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TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – This week, students in southern Arizona’s largest school district are heading back to the classroom.

During the summer break, some of Tucson Unified School District’s facilities got some much-needed work.

TUSD’s first day is Thursday and officials said there are some changes that have been made on the facilities team to make students and staff safer.

“The whole idea is to make support easy for our school campuses so that they can really focus on instruction and getting their kids and teachers settled in, and engaging families that might be new to the district,” said TUSD Chief Operations Officer Blaine Young.

Students and staff will be returning during one of the hottest months of the year, and this puts a lot of pressure on the HVAC systems.

There was a big issue in previous years that left students and teachers to work in the heat without air conditioning.

The facilities team said staffing was a major factor.

“With lack of sufficient numbers of technicians to address the issues, we’re trying to do the best that we could with the staff that we had and that’s why we felt that it was important that we needed to engage other resources in order to react quicker,” said Greg Meier, director of facility maintenance.

TUSD has hired four additional preventative maintenance technicians for the HVAC department specifically. They’re also putting a command center in place to help facilitate high-priority problems like HVAC issues.

“We have now put in a decision tree for incoming HVAC work orders,” Meier said. “So the decision tree that we’ve developed helps us determine if we can address an incoming work order internally or if we need to send it to a supplemental contractor.”

On top of that, they’re also assigning teams to go out on a quarterly basis to replace air filters and check for any other issues. To get ready for the new school year, they’ve done temperature audits through all the classrooms.

“We did an actual site walk, a temperature audit of the classrooms to see what things actually looked like so we can determine if there’s anything that needs immediate attention now before school starts,” said TUSD mechanical manager Aaron Canez.

The team said there may be a couple of units that need some work, but there are no school sites that are completely without AC.

TUSD said they are also working toward replacing some of the HVAC units with new ones as funds are available.

Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.

This isn’t the first time we’ve reported that SONDORS is ready to deliver its Metacycle electric motorcycle to pre-order customers. But to be fair, it’s not the first time the Southern California-based company has said it was ready for deliveries. But now with photos of Metacycles purportedly in SONDORS’ domestic logistics facilities, the first bikes could finally be heading on their way to riders.

The SONDORS Metacycle electric motorcycle is one of the first affordable highway-capable electric motorcycles in the country.

That’s what makes the bike so significant and what helped create a long line of pre-orders when it was unveiled 18 months ago for an attractive $5,000 price. Compared to Zero’s models that start at over twice that price and LiveWire’s entry-level models that more than triple it, the bike was a refreshing offering in an expensive industry.

However, the Metacycle has followed a roller-coaster path on its way through production, racking up design changes and price hikes for subsequent production runs.

But the very first bikes now look ready to roll, based on the photos below that were emailed to pre-order customers on Friday.

As with most SONDORS Metacycle updates, even this one has been stingy on the details. We don’t actually know how many bikes are now prepared for shipment, despite the first batch of Metacycles was originally anticipated to be at least 1,000 units.

Only nine bikes are actually visible in the warehouse images, with all of them appearing to be in the Naked Silver colorway. A number of shipping cartons that will slip over the steel cage are visible in the background of some images. However, there’s no indication of whether those are empty boxes that have been printed and are awaiting bikes or whether they represent dozens more Metacycles lined up and ready for shipment.

It leaves a number of questions related to the Metacycle’s winding and sometimes frustrating pathway toward production.

We’ve all seen what the past 18 months have done to supply chains and delivery timelines across nearly every major industry. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that the original delivery timelines provided by SONDORS have come and gone.

But even last month the company sounded quite positive about deliveries beginning in June. As far as we know, no customers received their delivery in June. With only a few hours left in July, it now appears that August 2022 could see the first Metacycle deliveries.

When the Metacycle launched 18 months ago, it appeared it would be alone in the affordable electric motorcycle market. But ever since then, several new entries have either launched or at least debuted ahead of production commencement.

We tested out the $6,000 Kollter ES1 last summer, which offers specs that are nearly as good as those claimed by the Metacycle. You can see my test ride video below.

A new start-up known as Ryvid recently unveiled the Anthem electric motorcycle, which could offer stiff competition against the Metacycle when it arrives next summer.

Another electric bicycle company, SUPER73, also unveiled a light electric motorcycle this year, though it was more of a concept and doesn’t have any hard estimates for production dates yet.

But if the SONDORS Metacycle can begin deliveries in August, it could become one of the first affordable models on the road along with the Kollter ES1 below.

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Have you ever had the feeling that society was crumbling around you? Do you think the G-Men are watching you? Do you fear the inevitable slide of your home country into an authoritarian hellscape? Well, then, Mr. Prepper is probably going to be less fun and more like a guide for you. If you aren’t a member of the tinfoil hat crowd, give the game a look because it’s surprisingly engaging.

Editor’s Note: GiN previewed Mr. Prepper last year when the game was still in beta, and our reviewer was excited about how it was going. Check out Mr. Prepper when it was still, well, prepping to be a good game.

You play a gentleman who lives in a country whose slide into an authoritarian dictatorship has been rapid but unsurprising, but you have decided that fate is not for you. No, you have Plans with a capital P, and these plans involve building a bunker below your meticulously maintained home and eventually a rocket that will help you escape.

Why must your home be so meticulously maintained? It’s not just a question of making certain no one suspects your grand designs because the G-men frequently inspect your home to determine whether you’re in compliance. You see, in this authoritarian hellscape, everything you have is rationed out, from the types of furniture to the number of cans in your pantry to the amount of electricity you consume, and any deviation from the allotment is suspicious and therefore dangerous to your plans. Suspicious behavior means more inspections which means more opportunities for discovery. Needless to say, we can’t have that.

Review Notes

Let’s start with the bad things about this game. First, there is combat, and gentle readers, it is irredeemably awful. It is repetitive and uninspired, but don’t let that dissuade you from trying this game. The graphics are somewhat lackluster, but frankly, that almost adds to the game’s charm. The grainy images give a certain retro, off-the-grid kind of ambience. The sound isn’t much to write home about, and there are places in which the game mechanics can become unwieldy. There’s also an immense amount of resource grinding, so you definitely should take that into consideration before deciding to play.

Now, that’s out of the way, let’s talk gameplay. Mr. Prepper is deceptively simple. You must construct your bunker using resources you have at hand and can source elsewhere, so long as you remain compliant above-ground. For example, you can dismantle pieces of furniture in your home to generate needed resources, but you must replace the dismantled pieces with something else before the next inspection.

The other way you acquire resources and goods is by working a network of similarly-minded malcontents that you develop as you go through the game, and this aspect is quite possibly the most fun I had while playing Mr. Prepper.

As it happens, most people don’t like the government any more than you do, but they’re unwilling to trust you until you do little errands for them to build that trust. As you do these errands, which show up as quests, you can unlock more people in different areas as you expand your network. Getting out of your neighborhood is key because as you might imagine, suburbia isn’t really rife with useful materials. Thus, you go explore a forest where you barter with hunters and eventually can even find a mine. However, each new level of the mine requires a pass, and you can only acquire a pass by, you guessed it, doing favors for key characters. It’s a deliciously fun mechanic.

The types of resources you’ll need are wide-ranging and varied, which is nice. You’ll need wood, metal, electronics, plastics, and more, so you’re always looking for ways to scrounge the necessary bits to aid in your efforts to build the perfect bunker. While your bunker may never be Architectural Digest-worthy, depending on your ingenuity as a player, it can become quite the masterpiece.

You have the option of collecting rain water, so long as you make certain to bring in your excess buckets over your allotted number before the next inspection, that you store in massive tanks you create. You can build generators to supplement your meager power supply, and you can refine fuel to upgrade those generators later. With some planning, you can craft greenhouses to supplement your food supply.

You’ll also learn to cook, and note that your food is perishable. If you carry food on your person, it will decay faster, and whatever you do, don’t fall asleep with food in your pockets. Just don’t. Early on, I’d recommend focusing on water collection because you’ll need a lot of water to make soups to keep yourself fed. There’s so much stuff to juggle in Mr. Prepper that believe me, you’ll find the game to be an engaging challenge.

TLDR

Mr. Prepper’s premise is a deceptively simple one, but you’ll find yourself exploring and developing different strategies to reach your end goal, which is escape. You’ll take a delightful tour of your world and meet similarly seditious folks who can offer you needed items or books for upgrades, for a price of a few favors of course. Mr. Prepper looks very much like a game that can be picked up and put down, but I really think you’ll find that you’ll forget some of your plans if you let the game sit for too long. Planning is crucial to success, and you can very easily back yourself into a corner. As the combat is lackluster and stylized, I’d say Mr. Prepper is alright for children on that front, but parents might want to play the game to see if the game’s themes are appropriate for their kids.

Mr. Prepper currently retails for $15.49 on the Nintendo Store. And if you are still unsure if you want to play, the prologue is free to play on Steam.

Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard

1. Y’all, your town is “Murricaville.” I nearly choked, I was laughing so hard.
2. The satire here is ON POINT.
3. I’ll be honest. I have no idea how the rocket building goes because I’ve been too busy developing my bunker. I’m not sure what this says about me. This also means I can’t really evaluate the story because I’m too busy building.
4. I will say, there’s a real emphasis on keeping Mr. Prepper fed, hydrated, and rested. It’s a good reminder for us all. Go drink some water. Yes, you.

MINNEAPOLIS — It may be summer break for Minnesota students, but there are people across the state working right now to keep them safe during the school year.

The Minnesota School Safety Center is a team of five people that travels around the state to help schools assess their risks and strengthen their plans with best practices from around the state and around the country.  

Randy Johnson is the team’s director.

“Much involvement needs to be done by the parents as far as understanding what’s going on and what are the expectations of parents when they do have a situation like that,” Johnson said. “But more importantly, what do we do on the front end before that type of incident does occur? Are we communicating when we have concerns about an individual, about a situation, about behaviors, about language, about things that are on social media?”

Johnson says parents with concerns about school safety should start by reaching out their local school.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Are you meal prepping for the back-to-school season? According to the USDA, food prices are up an average of 10.4% from June of 2021. They are projected to only continue to rise in the coming year.

Preparing your meals ahead of time is a great way to save money when prices are forever rising. So, how do you meal prep on a budget? What are the best foods to use and what should you avoid?

Here are some tips and some answers to some of your most asked meal prep questions.

Meal Prepping On A Budget

You can accidentally spend a lot of money if you’re meal prepping without making a budget. Some of the foods that are the simplest to make are also the most expensive. While using pre-made protein (think frozen meatballs, precooked chicken) may be more accessible to some and certainly does not need to be shamed, it may make the difference between a $3 meal and a $6 meal. These small changes can add up quickly.

Here are some good places to start when it comes to planning out your budget:

• What is the maximum you are able to spend per meal?
• What are you physically able to make with the time you have available to meal prep?
• How quickly do you get bored of a certain food and are you willing to repeat meals?
• How picky are the people you’re cooking for?
• Are you willing to try alternative forms of protein?

All of these questions will help you get a good idea of how you should proceed. If you’re willing to spend more money on a meal, you can pick whatever protein source you’d like. If you’re trying to save funds and open to protein sources that aren’t meat, get ready for beans to become your new best friend.

Not a fan of the same food multiple times a week? It will likely be more expensive for you to eat a different meal every day of the week.

Are you cooking for picky children? Prepare to get them involved in figuring out what they enjoy, and prepare for that to be a bit more costly than just cooking for yourself.

Looking for more tips on budgeting? Check out this article from Unlock Food through the link here.

“Good” Versus “Bad” Foods

Don’t get it confused: this is not a conversation about “healthy” versus “unhealthy” foods for meal prep. That is a conversation to have with a nutritionist. Instead, this is about what foods hold up well in the fridge or freezer. For that, you’ll want to look for things that don’t spoil quickly and don’t lose their flavor over time.

You don’t want to fill your fridge with a week’s worth of food only to get to Friday and realize how gross your roasted vegetables are after they’ve been in the freezer for four days.

To find a good list of foods you should include in your meal prep that won’t go back, you can click or tap on the link to an article by Well and Good here.

How To Meal Plan

There are lots of ways that you can meal plan depending on your budget, palate and ability.

It will take some time to figure out what works best for you. You might find that you enjoy eating sandwiches instead of meals requiring more effort. You might find that you work best with several options per day instead of a set schedule.

One article that could potentially help you plan is this one by Talia Koren at Work Week Lunch. This article gives an introduction to the benefits of meal planning and some tips on how to go through your schedule to find what makes for the greatest fit.

Sometimes it is easier to plan if you follow the plans of others first. If you’re looking for something super easy and extra simple to try out you can take a look at this video by fitness YouTuber Remington James. It features slow-cooked chicken, rice and sweet potatoes. If you want to branch out and diversify your meal plan, this video by YouTuber HealthNut Nutrition is a great starting point. Her meal plan features things like roasted vegetables, chicken, spiralized zucchini, fruit and more.

Elections offices around the state are ramping up for the Aug. 23 primary election.

Over the last few weeks, elections supervisors in the greater Tampa Bay region have sent out more than 1.1 million mail-in ballots to voters.

Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said his office is training poll workers and testing their voting machines.

“Does it count correctly? Well, we know what the outcome should be with these test decks. And they do in fact, count correctly,” he said. “So the machines now are locked down and resealed. And they’ll be put out at both early vote sites and then — as we get closer to election day — in the 270 polling sites that we will have around the county.”

More than 321,000 ballots were mailed to domestic voters in Hillsborough County last week and Latimer said he expects those ballots to start streaming in any day now.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said he anticipates receiving the bulk of mail-in ballots starting next week. So far, his office has gotten a few thousand ballots back from voters.

“You blink and it’ll be Election Day,” he said. “So we’re gearing up and we’re getting excited. We just hope the voters come out and come utilize this thing called democracy.”

Latimer explained how voting by mail in Florida works and said the process is extremely secure.

“Only registered voters that request a vote by mail ballot will get one,” Latimer said. “When you return that vote-by-mail ballot, you also have to sign the oath that’s on the back of the envelope. And we physically compare each one of those signatures to signatures we have on file.”

So far, Hillsborough County has received more than 200 ballots from military and overseas voters.

Below are the number of ballots mailed out by counties in the greater Tampa Bay area. You can click on your county to request a mail-in ballot:

The Hillsborough elections office finished training 1,844 poll workers this month. Latimer said this number is only slightly fewer than he expects to see volunteering in November’s midterm election.

He said starting Aug. 8, early voters can go to any of the 26 polling locations around Hillsborough County to cast their ballot.

“Find one that’s close to you — on the way to work, on the way home, on the way to the grocery store,” Latimer said. “Whichever is going to be more convenient for you.”

Voters have until Aug. 13 to request a mail-in ballot.

Earlier this month, some Oregon voters began receiving glossy mailers blaming Gov. Kate Brown and the “Democrat-controlled state Legislature” for “soaring gas prices” and the “out-of-control cost of living.”

A website with two short videos claiming policies passed by legislative Democrats led to increases in crime and inflation went live around the same time. 

The mailers, the website and the ads were all paid for by the Coalition for Safe, Healthy and Prosperous Communities – but that coalition doesn’t exist in state campaign finance or business records. 

The mysterious mail and online ads come after a national Republican group named the Oregon Legislature one of its top targets. Oregon remains a Democratic stronghold, but Republicans view this year as their best chance in more than a decade of taking control of a legislative chamber. 

The organization is all but untraceable, though it shares a name with a newly-formed national nonprofit started by three prominent Republicans with ties to the oil and gas industry. Its failure to disclose its funding and spending could mean it’s violating the spirit, if not the letter, of state campaign finance laws. 

“There are some groups that will do messaging work, often under a 501(c)3 designation or maybe a (c)4 where they say it’s not technically about an election or doesn’t technically fall within the campaign finance rules,” said Ben Morris, a spokesman for the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.  “It’s more just issue advocacy, which there are different rules for. So it’s possible that would be their argument if they’re not registering as a political action committee reporting stuff.” 

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Different rules for different groups

Organizations that spend money on political ads generally have to file records with the Secretary of State’s Office showing how much they raise and spend and who benefits. Rules differ depending on what type of organization it is, Morris said.

Political action committees raise and spend money to support or oppose a candidate, ballot measure or political party. Within three days of their first contribution or expenditure, PACs have to file a statement of organization with the state’s campaign finance database, ORESTAR, that includes their purpose and contact information.

Organizations that don’t seek contributions but spend money supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot measure are independent expenditure filers. They aren’t allowed to coordinate with campaigns, and they must register in ORESTAR within seven days after spending more than $250. 

In a gray area are groups that say they’re doing general issue advocacy, or spending to support a cause but not something directly tied to an election. 

After reviewing the mailers, Morris said the Secretary of State’s office would need more information to know where the coalition falls. 

Jason Kafoury, a Portland attorney and one of the leaders of an effort to strengthen state campaign finance laws, said the coalition could be blurring the lines of issue advocacy. Nonprofits with 501(c)3 status can’t get involved in politics, while those registered as 501(c)4s can advocate on issues but not for or against candidates. 

“‘These politicians aren’t doing X’ sounds like the message, which is a cute way of dealing with it,” he said.

A ballot initiative Kafoury and other campaign finance reform advocates proposed this year would have required every group sending political mail to list its top five donors on the advertisement. It didn’t make it to the ballot, but supporters plan to try again in 2024.  

Hard to find

Whoever is behind the mailers and video ads have made themselves difficult to find. The mailers list an address, but it’s a postal annex in Portland where anyone can pay to rent a mailbox.

The website doesn’t have any contact information listed. The whois search engine shows that someone named “Jim Balentine” who works for a company called “MWP” in Atlanta, Georgia, registered that domain on July 12. 

The Georgia Corporations Division doesn’t have any records of a Jim Balentine. It lists a number of businesses that use the acronym “MWP,” including painters, photographers and property management companies. 

But only one, Atlanta-based MWPolitical, fits the bill. It’s a political digital strategy firm founded by Jim Valentine.

Valentine supports Republicans, according to his social media postings. And SEAL, a political action committee that backs conservative veterans, paid his firm more than $1.8 million in 2020.

A political action committee supporting Oregon Republican Knute Buehler during his 2020 run for Congress also paid MWPolitical $500, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jessica Gomez received a nearly $20,000 reimbursement in March for a canceled ad purchase, according to state and federal campaign finance records. 

Valentine did not return a call or text message on Thursday. 

The coalition shares a name with Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)4 that opened last year, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS doesn’t yet have any available copies of the organization’s Form 990 returns, the documents tax-exempt nonprofits must file every year.

But the D.C. corporation registry lists the organization and three directors, all of whom are longtime Republican operatives with ties to the oil and gas industry.

Jeff Berkowitz, the only one with publicly available contact information, was formerly the chief researcher for the Republican National Committee and now runs his own opposition research firm. His spokesman did not respond to an email on Thursday.

Alby Modiano, another director, was the president of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association from 1993 until at least 2018, though he now describes himself as the former president. And the last director, Marc Himmelstein, is a longtime lobbyist for the energy industry. 

Oliver Muggli, executive director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, called the mystery mailers “pretty disturbing.” The Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, a political action committee that supports Democratic state senators and candidates for Senate, discloses its fundraising and spending, as do other political action committees.

“I think they’re counting on Oregonians being fooled by that sort of spending, and I think that Oregonians won’t be fooled by D.C. corporate interests disguising themselves to try to appear more grassroots,” he said.

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET’s collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

In an effort to save money and eat healthier, I challenged myself not to eat out for two weeks. (Full disclosure: I lasted eight days cooking all of my meals before I splurged on a burrito bowl at Chipotle.) For those of you looking to increase your at-home cooking but not your spending who are stronger-willed than I am, I’ve got 10 tips for how to plan out your healthy budget meal prepping, before going to the store, at the store and once you’re home.

For this challenge, I focused on affordable, nutritious, filling foods. As a college-student on a shoestring budget with limited cooking supplies, I hope these tips will be helpful for anyone looking to save money on balanced, simple home-cooked meals. (You can also check out our stories on whether it’s cheaper to buy groceries online or in the store, and if meal kits are worth the money compared to regular groceries.) 

Read more: Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services

Before going to the store

1. Figure out your nutritional goals 

Everyone is different, so think about what you need to fuel your lifestyle. Are you active? Do you have dietary restrictions? Do you have an allergy that makes getting the right nutrients more difficult? 

For the best bang for your buck, the base of your meal should aim to have all three macronutrients: a carbohydrate, a protein and a fat. To make a fully balanced meal, include fruits and vegetables wherever possible. According to the Center for Disease Control, only one in 10 adults in the US eats enough vegetables and fruits (2-3 cups of veggies and 1.5-2 cups of fruit per day). 

To help you plan, check out our story on what fruits are most affordable right now. 

2. Set a budget

So how do you set a budget for groceries? The US Department of Agriculture recommends that males aged 19 to 50 on a low-cost to moderate budget should spend about $66 to $82 per week, based on dietary intake recommendations. For females in the same age group, that weekly budget is $57-$70. This will also vary depending on the price of groceries where you live, but will help as a general guideline if you’re not sure where to start. 

For all basics such as bread, milk, and butter, etc., I recommend a store like Aldi or Trader Joe’s, which have business models that keep prices lower than many other supermarkets. For example, at Aldi, I recently bought almond milk for $1.45, almost $2 cheaper than the generic Whole Foods brand. So, check out these options if you have one near you for most basic items before heading to another store.

Read more: Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services

3. Find recipes and make a grocery store list 

This seems self-explanatory, but many people end up impulse-buying goods they don’t need. The grocery store is designed so we do! Before you go, look up easy recipes online, open up a cookbook, or plan to double up on recipes you can already make. There are plenty of websites, YouTube channels and TikTok videos dedicated to healthy meal-planning.

If you’re meal prepping, write down the ingredients for each meal, and how much of each are needed. By making a grocery list, you can focus on exactly what you need and stick to it.

If you don’t know where to start, I generally aim to buy:

1 lean meat meat item 

• Chicken
• Ground Turkey 

2 non-meat protein items

• Beans
• Tofu
• Edamame

3 starches, preferably whole grain

• Brown Rice
• Pasta
• Bread
• Oatmeal

2-3 different servings of fruits (frozen or fresh)

• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Pineapple

2-3 different servings of vegetables (frozen or fresh)

• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Cauliflower
• Spinach

1-2 fat sources 

• Avocado
• Olive Oil
• Nuts

If you need some meal inspiration, here are a few of my go-to recipes and ingredients for different meals:

Breakfast

• Smoothie (frozen fruit, milk, spinach, Greek yogurt)
• Oatmeal (and fruit)

Lunch

• Flatbread wraps (whole grain wrap, chicken, beans, cheese, lettuce, corn, chipotle mayo, avocado) 

Dinner

• Taco Bowl (rice, beans, meat (optional), red onion, lettuce, fajita vegetables, cilantro, avocado) 
• Stir Fry (rice, frozen stir fry veggies, meat (optional), soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, red pepper flakes)

Read more: The Best Meal Prep Containers to Buy for 2022

At the store

4. Read the nutrition labels

Get down on the bottom row and take the time to read the nutrition label to see if what you’re buying is actually providing the nutrients you’re looking for, whether that’s fiber, vitamins, or protein. Check out our guide on what to look for and avoid on nutrition labels. 

5. Do the math 

I know you want to get in and get out of the store as fast as possible, but a couple extra minutes could save you money. Many companies have reduced their food portion sizes while keeping prices the same. Cross-check between brands and different sizes for the best deal by dividing the total price by the total weight. While you have your calculator out, try totaling as you shop. You will start to remember item prices, and you won’t be startled at the register. 

6. Buy store brands

Everyone knows store brands are usually cheaper than premium brands, but the margin is higher than you’d think. Buying store brands wherever you shop can save you as much as 30%, say expert grocery shoppers.

7. Shop grocery store sales in-store and online

Pay attention to the sales at the store. Many grocery stores release a weekly ad that you can scan beforehand. Pick out the items you want to use and try to plan your meals for the week around discounted items. If you know you buy an item often and it’s on sale, stock up on it. (Lots of in-season fruits are less expensive, too.)

Many large stores have apps or websites, so lookout for online-specific discounts and deals. Coupon websites such as Coupons.com have a section entirely for grocery stores. Selecting the items you’d like to buy beforehand also helps you diversify your meals as you incorporate new on-sale items.

8. Prioritize versatility

The key to buying groceries is not to get fancy — you don’t need that pricey truffle oil that you’re only going to use in one recipe ever. Keep it simple with the ingredients you know you’ll use and use a lot. Save the experimenting for when you have more money. Ingredient-prepping is less daunting than meal-prepping, so if you have similar bases while varying the spices and sauces, you’ll be able to stretch a handful of ingredients into different meals.

9. Buy frozen or canned

Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables aren’t the enemy. A 2017 study showed that not only are frozen vegetables and fruit nutritionally comparable to fresh ones, but frozen produce may actually retain vitamins more efficiently than fresh produce stored in the fridge for five days or more. Canned items are processed more than frozen produce, but they are both harvested and preserved at peak ripeness. Regardless, eating frozen and canned foods are a great way to add essential vitamins and minerals into your diet easily and affordably.

After the Store

10. Make your food last

The steps you take after grocery shopping are crucial to efficiently using the food you just bought. Take steps to preserve your food in the fridge longer, including your fruits and veggies, and organize your kitchen to save money and stay motivated to eat the good food you just bought. 

Happy meal prepping! For more tips on healthy meal preparation, check out expert picks on the best fish to grill, and the best air fryers.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

When Pope Francis arrives in Canada next week, the first official stop on his itinerary is the community of Maskwacis, just south of Edmonton, where the pontiff will visit the site of a former residential school and meet with communities who have been impacted by these schools and their legacies.

Pope Francis will have a gathering with the Indigenous community at the pow wow grounds, where chiefs and delegations will process in traditional regalia. The pope is expected to speak there and renew his apology for the harm caused by the residential school system, which the Catholic Church played a large role in administering.

But before these high-profile events, the pope will make another stop – at nearby Sacred Heart Parish.

The actual visit to the church will be brief – probably around 10 minutes. Pope Francis will have an opportunity to use the restroom and to pray, before beginning his official meetings with Indigenous peoples and members of the local parish community.

But even such a brief papal visit requires months of preparation.

What does it look like to get ready for a papal visit? What kind of planning is involved? What are the practical considerations that must be taken into account?

The Pillar spoke with Fr. Roger Rouleau, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, to learn more about how the priest and his parish have been preparing to welcome Pope Francis next week. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

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Oh, yes. 

So we had the inside of the church – most of that area needed a fresh coat of paint. I don’t know when the last time was that it was painted, but it’s probably been 10, 15 years or so. So just a little spruce up. 

We’re having the floors re-waxed this week, as we speak. The entry doors were repainted over the weekend. And then just a little bit of landscaping. 

The province [of Alberta] stepped up and has replaced four of our sidewalks, has paved our parking lots and all the roadways around the church and the pow wow grounds where the Holy Father’s “Popemobile” will have to travel.

So again, a huge collaboration from all levels of government and church here. It’s been really exciting to see it come together.

It’s incredible, the amount of details, and we’ve had to do in about four months, what Rome usually says should be done over about 72 weeks. 

Somebody was joking the other day that we may have caused some trouble, that now Rome will expect everybody to do it in four months in the future. But it’s been a really tight timeline. And obviously we couldn’t get everything done that we would like, not everything will be perfect the way we want it, but I think it will go smoothly.

So it has been quite something. I know everybody has worked incredibly hard, and everybody’s a little stressed. 

For the church, our portion was going to be somewhere between $5,000-6,000. And basically that’s relating to the physical building of the church and the grounds. We’ve had several hundreds of dollars of flowers donated that we’ve been able to plant around the facility just to make it look nicer. The waxing of the floor is actually someone who just donated that labor. It’s a parishioner in my other parish here in the neighboring town. Then as far as the cement and the parking lot, I have no idea what those costs are. And I’m sure that there are additional costs that have been dealt with through the organizing committee and the diocese that I’m not aware of.

There have been some instructions. 

I haven’t received a document per se, but we’ve received some instructions. They are fairly strict on what is possible. Our parish church is not technically an official stop. It is more of a practical stop, and an opportunity for him to pray before he begins the official visit. 

So we’ve been told this is a five-minute stop where the incoming pastor and myself may get to say hello, but that’s about it. They’re very tight on that, especially with his health and his age. We would rather him spend the time with the community.

I was actually thinking about that the other day, that we might need to have something. Because I know when it comes to the papal Mass, the following day, they gave us a pretty strict outline of what has to be done in the sacristy, including snacks and beverages and what-not. But they haven’t issued that for the church. 

We’ll have something on hand, but I haven’t decided what yet.

It’s been extensive. We’ve actually had the Swiss Guard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), we have had the national and provincial levels. It’s been quite a big [effort…The Vatican has] teamed up with Global Affairs Canada to coordinate all of the security protocol aspect of things.

And we had one of the advance visits that was specifically security-oriented. It was interesting. We were already talking about replacing some of the sidewalks where the pope would have to drive, because it wasn’t wide enough. And they recommended doing that, but then we needed to have the RCMP present when we’re pouring the concrete to make sure that nothing untoward was done underneath that was placed underneath it. So everybody was surprised, nobody expected that, but there’s a certain logic to it.

Not alone, no. Inside the church there’ll be myself, the new pastor coming in mid-August, the sisters who’ve been serving the parish for 20-some years, and a few of the local elders, especially those who’ve been former students at the school. 

And that’ll be maybe 10, 12 of us inside the building.

Share The Pillar

You know what, I didn’t even try. This particular event is for the Indigenous peoples and we really wanted to keep that focus. We were able to secure a number of tickets for our parishioners in Maskwacis to make sure that our Catholics, our practicing Catholics in the community can be present. We think that’s important that they be there to receive the pope and not be left out. But for the other neighboring parishes – and I know some of my other parishioners are rather disappointed – the focus here really is coming to visit the Indigenous peoples, that’s the heart of his pilgrimage here.

My mom and dad were actually with me when I got the initial call from the archbishop. So they’ve kind of known from the beginning. My family knows the impact and the – if I could put it this way – the symbolic weight of the pope coming to the reserve to be with the Indigenous people in their home like that, they understand that very well. And they’re all happy and excited for that.

Well, it was pretty exciting but I couldn’t tell anybody. I got a call out of the blue from the archbishop about March 28th or 29th, saying that he was coming over on Palm Sunday with 20 people from the Vatican to check out if it was possible [for the pope] to come to the church. And Palm Sunday was 10 days later. I had to tell a couple people so that we could make sure everything was ready to receive the archbishop and the initial delegation to come check things out. 

But it was all pretty hush-hush to some extent. And so it was exciting and yet it could be frustrating sometimes not to be able to share that excitement with everybody.

Then that Sunday, obviously, we had to tell people why a delegation from Rome was there. We said we were putting forward a proposal. Now I had already understood from the archbishop that it was more than a proposal, but that’s the line we had to use at that point for some time.

And we had a couple visits from delegations. And then when the news was officially announced by Rome here at the beginning of July, I think it was, then I was free to be able to say, “Yes, this is happening.” 

Because with the Holy Father’s health, nothing’s official until it’s official.

For the most part they’ve been very excited to receive the Holy Father. There’s been some incredible collaboration. The town of Maskwacis has four different reservations that link together in this town site. And the four chiefs have been working together. One of our elders said, “This is one of the first times we’ve managed to get them to work together.” So there’s a lot of good will here to receive the Holy Father.

Everybody knows the privilege that of all the places with former schools, he chose us. And they’re really excited to welcome him. Of course, there’s always a little underlying tension. There are some elders who are afraid that we can’t get it together in such a short timeline. Some others, based on their hurt, are still a little resentful and not really ready to receive the Holy Father. But perhaps that’s one of the reasons, we could say, why it’s so important for him to come here. The [Indigenous] delegation went to visit him in March, and now he comes to visit them and he visits them in their home really. And that’s such an important thing.

That’s a good question. I’ve kind of been running through in my head just a couple of words of hello. My Spanish is a little bit rusty. I was fluent 20 years ago, but we’ll see. Again, once things get into play, I’m almost just along for the ride because everything is decided by other people. So at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens and we’ll go along with what happens.

Well, I’m excited. I am nervous. Again, there are still a lot of unknowns because I’m not in the top branches of the coordination. So I feel like there’s still so much I seem to don’t know, but it is exciting to be able to receive him. I’m one of the few priests in the country here who will ever be able to say that he received a pope in his own parish. He’s not just coming to my diocese or to my country, he’s literally coming into my parish church.

You know, it’s been incredible to see how people have come together. Even the city of Edmonton has been a tremendous partner in all of this. And it’s incredible the doors that this has opened, everybody knows how impactful this will be for reconciliation and to push from history and scandal toward healing. I’m sure you’ve seen all the headlines over the years that this has happened, that has happened. The Church did this and didn’t do that. It’s all about the past. There’s a unique moment here that the Holy Father has grabbed onto and to be in the present with the people so that together we can move forward to a future of healing.

The elders have mentioned that themselves. One of our very well-respected elders here, even nationally known said, “You know what, it’s time for us to make a word of forgiveness.” He said, “I recognize not everybody’s there, but we have to start and to respond to the pope’s apology by offering forgiveness.” And I think that will in itself open some incredible doors and then we’ll have all the work to follow up with everything afterwards to keep going. This isn’t the culmination, this is the front door.

BRUNSWICK — The University of Maine at Augusta is attempting to train the next generation of pilots while investing in the new technology to do so.  

Its aviation program on Wednesday unveiled a new $500,000 plane approved by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees in September — a Cirrus SR20 GS — that will allow the aviation program to expand from Augusta to the UMA center at the Brunswick airport. 

Some of the first people to fly in the new plane were high school students attending summer camp through the aviation program. A group of six rising 12th graders spent eight days at the school after spending a year in the early college course a year prior. 

They got to fly for the first time this week with the help of instructor Greg Jolda and some increasingly new technology — virtual reality and flight simulators — that prepared them for take-off. 

Kate Pfleging is a homeschooled student from Vassalboro who attended the camp. She first decided to go into aviation as it is a field that’s “really needed” currently. Her second time flying, ever, was this past week and in UMA’s new plane. 

“I wasn’t really scared, but it was a little intimidating,” she said. “Sometimes you get a little queasy but that’s what the bags are for.” 

Employment for airline pilots is projected to grow 14% by 2030 and employment for commercial line pilots are expected to grow 11% in the same time frame, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and shared by UMA’s dean, Brenda McAleer.

McAleer said the growth is projected as the country, and the world, comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time pilots were furloughed. But now air travel is expected to increase, not only by commercial flight, but through importing cargo, transporting packages and air flight services to hospitals.  

UMA’s flight program started in 2013 and remains as the only university in the state to offer bachelor’s degrees in traditional flight and remote pilot instruction. It started in a public-private partnership with Maine Instrument Flight.

Flight training was originally offered at the Augusta State Airport, with Maine Instrument Flight, and now, with the investment of the new plane, students will be able to fly out of the Brunswick Executive Airport, where UMA has classrooms and flight training facilities. UMA will still maintain its partnership with Maine Instrument Flight with the purchase of the plane.

The new plane will allow UMA to have its own “tail number” where the program will become Federal Aviation Administration Part 141 certified this coming fall. Previously, the partnership with Maine Instrument Flight helped the program become certified.

Since 2016, the program has grown from 36 students to 50 in the latest year, with 27 students already confirmed for the upcoming fall semester, according to Jon Henry, vice president of enrollment management at UMA. The degree offered is a bachelor’s degree in aviation, flight instructor, in which a pilot’s license is needed as a prerequisite and a certificate in unmanned aerial system operations, otherwise known as drones. 

Alongside the new technology added to the syllabi, it will be one of the “more competitive programs east of the Mississippi,” Jolda, the aviation instructor and UMA aviation program coordinator, said at Wednesday’s event.

In the couple of months since she graduated in May, Amber Kochaber has already secured a job at Maine Instrument Flight, where she teaches people ranging from high school students to adults how to fly. Students have to be at least 16 years old to reach their first solo fight, but there are no age requirements in the state of Maine for flight training. 

Since she started flying four years ago, Kochaber said anecdotally that she has seen an increase in the number of people of all ages who want to learn how to fly, and is “not sure what struck” the increase.  She enjoys teaching and seeing the reaction people have when they fly for the first time. 

“I feel like I’m always learning something new,” Kochaber said of flying. “Every flight is something new and I’m able to teach someone something new.” 

Kochaber said in the short time she graduated from UMA, the virtual reality, or VR, training is new, and that it realistically simulates what it’s like to fly a plane. Another way the university simulates flight is through the Redbird FMX Simulator, where students can mimic the controls of a plane and feel what it’s like to actually be moving.

Building and flying drones is part of student instruction. The drone program is not new — it began in 2017 — but provides the extra step of simulation for students. 

Dan LeClair, the director of UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) Education & Research, said his colleagues believe flying drones are the future of the flight industry. He mentioned how in the Ukraine-Russian war, drones are used to destroy artillery. 

“All of the courses at UMA, we include learning how to fly as a part of those courses, so you are always flying to complete something,” LeClair said. “Like everything else in aviation, it helps to get flight instruction to learn how to fly.” 

Because the FAA does not currently allow those “planes” to fly beyond the visual line of sight or to be in the air above 400 feet, what the students can do now is limited, but there is the potential for more in the future. 

“When the FAA does allow flight beyond the line of sight, we could use them for shark sightings where here (at the Brunswick center) have a direct path to the ocean and we can fly all around looking at the sharks, or we can use them agriculturally for crops,” LeClair said.

The new technology will be intertwined into this coming school year and this week’s campers will get to experience it as they head into their final year of high school and complete classes simultaneously at UMA.  

Nathaniel Best, a Whitefield resident, plans to enter his senior year at Lincoln Academy and then attend UMA the following year.  

Best has goals to either be a commercial airline pilot or to transport cargo, like through FedEx. Before the summer camp this week, he had experience flying a seaplane with a friend of his but is still working on his landing, which he hopes to learn in UMA’s Ground Class this fall.  

“We are getting to the fun part now,” he said. 

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