To place an obituary, please include the information from the obituary checklist below in an email to obits@pioneerpress.com. There is no option to place them through our website at this time. Feel free to contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263 with any questions.
**General Information:**
– Your full name
– Address (City, State, Zip Code)
– Phone number
– An alternate phone number (if any)
**Obituary Specification:**
– Name of Deceased
– Obituary Text
– A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable; TIF and other files are accepted. We will contact you if there are any issues with the photo.
– Ad Run dates
There is a discount for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply. If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply. Contact us for more information.
**Policies:**
Verification of Death: To publish obituaries, a name and phone number of the funeral home or cremation society is required. We must contact the funeral home or cremation society handling the arrangements during their business hours to verify the death.
If the body of the deceased has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program or a similar program, their phone number is required for verification. Please allow enough time to contact them, especially during their limited weekend hours.
A death certificate is also acceptable for this purpose, but only one of these two options is necessary.
**Guestbook and Outside Websites:**
We are not allowed to reference other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere when placing an obituary in print and online. We may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead. Contact us with any questions regarding this matter.
**Obituary Process:**
Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication in the newspaper. This proof includes the price and days the notice is scheduled to appear.
Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press based on each day’s deadlines. After publication, we will not be responsible for errors that may occur after final proofing.
**Online:**
Changes to an online obituary can be handled through the obituary desk. Call us with further questions.
**Payment Procedure:**
Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication by the deadline specified below in our deadline schedule. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents.
– Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI (Payment Card Industry) regulations.
– EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number.
**Rates:**
– The minimum charge is $162 for the first 12 lines.
– Every line after the first 12 is $12.
– If the ad is under 12 lines, it will be charged the minimum rate of $162.
– Obituaries including more than 40 lines will receive a 7.5% discount per line.
– On a second run date, receive a 20% discount off both the first and second placement.
– Place three obituaries and the third placement will be free of charge.
– Each photo published is $125 per day. For example, 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500.
**Deadlines:**
Please follow deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the day requested.
**Memoriam (Non-Obituary) Request:**
Unlike an obituary, memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries. Please call or email us for more memoriam information.
Please call 651-228-5280 for more information.
**Hours:** Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed weekends and holidays).
Please submit your memoriam ad to memoriams@pioneerpresspapers.
—
**Additional Context on Food Security and Reforestation Efforts in Jamaica**
Recent reports highlighted how communities have been turning to breadfruit trees as a valuable food source amid disruptions caused by storm-damaged roads. “The breadfruit trees that did come down have been a godsend for some of the communities,” said Hilton.
As the country recovers, replanting trees is essential for long-term food security. In the coming months, a new grant will fund the planting of at least 15,000 trees in Jamaica, according to the McLaughlins.
This initiative stems from a years-long collaboration between a foundation and Jamaica’s Forestry Department, which initially focused on replanting native forests, primarily timber trees like blue mahoe and mahogany. These native species are better adapted to withstand strong winds.
“The plan is to use more and more natives in our reforestation programs and to transition some existing areas with a high percentage of nonnative species,” said Henry, head of Jamaica’s Forestry Department. “This will increase resilience, particularly considering the ongoing threat of hurricanes in Jamaica.”
The McLaughlins proposed distributing fruit trees as well, which bear annual harvests without the need to replant crops. After moving to the United States for Mike McLaughlin’s job as an actuary in 1978, they later settled in the Chicago area. Their connection to Jamaica remained strong, and in the early 2000s they sought to take action in response to climate change impacts on island nations.
Thus, Trees That Feed was founded.
The program funds the Forestry Department to purchase cuttings from Jamaican plant nurseries. The government then distributes these among small farmers free of charge.
“We do get our hands dirty, but two people alone can’t plant half a million trees,” Mike McLaughlin said. “We work with farmers who really know what they’re doing.”
His wife added, “The farmers want a sense of ownership over the trees, which extends to small businesses that grow from selling the fruit.”
The program promotes both food security and income generation. Henry described it as “win-win-win-win.”
Mike McLaughlin summarized the successes: “The win is nutrition. The win is the environment. The win is the economy. And our donors, generous people, are winning too—they want to help, and we give them a way to help that is very efficient.”
For further information, contact adperez@chicagotribune.com.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/14/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-breadfruit-climate-change/