with Lake Erie (2011-15), San Antonio (2015-16), Toronto (2017-18), Tucson (2018-19), Grand Rapids (2019-22) and Bakersfield (2022-26). He owns a 1-2 record, 2.01 GAA and .925 SV% five career Calder Cup Playoff Games and helped the Toronto Marlies win the Calder Cup in 2018.
Pickard represented Canada at the 2010 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2017. He was originally selected by Colorado in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can place a deposit now, contact [email protected] for more information. Deposits are now accepted for single game suite rentals, contact [email protected] for more information. Pricing and on-sale dates for Minnesota Wild 2026-27 preseason and regular-season single-game tickets will be announced later this summer.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
Missouri
In Missouri, Software ‘Bug’ Leads to Tax Deadline Extension
(TNS) — St. Charles County has extended the deadline for its senior property tax freeze after reporting a ‘bug’ had caused computer problems in the county.
The original deadline was June 30. Residents now have until July 6 to sign-up or renew.
County Collector Michelle McBride said the extension was necessary after a software ‘bug’ from a third-party vendor caused the online sign-up portal to crash 10 days ago. The website stayed offline until this past Wednesday.
“I just feel like it is the right thing to do, to give people more time to apply,” McBride told the Post-Dispatch.
She said no personal information was released as a result of the malfunction.
To receive the tax freeze, residents need to provide proof of property ownership, that the property is their primary residence and that they are at least 62 years old.
McBride said residents could still submit paper applications during the outage, but she knows many residents prefer to use the online portal.
The extension covers applications submitted online, through the mail and in-person, McBride said.
She said a relatively small number of people were likely impacted by the outage.
The county’s senior property tax freeze program, which was approved in March 2023, has 33,000 participants, including 1,500 first-time participants. More than 28,000 individuals had already submitted their renewal form or their application for the tax freeze prior to the outage.
Residents must reapply every year for the tax freeze program, though that could change: The County Council is considering removing the yearly renewal requirement.
McBride said she supports the proposed change.
“The main reason the renewal process was put in place, and rightfully so, was that it was a brand-new program,” McBride said. “We were going from ground zero, and we wanted to make sure there was minimal ability for fraud.”
The renewal process is no longer needed, McBride said.
Moreover, she said, it has created “unnecessary administrative burdens” for St. Charles County seniors.
Plus, she said, the county has new technology tools through the county assessor’s office that automatically notify the collector’s staff of property ownership changes. And the State’s Bureau of Vital Records, which issues death certificates, has agreed to alert the collector’s office when a death certificate is issued for a resident over the age of 62 in St. Charles County.
“With the resources and tools that we have, and the experience that we’ve had with this program, we feel it is time to eliminate this headache for the seniors,” McBride said.
Per the draft proposal, participants enrolled in the program would remain enrolled unless ownership of the property changes, the property no longer qualifies as their primary residence, or the person no longer meets eligibility requirements. A person could also be removed from the program if the county collector’s office requests updated documentation and does not receive it in a timely manner, McBride said.
“We will retain the right to audit the program, verifying that there isn’t fraud happening,” McBride said.
The Council is expected to vote July 13 on eliminating the renewal requirement, which would take effect in 2027.
© 2026 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Visit www.stltoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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