News

‘Safe schools have the best test scores’

Local News October 10, 2026

NEW ULM - ISD 88 Superintendent Sean Koster reviewed changes to NUPS crisis management plan during Thursday’s study session. One new change was the reformatting of the emergency procedure/drills packet. The packet was reordered to follow the progression of threats. “It’s actually set up so someone who might be panicked in a situation can flow through the process,” Koster said. It’s important to have clarity in times of distress. Koster shared statistics that said beginning at a heart rate of 115 BPM fine motor skills diminish. At 145 BPM complex motor skills diminish, and ...

‘Knowledge is power’

Local News October 9, 2026

NEW ULM — According to the American Library Association (ALA), 92% of all book challenges in 2025 were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers — which is up from 72% in 2024. The ALA has established Oct. 4-10 as banned book week. The director of the New ...

Affordability, farming, fraud and healthcare

Communities October 9, 2026

NEW ULM – Senate District 15 candidates Braxton Seifert (GOP) and Andrea Boettger (DFL) made their pitch to voters during Wednesday’s New Ulm League of Women Voters (LWV) candidate forum. The forum was designed to provide voters information on the different candidates. The forum began ...

Prospects good for 2026 pheasant opener

MN State News October 9, 2026

Prospects are looking good for pheasant hunting in southwest Minnesota, after a mild winter and conditions that were better for nesting, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says. The DNR’s annual roadside wildlife survey found that the pheasant index is up nearly 20% from last year. Based on the August roadside pheasant counts, the DNR’s pheasant hunting prospect map for this fall shows fair or good prospects across a wide portion of southwest and south central Minnesota. “The increase in the pheasant index across the state and within several regions is good news for ...

Police logs

Police Logs October 9, 2026

Sibley County Sheriff’s Office • October 3 at 1:15 p.m. a crash occurred on the 58100 block of 266th Street in Bismarck Township. Daniel Minyard, 73, Concrete, Washington was hauling soybeans in a 2021 International tractor-trailer when he moved over to allow a John Deere harvest combine to pass. While moving over, the tractor-trailer tipped onto its passenger side into a ditch. He was not injured. MN State Patrol and Winthrop Emergency Vehicles responded. • October 4 at 12:40 p.m. officers responded to a two vehicle crash at Minnesota Truck Highway 5 and County Road 13 ...

Burning ban in effect through Oct. 13

Local News October 9, 2026

Effective immediately, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office has issued a burning ban for all of Brown County. No open burning of CRP land and/or ditches/brush piles are allowed. Camp fires are allowed, but not encouraged. The ban comes in light of forecasted critical fire weather conditions and current wild land fuel conditions. The ban is in effect until 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 13.