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Raising lung cancer awareness during November

Columns

One of the best things you can do for overall good health is to quit smoking or never start in the first place. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and the Great American Smokeout is on the third Thursday of November each year – Nov. 19 in 2026. The good news is that cigarette smoking rates have been declining for decades. Yet lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., accounting for about one in five of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers ...

The hangover month

Columns

Of all the months of the year, November most closely resembles a hangover. This is not just because it follows the twin bacchanals of Oktoberfest and Halloween. It’s also due to the fact that here in the Northland average high temperatures are plummeting and days are growing shorter at a pace that’s often associated with the Kentucky Derby. The trees have shed their Technicolor autumn wardrobe, and migratory waterfowl are booking airline flights for the Gulf coast. Another sure sign of the impending winter is that our cat, Sparkles, has transitioned from a rugged semi-feral ...

A party run by a president who doesn’t give a damn

Letters

The most important piece of making a democracy work (besides actually heeding the voice of the people) is that people vote. This election is different than most, however. While historically we could all vote for candidates holding policies reflecting our conservative or our progressive viewpoint and expect responsible government from either, currently the GOP party is in the grasp of a cruel, greedy, immoral, self-centered and vindictive man, mired in corruption. He cares nothing for average folks like you and us, recklessly starting wars without regard to cost or human life, imposing ...

Finstad best choice for Congress

Letters

Jake Johnson is running to unseat Brad Finstad. I Googled Mr Johnson and read his website; hardly any political experience and apparently no business experience. Brad served in the Minnesota Legislature, was the Minnesota director of the USDA Rural Development and served several years as our U.S. representative. He has been successful in the business world, both in farming and in a commercial business. Jake is a 20-year teacher (you can Google Minnesota salary for a 20 year teacher) who apparently can’t afford to fix an old van. Who do we want to manage our tax dollars ? John ...

Thumbs up/down

Editorials

THUMBS UP New Ulm welcomes delegation from Aachen, Germany A delegation from Aachen, Germany made up of professors, economic developers, and more visited New Ulm to share knowledge and bridge connections between the two communities. Chief of Police David Borchert gave a presentation on the strengths and struggles of rural emergency response at the Goosetown Fire Station. After the presentation, NUPD Investigator Tara Martin gave a drone demonstration to show off the equipment used by New Ulm first responders. The day concluded with a tour of Black Frost Distilling where Jace Marti ...

Dealing with Global Darkening

Columns

We can’t deny it anymore. It’s getting darker. It’s darker earlier and longer. This weekend, with the time change, the darkening goes into hyper drive. It is Global Darkening. (I know. It’s half the globe. Work with me here.) There are Global Darkening deniers. They say it is scheme of left-wing woke socialists who want us to turn our lights on. I say the evidence is irrefutable. Look out the window, you darkening deniers. I guess this has happened before. That is little consolation. This plague of dimness seems oppressive even if it did happen a year ago and the year ...