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THUMBS UP Baggin’ in the Street moves forward The 2nd annual Baggin’ in the Street bean bag tournament will move forward Saturday despite a forecast for snow. This is the correct choice. The entire reason for the tournament is give people a reason to get outside during the winter months. To get the full impact, the tournament should be held during a snowstorm. The snowfall should add an interesting dynamic to the tournament. This year’s tournament is destined to be memorable. THUMBS UP Signs at Center and Broadway are safe New Ulm is looking to approve amending the zoning ...

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THUMBS UP Rick Kamm Tourism Person of the Year B&L Bar owner Rick Kamm is the 2025 Tourism Person of the Year. The New Ulm Area Chamber made the official announcement at a surprised presentation Thursday. Kamm is really the perfect choice to receive the award. As owner of the B&L Bar, Kamm is frequently in contact with visitors to New Ulm and is constantly working to promote the community to out of towners. In addition, B&L often takes the lead during city festivals. B&L is usually at the center of community celebration. He is also the man responsible for bringing Spikin’ in the ...

Stopping the spread of misinformation

In a recent poll on the Journal web page, readers were asked whether Meta (Facebook) should focus more on protecting free expression or on combating misinformation. The question came following the Jan. 7 announcement that Meta would stop using third party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Instead, regular users will be able to add “notes” to posts, thus correcting inaccuracies or false claims. Local poll results showed that 63 percent believe Meta should focus more on combating misinformation. The results are encouraging. People know that misinformation can spread ...

Legislature needs to stop wasting time

In a recent press release, State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, listed “Stop the Fraud” as one of his top priorities for the 2025 Legislative session. Of course, Swedzinski is referring the “Feeding Our Future” scandal and FBI investigation of Minnesota autism centers. However, there is a different kind of fraud flourishing in St. Paul these days. It involves the Legislature itself. Minnesota voters send their representatives to Minnesota Legislature to work for them. The Legislative session only lasts four months. Voters expect their representatives to spend each one of ...

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THUMBS UP Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey is back Saturday, 12-teams teams from across the state and the Dakotas will compete in Sleepy Eye’s fourth annual pond hockey tournament. The tournament itself is an exciting event for hockey enthusiasts, but it also a fun event for the community. This year one ice rink will be dedicated to curling. There will also be scrimmages for the younger players who want to take part in the fun. Later in the evening the Sleepy Eye Event Center will host a concert featuring Mankato rock cover band Steele Prairie. It is great to see an area community embracing ...

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THUMBS UP Community rallies around Michaela Howk Ever since news that former New Ulm resident Michaela Howk was injured in horrible hit-and-run accident on New Years Day, the community has rallied around her and her family. Howk’s injuries will require ongoing medical care, rehabilitation and extensive physical therapy. It is also expected her home will require modification as she recovers. The community responded with donations to a Go Fund Me page set up to cover these expenses. Within two days over $41,000 was raised for Michaela. As of Jan. 10, donations have reached $57,000. In ...