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Tension at the lake house

Columns

Dear Annie: Every summer, my husband “Jake” and I spend a week at his parents’ lake house in Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful spot -- right on the water, with pine trees, hummingbirds and a little dock where Jake used to fish as a kid. When we first started dating, I actually looked forward to these trips. I imagined quiet mornings with coffee by the lake, helping out in the kitchen and bonding with his parents, “Barbara” and “Ron.” But the reality has turned out to be much more complicated. Barbara is kind in her own way, but she has incredibly firm ideas about how ...

Distance and red flags

Columns

Dear Annie: My younger sister and I used to be incredibly close. We talked every day, shared everything and supported each other through some of the hardest times in our lives, including the loss of our mom. But over the past two years, she has pulled away, and I feel like I do not even know her anymore. It started when she began dating her current boyfriend. At first, I was happy for her. He seemed charming and attentive. But over time, I noticed some red flags. He constantly checks her phone, criticizes her family in subtle ways and seems to isolate her from her old friends. Now, she ...

Ugly political rhetoric leads some of us down dark path

Editorials

Saturday was a very dark day in Minnesota. The news of the assassination of a member of the Minnesota Legislature and the attempted assassination of a second member sent shock waves through the state and the nation. Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were each shot multiple times and survived. They are both currently recovering in a Twin Cities hospital. “We are incredibly lucky to be alive,” Yvette Hoffman said in a ...

Protect your melon while biking

Columns

June is here and it’s a great time for everyone to get their bike out and enjoy the beautiful weather in Minnesota this time of year. It’s also a great time to talk about this month’s SEE.SAFE.SMART. safety campaign message, which is “Protect your melon.” When heading out on your bicycle, it’s important to ride safely, and just as important to protect your head by wearing a bike helmet. Every year, we still see too many people riding in New Ulm without a helmet. No matter what your age or skill level on a bike, that’s a risky move. According to the Bicycle Alliance of ...

Insanity inside the White House

Letters

To the editor: U.S. Trade war is diplomatic to shore-up relationships between U.S. and world? Such tactics only create huge negatives/feelings/attitudes to isolate U.S. more. Why the richest man in the world in the Oval Office most every day to dictate government operations? His eyes reveal that he greatly desires to have the Presidential Office/Chair for himself soon. What pay-offs were Musk given besides a paycheck? News acclaimed that he received government contracts via Trump for his businesses. Trump bought a Tesla car since Musk was his buddy but did the taxpayer pay for that ...

Attending a 50-year reunion

Columns

I walked into the room and was struck by the preponderance of graying hair and balding heads. Who were these old people? And what were they doing at my high school class reunion? It was difficult to comprehend that it’s been half a century since my classmates and I walked across the stage in our high school’s gymnasium wearing those goofy hats and our goofy grins. Perhaps no one was happier with my graduation than our school administrators. This was especially true for our principal, Mr. Grebner. I spent so much time in his office that my name was stenciled on one of its ...