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THUMBS UP Clean Slate Act offers a second chance For many, the new year represents a new beginning or clean slate to start fresh. This is especially true in Minnesota for individuals with low level criminal records. On Jan. 1 the state’s Clean Slate Act went into effect. This new policy automates the sealing of certain arrest and conviction records. The Clean Slate law was passed by legislators in 2023 and impacts individuals with lower-level, non-violent crimes on their record and have not committed other crimes for a certain number of years. It is estimated that as many as ...

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THUMBS UP High residential development planned The new year is only a few days away. As of Wednesday, we all have to remember to write 2025 instead of 2024. The new year always brings with it potential for progress. In 2025, New Ulm is expected to see progress on the housing front. Multiple residential buildings are scheduled to begin. The new development on the site of the former George’s Ballroom is the likely the most well-known, with a possibility of 88 rental units. A few yards away, Marktplatz Mall could also begin development. Near the high school the River Haven ...

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THUMBS UP Snow finally arrived On Thursday morning New Ulm and a large section of southern Minnesota was hit with several inches of snow. In New Ulm we received around four inches, but in the metro area it was closer to seven inches. This was a relatively mild snowfall compared to snowstorms of the past, but it was still heavier than we have received in months. Last winter infamous for its lack of snow and ice. The warm winter all but ruined the ice fishing season. Worse yet, we did not have a white Christmas. The holiday season was nearly snow free and frankly kind of ugly. The ...

Boosting health care in rural America

Last week U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., released a press release on her partnership with U.S. Se.n Susan Collins, R-ME, on introducing legislation to improve access to health care and address the physician shortage in rural areas. The Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2024 would authorize the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program to continue providing start-up funding to rural hospitals, medical schools, and other organizations to establish new rural residency programs. Among current medical residency programs, the release said only 2 percent of ...

Walz, Legislature must work to protect taxpayer money

The recent news coming out of St. Paul is troubling. Last week a non-partisan audit revealed “serious mismanagement and lost taxpayer revenue” in Minnesota. The audit claims that the Department of Human Services has not attempted to recover more than $40 million in outstanding overpayments to medical assistance providers’ accounts. Also, the department has not accurately reported its accounts receivable balance to Minnesota Management and Budget for inclusion in the state’s financial statements since 2019. According to a Star Tribune article, some of these debts appear to ...

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THUMBS UP George’s sign actually came down safely George’s Ballroom sign was safely removed earlier this week. On Wednesday the large Art Deco sign that has been a part of New Ulm’s downtown for over 80 years was taken down by a crane. It was shipped by truck to Mankato to be refurbished. The plan is to incorporate the old sign into the new apartment building that will be constructed on George’s site. Hopefully the sign can survive another 80 years. The fact that work crews were able to save the sign is kind of a miracle. It had been attached to the building for decades, ...