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UPCOMING ELECTION: See condensed Voters’ Guide inside PAGE 11
Shoreview comic brings clean laughs and music BY SHIVAM VASHISHTHA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Shoreview resident Tom Esch will step into the spotlight at Crooners with a show that’s equal parts clean comedy, musical interludes and neighborly storytelling. The night lands as a milestone for Esch, a former Catholic priest who’s spent the past decade shaping a stage persona rooted in warmth, timing and the kind of humor that finds light inside life’s hard edges. As of this interview, more than two-thirds of seats in the 87-seat room had already been claimed. “The show’s coming along great; it’s the fastest I’ve ever sold tickets for any show,” Esch said. Esch describes his act as Thomas Esch “clean, story-driven and church-adjacent” with jokes that poke at the quirks of everyday life, modern topics (yes, even AI) and the idiosyncrasies of faith communities without turning the room into a battlefield. He laughs easily and listens closely, habits that come from years of preaching before he ever tightened a punchline. In conversation, he points to a comic lineage: the wry, character-driven tradition epitomized by Father Guido Sarducci. The nod is intentional, but he’s clear he isn’t doing an impression — just drawing on that tone of good-natured mischief and cultural observation. “I’d call it clean comedy with a church spin,” Esch said. “I’m poking fun at the world — and the church — without being mean-spirited.” From the pulpit to the punchline Esch was ordained in 1994. Leaving the priesthood years later wasn’t a whimsical pivot, but rather a painful, deliberate choice. He speaks about it frankly: he had discerned a life he wanted, worked hard at it and ultimately couldn’t make the lifestyle fit. That rupture — honest intention meeting human limitation — became both a wound and a wellspring. Over time, he learned to mine the hurt for humor that heals rather than hides. “Comedy often comes from pain,” Esch said. “If you can find enough spaciousness in your soul to see the humor in it, there’s a lot of juice there.” His start in standup came, fittingly, through community. A friend recognized his knack for timing and character and urged him to try a short set at a church camp. The response clicked immediately. Esch loved the writing, the rhythm the instant feedback loop. SEE SHOREVIEW COMIC, PAGE 14
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Minnesota motorcyclists, rejoice! A new law allows motorcycle lane splitting and lane filtering on roads and highways. Under the terms of the law, lane splitting is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is moving. Specifically, it permits a motorcyclist to pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction and in the same traffic lane, provided the motorcyclist is traveling at no more than 25
miles per hour and no more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant lanes. Lane filtering, on the other hand, is allowed when two or more lanes of traffic are traveling in the same direction and traffic is not moving. This allows motorcyclists to move through stopped traffic, including at traffic lights or in congestion, provided they are traveling no more than 15 miles per hour over the speed of traffic in the relevant lanes.
SEE MOTORCYCLE LAW, PAGE 10
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Motorcyclists across Minnesota have a new law to follow.
CONTRIBUTED
Ralph Reeder Food Shelf receives 5,000 snacks to distribute for the Smart Snacks for Smart Kids program from Help a Neighbor.
Nonprofit looks to fulfill community needs BY MADELINE DOLBY EDITOR
SHOREVIEW — A new nonprofit in the Mounds View School District is dedicated to making a difference for students and their families through weekly food pantry donations, funding senior pictures and more. Help a Neighbor, founded by Julie Overbye Ledy, was created in January 2025. Overby Ledy has
been involved in other nonprofit work throughout the state of Minnesota. She said she created Help a Neighbor because she felt called to help families in her own neighborhood. “I started Help a Neighbor as a way to get people together and to find needs in our community. We are (currently) working with staff and leaders in the community that see needs of families and youth, then finding out ways
that we can fulfill those needs,” Overbye Ledy said. Help a Neighbor is made up of seven board members. Toni Schutta is the chair of the food insecurity project. In her role, Schutta is responsible for overseeing the food pantry located at Irondale and helps provide food bags to students in need at Mounds View High School. SEE HELP A NEIGHBOR, PAGE 2
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