Breaking News

Opinion

Remove Trump before he sinks ships

Letters

President Donald Trump is too dangerous to be the leader of the Country. I’ve tolerated a lot from this President. That ends here. My son lives in San Diego. There is a huge military presence with San Diego being home to Naval Base San Diego with 70,000 civilians and active service members in the area. L.A. is the second most populous city in the USA. It has a huge container port that is extremely important for the western USA. It is also home of the U.S. Space Force’s Command Headquarters. Neither city is expendable. My son is not expendable. 70,000 civilians and active service ...

Anxiety over my PET scan

Columns

My finger hovered over the mouse button. Did I really want to read this report? No matter what it said, it would be life changing. The report contained the results of my latest PET scan. I tried to beg off the procedure, telling my medical team that I’d been thoroughly inspected by our dog, Bella, and our cat, Sparkles. The doctors replied that didn’t count. It all began in March of 2024 when I noticed an odd lump at the base of my jaw. Thinking it might be cat scratch fever (don’t play tag with a cat unless you’re faster than a cat), I was prescribed an antibiotic and a ...

Absentee/mail-in voting: Why and how it’s done

Columns

This article is the first in a three-part series which describes the process of absentee/mail-in voting in Minnesota. Minnesota has used absentee/mail-in voting for over a century dating back to the Civil War. This three-part series will explain the process and protections in our system that make sure Minnesota absentee/mail-in voting is secure. Absentee/mail-in voting is an important voting option which allows Minnesotans to vote who aren’t present in Minnesota on election day, have challenges which prevent them from traveling to the polls to vote in person, or who reside in ...

Seek constructive solutions to high gas prices

Letters

Suspending Big Oil from their biofuel blending obligations as proposed by Stephen Moore (“Three easy ways to reduce pain at the pump,” Oct. 1) would not bring down fuel prices. Instead, it would increase prices at the pump and further pad the pockets of refiners that are making record profits as families struggle. Ethanol is the lowest-priced source of octane available. A 2025 report by a petroleum refining expert found that, if ethanol was removed from the U.S. gasoline pool, replacing its current octane contribution with refinery octane would increase refining cost and the ...

Celebrating Ruth’s visit to Sleepy Eye

Columns

You might have heard. Babe Ruth played in Sleepy Eye. For thirty years, I’ve tugged and pulled at that game in every possible way. My fascination with that day in my hometown’s history began when I was doing research for the Brown County Historical Society 30 years ago for an exhibit: “Baseball and Brown County, A Glove Affair.” Growing up here, we always knew about Babe’s visit. The picture of Babe and Yankee teammate Bob Meusel in front of the grandstand appeared in the paper every so often. They looked cold. That fall was the 75th anniversary of the Oct. 16, 1922, ...

Thumbs up/down

Editorials

THUMBS UP Oktoberfest starts in New Ulm It is the first weekend of Oktoberfest in New Ulm. The celebration began Friday with musical entertainment on Minnesota Street and at the Best Western. The traditional Oktoberfest Keg Tapping was held at the Best Western on Friday. At the same time, the US Steinholding Association State Championship Qualifying was held on Minnesota Street ahead of the State Finals Tournament held on Saturday. Both locations will be filled with music and other activities on Saturday. In addition to the Oktoberfest events, Brown County Fairgrounds will be hosting ...