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THUMBS DOWN Sleepy Eye school year starts with a lockdown The soft lockdown at Sleepy Eye Public and Catholic Schools on Sept. 1 is a frustrating start to the school year. The reason for the lockdown was a social media post involving images of Sleepy Eye Public and St. Mary’s combined with threatening language. Sleepy Eye Police investigated and took an adult male student into custody, but based on information obtained in the investigation, there never was a threat to the public or the school. The whole thing was part of a nationwide social media prank trend that can be adapted to ...

Thanks to Fritz for dedicated service

Letters

I want to congratulate our good friend Fritz Busch on his retirement from full-time reporting at The Journal, and to thank him for his tireless service in New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Brown County, and the surrounding communities. If you were like me, you raced to the end of the article and, thankfully, together we learned Fritz plans to continue being a part-time correspondent. His experience, institutional knowledge, fairness, and steady presence will remain available to the communities he covers. Thank you, Fritz, for your dedication to local journalism and for helping ensure that the ...

Answering common questions about elections and voting

Columns

These are brief answers to commonly asked questions about elections and voting in Minnesota. For more information see www.Vote411 or www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting. What are the qualifications for voting in MN? To vote in Minnesota, you must be: • A U.S. citizen • At least 18 years old on Election Day (16- & 17-year-olds can pre-register) • A resident of Minnesota for 20 days • Not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction • Not under a court order that revokes your right to vote When is identification required for voting in MN? Identification and ...

Because of my Catholic faith, I’m voting for Jake Johnson

Letters

Every Sunday morning growing up, my mom, my dad, and my nine siblings would tumble out of our Ford Club Wagon and cram into the same front pew in our small town church. On this particular morning in early Fall of 1996, my 10-year-old heart swelled with pride as my pastor stood behind the pulpit and praised our California State Senator, Dick Mountjoy, seated just a few pews back, for being “so vocally pro-life.” Later at home, my dad paused as he flipped through political mailers in our kitchen. “I think it’s really great that Dick Mountjoy is pro-life, but I won’t be voting ...

What has Finstad done to rein in Trump?

Letters

Representative Brad Finstad says his constituents complain a lot about fraud and wasteful government spending. Amen, brother! (President Trump) has used his presidency to enrich himself by at least $2 billion. He started a $65 billion war with Iran, costing the average household more than $1,000. His tariffs have cost households another $1,000. $10 trillion has been added to our national debt during his six years in office. Taxpayers will be expected to pony up for his $16 million reflecting pool boondoggle and his costly ballroom fiasco. Meanwhile, health care, food, housing, energy, ...

DIY distress

Columns

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing ...