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THUMBS UP Tiny homes experiment comes to New Ulm Last Tuesday, the New Ulm City Council approved a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for a tiny home community. The tiny homes development is a new concept for creating quick workforce housing. Instead of making a large apartment building, a series of small individual rental homes are created on a single lot. The project will start with two tiny homes as a demonstration. If the project receives positive feedback, a total of 15 tiny homes will be built on the property. Each of the tiny homes will be 20 feet by 20 feet and 20 feet high at ...

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THUMBS UP St. Paul’s Lutheran brings Ninja course to New Ulm Last week, St. Paul’s Lutheran Schools staff and volunteers began installation of a new Ninja course playground set. The course is a play feature laid out as an obstacle course. Unlike traditional playground equipment, kids using the course would run through the obstacle course, competing to complete it in the fastest time. The course has been in the works for over two years. New Ulm’s Optimist Club helped finance the Ninja course with $30,000. Other area organizations donated money and in-kind donations to make ...

Ugly political rhetoric leads some of us down dark path

Saturday was a very dark day in Minnesota. The news of the assassination of a member of the Minnesota Legislature and the attempted assassination of a second member sent shock waves through the state and the nation. Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were each shot multiple times and survived. They are both currently recovering in a Twin Cities hospital. “We are incredibly lucky to be alive,” Yvette Hoffman said in a ...

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THUMBS DOWN Kraft loses promised federal funding Last year, New Ulm’s Kraft plant was earmarked to receive $3 million in federal funds to improve energy efficiency upgrades. This was part of a larger $170 million grant to help the Kraft Heinz company decarbonize. It is not happening anymore. The U.S. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOEG) has decided that this promised federal grant is not an efficient use of federal money and has pulled the money away. This is disappointing and a little unfair. Different people can debate whether it is in the federal government’s best ...

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THUMBS UP Greyhounds to return to state tournament The New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds will return to the Class A State Baseball Tournament after defeating the Springfield Tigers on Friday. It was The Tigers who won the state championship last year. This puts the Greyhounds in excellent standing going into the tournament. This will also be the third time the Greyhounds have reached the State Tournament in four years. The Journal tips its baseball cap to the Greyhounds. THUMBS UP New Ulm gets creative with housing A lack of available housing has been one of the top issues facing New ...

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THUMBS DOWN A sunny weekend obstructed by smog Friday, May 30 should have been a sunny clear day, but the morning started with a haze of smoke. Instead of blue sky, central Minnesota was covered by gray. This was caused by wildfire smoke in northern Minnesota. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert for most of the state. Hazy conditions are expected to remain through the weekend, limiting sunlight. It is an unfortunate summer trend in Minnesota. The return of summer is also the start of wildfire season and days for smog. THUMBS UP Flandrau swimming pond ...