<i><b>Editor's Note:</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;The following commentary was submitted by Bill Maline of Omaha, brother of longtime Maline's Superfoods owner Bob Maline, in response to the announcement that the Sutherland grocery store will permanently close on Aug. 14. Bob and Sherry Maline owned and operated the store for more than three decades before retiring and selling the business in 2023. The views and opinions expressed are those of Bill Maline.</i>

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                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/7/1785423737795.jpeg" alt="Maline's Grocery Store to close after 30 years of serving Sutherland. (Maline's Grocery)" />
                        <figcaption>Maline's Grocery Store to close after 30 years of serving Sutherland. (Maline's Grocery)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i><b>Editor's Note:</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;The following commentary was submitted by Bill Maline of Omaha, brother of longtime Maline's Superfoods owner Bob Maline, in response to the announcement that the Sutherland grocery store will permanently close on Aug. 14. Bob and Sherry Maline owned and operated the store for more than three decades before retiring and selling the business in 2023. The views and opinions expressed are those of Bill Maline.</i></p><div><div style="max-width:850px;margin:30px auto;background:rgba(63,169,245,0.06);border:2px solid #7CC7F7;border-left:10px solid #3FA9F5;border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 3px 10px rgba(0,0,0,.08);overflow:hidden;">

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<div style="font-size:28px;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:.5px;">COMMENTARY</div>
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The following commentary was submitted by Bill Maline regarding the announced closure of Maline's Superfoods. The views expressed are those of the author.
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For nearly thirty-five years, Bob and Sherry Maline, through the storefront known as Maline’s Superfoods, didn’t just build a business; they forged an institution out of brick, butcher twine, and small-town trust. It was the beating heart of a thirty-mile expanse, a sanctuary where neighbors met over the deli counter and families grew fed by their labor.
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Now, having entered their hard-earned retirement years, Bob and Sherry watch from life's quiet edges as a soulless globalist superstore 30 miles away drains that lone town oasis. Alongside the current owners, the Carlsons, and Sutherland village, they witness this legacy undercut by predatory capitalism, reduced to collateral damage by faceless corporate giants holding zero ties to local soil. This bitter ending starves another rural market, leaving a neighborhood pantry hollowed out by corporate locusts—a legacy flickering dark before they do.
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Let us remember, with kindness and clarity, that this doors-closing is not the fault of ownership mismanagement, nor is it caused by the living wages required by village employees to survive an economy where wages have remained flat for generations — let’s not place blame at the feet of the victims. The villagers deserve a living wage—we all do—and small business owners deserve a fair deal in our economy, though neither are receiving it today.
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I am deeply saddened. My heart aches for Sutherland, the Carlsons, the Malines, and a present-day society brought on by an economy driven by predatory global capitalists.
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— Bill Maline
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Commentary: Bill Maline on the Closure of Maline's Superfoods