Members of Congress and the White House had no realistic option but to approve about $3 trillion in emergency spending to battle COVID-19’s devastating impact on the economy. Even more federal money may have to be appropriated for the purpose. But last week, we were reminded of another ...
To the editor: The Republican representatives from our area Rep. Paul Torkelson district 16B and Senator Gary Dahms District 16 met with the state Legislature in special session last Friday. Agreement on a bonding bill that could have had funding for improvements in German Park in New Ulm and ...
To the editor: Watching many of our Democrat controlled major cities being destroyed, I see mayors and governors that would rather let their cities burn and people die than accept help from President Trump. My question, in a country that needs to work together, do you despise the President ...
Concern over use of mail-in ballots for the November general election is building. Critics of the process fall into two categories: those who worry about vote fraud and those who insist many Americans may be “disenfranchised” by the system. Indeed, fraud is something of a concern — but ...
Highway 14 funds THUMBS UP: An important piece of the funding puzzle for the Nicollet to New Ulm Highway 14 project fell into place on Thursday. The U.S Department of Transportation approved the $22 million BUILD grant for the State of Minnesota to use for the Highway 14 expansion project. It ...
To the editor: As a contractor for a handful of Federal agencies, I can say that securing contracts with the Federal government can be time-consuming and tedious. Days and weeks of effort to bid on projects, with no guarantee of securing a dime in revenue. And as a small company located in a ...
To the editor: Lobbying is part of the American legislative system. It gives parties interested in a project , cause or objective an opportunity to let the decision makers know why a bill should or should not be passed. The recent award of a Federal highway funds grant to complete Highway ...
All of us have been affected by COVID-19. What we are doing today in school wasn’t on our minds when we started school last year. The new safety protocols, preparedness plans, monitoring of health conditions and managing people in spaces have taken the front seat to what we are doing as we ...
Nineteen years ago today, Americans watched the news in shock and horror as flames and smoke poured out of one of the World Trade Center towers after an airliner smashed into it. Was it an accident? An act of terror? The question was answered when a second airliner plowed into the second World ...
To the editor: My fellow senior citizens, is there any reason left to vote for this president’s re-election? It’s become clear what his approach to the pandemic has been all along: cut back testing, forget about masks, encourage crowded rallies, and just let everybody get it. Sometimes ...
To the editor: September is upon us, and with the election just two months away, it’s time for organizations to begin announcing their political endorsements. While seemingly underrated, endorsements from organizations are a cut-and-dry way to figure out what each candidate does (and does ...
The Welcoming Communities Project of New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, and Springfield met via ZOOM to discuss racism and how it plays out in our communities. Racism is defined as any action, intentional or unintentional, that discriminates, antagonizes and subordinates a group or individual based on skin ...
Perhaps no Census during the past century has faced challenges like those in charge of the 2020 population count must find ways to overcome. Clearly, however, they indeed must develop solutions to the problem of counting Americans who may have been too preoccupied with staying well to respond ...
To the editor: A recent letter to the editor advocated racial profiling as a means of maintaining peace. The New Ulm Police Department and the New Ulm Human Rights Commission categorically denounce the use of racial profiling by law enforcement. Simply put, racial profiling doesn’t work; ...
To the editor: I have a few caveats. I watch more MSNBC than Fox News. I usually vote for a Democrat. In 2016 I voted for Hillary, but I can understand why others voted for Trump. Hillary was an opinionated woman with some skeletons in her closet. During the last four years I have watched ...
Partisan politics continues to delay enactment of a new coronavirus relief measure in Congress. Regardless of your political leanings, that is hurting millions of Americans. Even emergency action taken by the White House has been affected. After negotiators in Congress deadlocked over a new ...
To the editor: Larry Mack is our friend, neighbor and city ward councilor. When we met Larry he seemed to know everyone. We would see him volunteering at many of the fundraisers we would attend, like at Bavarian Blast (Heritagefest), Oktoberfest at Schell’s, and at Lind House events. ...
To the editor: As we consider the two candidates for president we could make a comparable list of their flaws. Is President Trump perfect? No, and I don’t believe anyone claims that. In 2016 I voted for Donald Trump with many reservations, and some of those reservations still exist. His ...
Occasionally someone refers to driving through the Midwest as boring. Corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans. If you’re a farmer, it is definitely not boring. We love looking at fields! It’s like a painter looking at other paintings. I drive around for a part-time job in the summer, so I gawk at ...
Numerous groups, from inside and outside Minnesota, have sent widespread mailings to voters encouraging them to vote by absentee ballot. In most cases, the application they send is a copy of the official form produced by the Secretary of State and should be acceptable for applying. Make sure ...