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U.S. flag with 40 stars captures American history

Lifestyle Columns

Veterans Day is a time to reflect on American history and those who made it. Fighting in World War I ended with a ceasefire on the 11th hour of Nov. 11, 1918. In the following years, Nov. 11 was observed as Armistice Day. In 1947, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks organized ceremonies on Nov. 11 to honor veterans of all wars. President Eisenhower signed the bill that made Veterans Day a national holiday in 1954. Parades have honored veterans and celebrated patriotism since Weeks organized his first celebration, and long before then, too. We don’t know what occasion this 40-star ...

DEFENDER

Lifestyle Feature

Two seasons ago, Isaiah Heins put together a strong senior season for the New Ulm boys soccer team, quietly playing his defensive position. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran graduate chose Martin Luther College as the school to take his talents, playing in a limited role his freshman year by ...

Country musician Megan Moroney says she writes sad songs for sad people; it’s making her a star

Lifestyle Columns

LOS ANGELES — Not so long before her platinum-selling single “Tennessee Orange” became inescapable on country radio, this year scoring Megan Moroney her first-ever CMA nominations (song of the year and artist of the year), the up-and-comer was attending the University of Georgia. The life of a country musician? It wasn’t supposed to happen. “It is truly crazy because I went to school to be an accountant,” Moroney tells The Associated Press. “And here we are.” Fate clearly had other plans. When she was a freshman, Moroney opened for singer John Langston at a sorority ...

New nonfiction DVDs

Lifestyle Columns

It sure feels like winter has arrived! Perfect weather to stay in, get cozy, and watch some dvds. Here are the most recent nonfiction additions to the wall of dvds at the library. A House Made of Splinters - 2023 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary. Social workers in a Ukrainian orphanage do everything they can to make life bearable for children as they wait to learn their fate. The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek – An 11 episode documentary that takes you behind the scenes of the popular Star Trek movies. There are cast and crew interviews and stories of some great moments in ...

Merry Halloween postcard still familiar today

Lifestyle Columns

Happy Halloween from Kovels! Kovels! Or, in the words of this postcard, “A Merry Halloween.” Despite the antiquated greeting and old-fashioned art style, this card has familiar Halloween icons you might see on today’s decorations: a child in costume, jack-o’-lanterns, an owl, black ...

A barn full of history

Life

The farm originally owned by New Ulm founder, politician and businessman William Pfaender Sr., was named a 2023 Minnesota Farm Bureau Sesquicentennial Farm. Born in Heilbronn, Germany, Pfaender emigrated to the United States in 1848, settling in New York, then moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. In ...