Breaking News

Lifestyle Columns

Antiques & Collecting: Vintage, antique ceramics often not marked

It is not easy to identify antique and vintage ceramics, because many were made by small local potteries and not marked. Workmen often moved to another factory but continued to make the same type of wares and decoration. Spatter ware is a pottery decorated with paint that is actually spattered on the plate by flicking a stick dipped in the paint. Very similar decorations were made by dabbing paint on with a sponge. Many collectors think spatter and sponge are the same, so you must check any written descriptions. Both types of folk pottery were made in the early 1800s in Scotland, ...

Off the Shelf: Welcome to your library

National Library Week will take place this year from April 4 - 10. It is a national observance, first sponsored in 1958, by the American Library Association and libraries across the country every April. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate the contributions of libraries and library staff and to promote library use and support. This celebration occurs in all types of libraries whether they are school, public, academic or special. During the pandemic, library workers continue to exceed their communities’ needs and adapt resources and services to meet their patrons’ wishes during ...

By Terry and Kim Kovel Bottle collecting has been an important pastime since the end of the 19th century, when the first bottle seekers dug up examples in old privy pits, the town dump or a rocky seacoast area. Most sought after were historic flasks made in New England glassworks. As flasks got more expensive, collectors searched for other bottles -- bitters, inks, mineral water, pickle, snuff, whiskey, wine, food storage and canning jars, and commercial perfume bottles. The first machine-made bottles were made in 1905. By 1920, most bottles were being made by automatic machines, ...

Off the Shelf: Great new reads

We’ve added some great new titles at New Ulm Public Library in the past few months. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed. Scarlet Clark is a great professor. She’s also a great killer. When she’s not teaching literature classes at Gorman University, she’s planning her next kill. Each year she finds the most awful man on campus and makes sure he pays for his sins. But the administration is beginning to find the number of campus deaths suspicious. Meanwhile, student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. She is relieved to be away from her emotionally abusive ...

Family Living Focus: Common headache triggers

From Gail Gilman Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Headache sufferers spend a significant amount of money on over-the-counter pain relievers. But prevention costs you nothing. Here are five leading headache culprits to watch out for. Stress Frayed nerves are a frequent cause of “tension” headaches and may also trigger migraines. Try to take 30 minutes a day just to daydream, meditate or otherwise relax. Diet Certain foods contain substances that can trigger headache ...

Park & Rec Report

Rec Center closing announcement/update: The Rec Center will be closing on designated dates through the end of construction; expected late summer: March 29 thru construction – Racquetball Courts CLOSED April 3 & 10 (Saturday) – hours will be 7 a.m.-12 noon April 4 – Rec Center closed for Easter holiday April 12 – Remainder of Rec Center campus CLOSED thru construction April 12-18 Fitness Equipment will be relocated to the Civic Center, 1212 N. Franklin St. April 19 – Civic Center will be open for Fitness equipment use, classes and walking Red Cross Lifeguard ...