This much is true. I hit a home run. For years, Kevin Sweeney, the retired editor of The New Ulm Journal, wrote up New Ulm’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. It was his way of poking fun at the dour Germans who surrounded him.  Kevin reported on true events, like New Ulm’s few Irish ...

Whether they served in the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains of Afghanistan, or the sands of Iraq, when our veterans signed up to serve our country, there wasn’t a waiting line. When they return home from duty and need a job, education, housing, or health care, there should never be a waiting ...

Dear Annie: I have a close friend who I love very much, but whenever we’re together, whether in social settings or professional environments, it feels like I’m always playing second fiddle to their charisma and charm. I value our friendship and genuinely enjoy her company, but I just ...

Dear Heloise: My husband was hammering a nail to hang a picture in our home and hit his thumb. It was hard enough (and painful enough) to cause his nail to turn black. He finally got out a small wrench to hold the nail in place while he hammered it in. No more hammering his thumb! -- Christine ...

Dear Heloise: I used a small, new zippered laundry bag to make soup. For chicken soup, I put the bones, skin and fat in the bag, then put the whole thing in the soup pot. All the flavor is added to the soup without the mess. Just empty the bag and discard it. I also did this with ham bones and ...

Dear Annie: I was abused by my dad as a child, and my relationship with my mother was hell growing up. She was verbally and physically abusive toward me well into my 20s. She began a new relationship and things got worse. The situation between us got a little better when she became sick and I ...