Feel Northern Air

Joe and Melissa Bates peel back the layers of their leap from a noisy, unsafe Illinois city life to the quiet, frigid unknowns of rural Minnesota. Picture this: a young couple, two small kids in tow, waking to bar fights across the street, clutching a baseball bat for peace of mind. Then, a vacant family home in Aitkin, a daughter’s medical needs, and a plumbing job Joe had no clue how to do beckon them north. They recount the bone-chilling reality of heating with wet wood, the sting of job r...