January

2 – After 28 years as Brown County auditor/treasurer, Marlin Helget retired. Helget was the 11th person to hold the title of County auditor and the first person to serve as both auditor and treasurer. His position will now be taken over by Jean Prochniak, the first woman auditor in Brown County history.

2 – Calah Schleusener was the first child to be born at New Ulm Medical Center in 2015 on Friday at 1:58 a.m. She is the fourth child to Rachel and Aaron Schleusener and the first of their children to arrive on her scheduled due date.

5 – Roger Hippert officially took over as the City Attorney following the retirement of Hugh Nierengarten from the law firm Nierengarten and Hippert. Nierengarten has served as City Attorney since 1979. Hippert had served as Assistant City Attorney since 1986.

5 – A grand jury convened to determine whether to charge 26 year old Miguel A. Vasquez with first degree murder. The case involves the killing of Amber Lechuga, whose dismembered body was found in a burning van south of Sleepy Eye.

6 – The New Ulm City Council met for the first time in 2015. New Fourth Ward City Councilor Larry Mack was sworn in during the meeting. In addition the Council approved the reclassification of the Fire Dept. Fire Chief position to regular full – time and voted to create a Retail Service Specialist position employed by the Chamber of Commerce.

8 – Miquel A. Vasquez, of Springfield, was indicted for 1st degree murder in the Sept. 25 killing of Amber Lechuga, 23, of Springfield. Vasquez faced four felony counts including first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one intentional, the other while committing second-degree assault; and second-degree arson.

9 – In New Ulm the average cost for a gallon of gas dropped below $2. These prices have not been seen in six years which has lead to a dramatic cost savings for many commuters as well as local law enforcement. Both New Ulm Police and Brown County Sheriff Department. Both departments average over a 1,000 gallons of fuel a month and the price drop has a beneficial impact on their budgets for the new year.

10 – The new Brown County Attorney’s Office setup a new office location on the first floor of the Brown County Probation Building on 1 S. State Street. The move came following the election of new Brown County Attorney Chuck Hanson.

12 – The Park & Recreation Commission made recommendation to the City Council to authorize application to the League of American Bicyclists for a Bicycle Friendly Community designation. This would provide New Ulm with a roadmap to improve conditions for bicyclists and the guidance to make the community more bike friendly.

12 – Mary Lou and Brian Serbus were honored with a plaque by the Sister Cities Commission for nearly 15 years as host family for the Hans Joohs Cultural Exchange Program.

13 – Mayor Robert Beussman was elected to a second term as president of the Highway 14 Partnership. Beussman anticipates making several trips to the State Capitol to testify on behalf of the Highway 14 expansions.

16 – Sen. Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls) and Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) spoke on the start of the 2015 Legislative Session during a Hot Topics Breakfast at the New Ulm Country Club. Both legislators agreed transportation would be a major issue in this session.

17 – For the fourth year in a row the St. George Catholic Church hosted the one-day Quilting retreat called Sewing for Sight to raise funds for the Foundation for Saving Sight. The Foundation created by Dr. Christopher Wallyn and Dr. Michael Merck sponsors an eye clinic and eye surgery suit in San Lucas-Toliman, Guatemala.

20 – During a City Council meeting District 88 Superintendent Jeff Bertrang presented information on construction of the new high school. City staff has met with district representatives to review requirements for the development of the 54-acre site at the intersection of Oak Street and North Highland Avenue.

21 – Washington Elementary School was briefly put on lock down after citizens alerted New Ulm Police about a man near the school who appeared to be carrying a long gun. The gun turned out to be an air rifle. The 18-year-old male transporting the air rifle was taking it to another location and was released after police determined there was no threat to public safety and no laws were broken

22 – NUPD and Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were called to alley behind 507 N. Washington Street at 7:20 a.m. Thursday where a resident found the body. Allina Ambulance pronounced the man dead within minutes. No immediate cause of death could be determined until an autopsy could be conducted.

23 – NUPD identify the body found in alley as 41-year-old Alec John Stand. No foul play was suspected in his death following preliminary medical examinations. At the time of his death Stand was homeless.

24 – Brown County Dairy Association Princesses Mary Rosenhammer, Bethany Seifert and Sabrina Porter and Nicollet County Dairy Association Princesses Stacey Schugel and Megan Struss were crowned at the annual meeting Saturday at St. Paul’s Evangelical Luthern Church.

26 – During the cold weather employees of Kunkel Electric in Mapleton installed overhead lights at the Essig Ballpark. A fund-raising campaign has gathered $110,000 of hte estimated $140,000 cost of the lights. The field hosts approximately 50 games a season and with the lights could add more flexibility in scheduling.

28 – Rep. Torkleson and Sen. Dahms expressed “Sticker Shock” upon seeing Gov. Mark Daytons’s proposed $42 billion budget proposal. The big surprise in the budget was the Governors plan to subsidize preschool programs for 4-year-olds.

29 – Mankato author Laurie Wetzel signed copies of her Young Adult book ‘”Unclaimed'” following a presentation at the New Ulm Library. This book is the first in a series of books that is described as a romantic supernatural thriller.

30 – A Brown County District Court exonerated Arria Looper of felony 3rd degree and 5th degree criminal sexual conduct charges. The charges came from a Aug. 11, 2014 incident involving a 20-year-old former housekeeping employee at the Microtel Inn. He remained in jail following the exoneration for a Louisiana parole violation.

31 – Over 400 individuals registered to take part in the Lak Hanska Ice Fishing contest sponsored by the Hanska Fire Department.

February

3 – The New Ulm City Council endorsed a study to determine if the archery deer hunt in Flandrau Park needed to be expanded.

3 – City Council authorized a grant application to hire Dan Hoisington to write a historical narrative of the Waraju Distillery Property for consideration on the National Historical Register.

4 – The National Commander of the American Legion visited Post 132 to discuss veteran issues including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), suicide and other health care issues.

5 – A report shows that in 2014 the New Ulm half percent sales tax generated over $1,097,758 for the City and a total of over $12,548,575 since it was enacted by voters in Nov. 2000.

6 – The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that a $43 million Sibley East Public School referendum vote on Nov. 4, 2014 will stand.

9 – The Park & Recreation received the results of the first system survey conducted since the late 1980s.

9 – An investigation led by several local area Drug Task Forces in rural Lyon County led to the seizure of approximately 35 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $220,000.

10 – Mankato Rehabilitation Center Inc. (MRCI) begins looking for new business opportunities following the loss of a long -term client Mondelez International.

10 – The Sleepy Eye City Council approved a contract agreement with Kibble Equipment for the construction of a new 48,000 square foot implement dealership on 15 acres in the former Snow Farm property on the east edge of town.

13 – Fasching weekend officially begins as the Narren of New Ulm capture New Ulm Mayor Bob Beussman at City Hall.

14 – Annual Bockfest Celebration draws as many as 5,000 people despite strong winds and low temperatures.

16 – After 50 years the Hermann Heights water tower was torn down that was long deemed an eyesore. With the tower gone the extra space will be available for development.

17 – A four-alarm fire destroyed the south building at Schweiss Welding Inc. in Fairfax. A Gibbon firefighter, Ryan Sabo, was airlifted from the scene.

18 – Gov. Mark Dayton visited Mankato to announce his proposal to expand and improve Highway 14 which include a four-lane expansion from Nicollet to New Ulm.

20 – Eight cypress wood lagering tanks were to the Star Keller, a new Schell’s brewery, near the intersection of Brown County Highway 29 and North Highland Ave.

20 – Springfield resident, Sara Sorby, recounts a whirlwind of events that led to the destruction her vehicle and being rescued by a good samaritan. This series of events led to Sorby appearing on the Ellen Show on CBS.

24 – New Ulm High School reported a graduation rate of 94.63 percent in 2014 which is higher than statewide averages.

28 – New Ulm Rotarian Roger Ryberg and his wife Carol returned from participated in a “Dream Team” trip to India to help stamp out polio.

28 – The Junior Pioneers held a presentation from Daniel Hoisington on the history of the New Ulm Battery.

March

1 – New Ulm firefighters responded to a fire at 827 N. Spring Street at 1:15 p.m. The lone occupant escaped the blaze.

2 – Representatives from New Ulm and MnDOT met at the Civic Center to discuss goals related to transportation including funding for a redesign of the “Y” intersection of Hwy 14 and Hwy 15.

3 – Brown County commissioners learned adult offenders and offenses were lower in 2014 than in 2013 according the Annual County Probation Report.

3 – National Legion Auxiliary President Janet Jefford visited the New Ulm American Legion Post.

4 – Palm Beach Marinecraft plans to transfer production of its Weeres and Palm Beach Brands from New Ulm facility to headquarters in Wyoming, Minnesota.

5 – In Morton, Minnesota Judge Michael Davis dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit against the Lower Sioux Indian Community and neighboring landowners as it is a sovereign Indian land and the Court had no authority.

7 – The Together in Faith event was held at the Sleepy Eye High School marking the first anniversary of a two-vehicle accident that took the lives of four young Sleepy Eye men last March.

9 – The Park and Rec Commission unanimously adopted a recommendation to seek reauthorization of the Local Option Sales Tax in 2016.

12 – More than 180 woman attended a networking and development program at the Holiday Inn Conference Center which featured a speaker Dr. Verna Price.

13 – Superintendent Jeff Bertrang gave presentation at the New Ulm Country Club regarding the new school complex design and construction for District 88.

14 – The Great Irish Fair of New Ulm was held at the Holiday Inn to kick off the 50th consecutive St. Patrick’s Day celebration in New Ulm.

17 – MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle met with several New Ulm business leaders regarding the proposed improvements to Highway 14.

17 – The 50th Annual New Ulm St. Patrick’s Day parade was held downtown on Minnesota Street.

18 – The Annual Agriculture Day Parade was held in downton New Ulm.

23 – Representatives from Brown and Nicollet County once again met with MnDOT employees to clarify transportation priorities.

24 – The New Ulm PUC authorized a project that will allow local artists to paint 10 fire hydrants in the downtown business district.

26 – District 88 School Board approved a resolution asking local legislators to support their request for a 5 percent raise per pupil funding for each of the next two years.

28 – Mary Ellen Domeier was honored at this year’s Brown County Women’s History Luncheon.

30 – Joseph Steinbach starts working as the new program director at The Grand Center of Arts and Culture.

April

2 – Korean War veteran Allen Affolter receives Ambassador for Peace Medal.

3 – Several hundred people filled a Redwood Area Community Center to discuss the proposed buffer strips next to Minnesota water resources.

4 – Brown County Historical Society opens Minnesota Disaster exhibit.

5 – August Schell Brewing re – opened their lagering caves for their new limited edition barrel aged beer.

7 – A recent public service survey showed New Ulm residents gave an average rating of 4.09 out of a possible 5 to New Ulm services.

8 – Law enforcement witnesses testified at the Vasquez omnibus hearing.

9 – District 88 Board of Education viewed presentation on the new school layout and design.

9 – A six man canoe expedition to the Arctic Circle landed in New Ulm during a Spring shower.

10 – New Ulm Library dedicates a new area to Fred W. Johnson.

11 – Breaking the Ice 5K/10K experience best weather in four years with temperatures in the 50s.

14 – Sleepy Eye approves Phase II of Lake Trail. Cost estimated at $1.08 million.

16 – The 3rd Annual Minnesota River Congress met at Turner Hall and set up guidelines.

16 – ECFE Directors cited Transportation as the biggest limiting factor in families receiving access to programs.

16 – Rediscover N. America Expedition to Arctic Circle departed New Ulm.

17 – Boutique Week Fashion Show was held at Best Western with an estimated 200 guests.

23 – Dawn Brown and Michelle Miller were hired as Principal of Jefferson Elementary and Assistant High School/Middle School Principal.

23 – The Marktplatz Mall sign was removed from the City Hall parking lot.

25 – All three New Ulm High Schools held their proms on the same night.

27 – State St. Theater Co. hosted its first fundraiser with a performance of “Who Murdered Mozart.”

28 – The PUC planned to move forward with a residential Sump Pump inspection plan.

28 – Brown County Family Services and Public Health was awarded $10K for achieving two performance thresholds measures in 2014

29 – MnDOT showed the public options for the ‘Y’ intersection improvements at the Highway 14 Bridge.

May

1 – Fire destroyed the Superior Transportation Garage in Springfield, along with ten school buses and two semi tractors. The company said school bus service would continue Monday with replacement buses.

2 – Ground was broken on Pfaender Drive for the new Habitat for Humanity home being built in New Ulm.

3 – The Seifert Quadruplets celebrated their 65th birthday together on the original family farm where they grew up. Martha, Marie, Monica and Michael Seifert were born May 3, 1950, at the Sleepy Eye Hospital. The rare birth was reported in papers throughout the country and drew throngs of curious to the farm.

4 – The New Ulm Highway 14 Improvement Task Force gave its support to a plan for improvements to the Highway 14-15 intersection that favored rebuilding the Highway 14 Bridge over the Minnesota River as a two-lane bridge with an overpass interchange on either side of the 14-15 “Y” intersection.

4 – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health reported bird flu had struck its biggest operation yet, a Nicollet County farm with over 1.1 million chickens.

5 – The New Ulm City Council decided to hold public hearings on the issue of amending City Codes to regulate e-cigarettes in the town.

6 – The District 88 Board of Education awarded its first batch of contracts, worth $11 million for the construction of the new District 88 High School in New Ulm.

8 Ellen Roufs, a senior at Cathedral High School, was heading to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh with an experiment on reducing carcinogenic toxins in milk.

9 – A late Saturday night fire destroyed a downtown Fairfax building that housed a tattoo – piercing shop and a wood shop. No one was injured in the blaze, which required assistance from Sleepy Eye, Franklin and Gibbon fire departments to put out.

13 – New Ulm High School was named a Bronze Award winner in the U.S. News ranking of Best U.S. High Schools.

14 – The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is undertaking the upgrade and restoration of its pipe organ. The organ is being sent to JF Nordlie Co – Organ Building in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is expected to be back in place by the fall of 2016.

16 – A year after the City of New Ulm had approved an ordinance allowing people to raise chickens inside city limits, only one permit had been issued, to 13- year-old Isaac Roufs and his family.

16 – The New Ulm High School Choirs performed their Pops Concert, the final performance directed by choir director Gary Maki. High school singers, parents, alumni and friends joined in singing the final number “Praise His Holy Name.”

16 – Martin Luther College held its Spring 2015 commencement ceremony, awarding degrees to 186 students.

16 – More than 800 people joined the Schell’s Lager Lauf 6k and 12k.

17 – Cathedral High School held graduation ceremonies for its Class of 2015.

18 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Bird Flu epidemic could cost nearly $1 billion to the economies of Minnesota and Iowa, the two states hardest hit by the epidemic that attacked turkey and chicken operations.

19 – The Sertoma Club named Bill Koeckeritz as the recipient of its 2015 Service to Mankind Award.

20 – The New Ulm City Council appointed a special committee to seek options for projects that could be funded with an extension of the New Ulm municipal sales tax.

20 – Ellen Roufs received a 3rd Place Grand Award in Microbiology at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Philadelphia.

21 – Installation of a new message sign along Broadway began. Citizens Bank is installing the sign, replacing the old Markplatz Mall message sign.

22 – The Wanda Gag House opened a new art exhibition featuring recently – restored work by Anton Gag, father of artist and author Wanda Gag.

24 – The New Ulm Area Foundation announced it was nearing its goal for its “Be a Part of the Match” Fund Drive, to raise $250,000 that would be matched by the Mickelson Media Foundation.

25 – Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School held its 2015 graduation exercises.

26 – The Minnesota Board on Animal Health announced the first case of bird flu on a turkey farm with 46,800 birds in Brown County. That case and other new cases raise the state’s total to 94 farms affected in 22 counties. The board says avian influenza has now cost Minnesota turkey and chicken producers over 8 million birds. That total doesn’t include the losses from five of the newly infected farms that are still being tallied.

28 – A groundbreaking ceremony for the new District 88 High School was held at the building site on North Highland Avenue. The District 88 School Board also approved a preliminary budget for the 2016-17 school year projecting operating revenues at 22,180,447, expenditures at 21,840,716, and a fund balance, as of July 30, 2016, of $4,181,148.

29 – The New Ulm High School Class of 2015 celebrated its graduation ceremony.

29 – Leslie Pitt Schneider, who lost her leg in a truck – bike accident as a child in New Ulm in 1975, announced the establishment of a scholarship fund for law enforcement students from New Ulm as a way of expressing her thanks to the law enfacement officers who responded to the accident and helped saver her life. They were Ron Traurig, with the New Ulm Police Department and Larry Pedersen, then a deputy with the Brown County Sheriff’s office, and later Brown County Sheriff.

31 – Results of a 2013 survey showed 6.2 of male 8th grade students in Brown County said they had five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past month. That is double the state average of 2.9 percent.

June

3 – The ISD 88 Foundation and its alumni committee announced the six inductees into the District 88 Hall of Fame for 2015 – Ray Bentdahl, class of ’55; John Heymannn, Class of ’53, Kent Knutson, Class of ’70, Curt Lambrecht, Class of ’71, Ted Marti, class of ’68, and Dr. Ann Vogel, Class of ’60.

5 – The New Ulm Eagles Girls Softball Team took fourth place in the Minnesota State High School League Class AA State Tournament.

5 – New Ulm High School’s Tanner Ogren qualified for the state finals in the Class AA State Track Meet in the 400 – meter dash with a personal best 49.76

5 – Essig Ball Park had its first ball game under the new lights that had been installed at the park through the efforts of the Essig Baseball Association.

5 – New Ulm designer Christine Lynn Carmichael died. She was well known as an interior designer specializing in restorative work for such buildings as the Grand Center for Art and Culture, the Wanda Gag House and the John Lind House, the Dayton House in Worthington and a room in the Governor’s Mansion in St. Paul.

6 – University of Minnesota Football Coach Jerry Kill was the inspirational guest speaker at the Faith Jam 5K around Sleepy Eye Lake. The event is held in honor of Kaylie Hogue, who died of an epileptic seizure, and Tyler Hadley, who was one of four Sleepy Eye teens killed in a car accident in 2014.

6 – At the State Track Meet, the MVL Boys 4×400 team finished with second place in the finals of their event, and Tanner Ogren finished sixth in the 400 meter dash and eighth in the 200.

8 – The New Ulm Park and Rec Commission unanimously supported an improvement plan to make a fully accessible playground at Hermann Heights Park, accepting a $50,000 front from the New Ulm Medical Center Foundation to assist with the $250,000 cost, which includes installing a special poured rubber surface that would make the park accessible to wheelchairs.

10 – New Ulm was featured by international traveler and photographer Pei Ketron, known for her Instagram posting of photos of her travels. She visited New Ulm as part of a Minnesota Department of Tourism’ Explore Minnesota summer tourism campaign.

11 – The District 88 School Board approved the administrative reorganization to go along with its new building program, transitioning from three school buildings to four. The district is building a new school for grades 9 – 12. The current high school will become a middle school for grades 5 – 8, while grades 1 – 4 will school at Jefferson Elementary, and Washington Elementary will become the district’s Pre – K and Kindergarten building.

12 – German Consul General Herbert Quelle paid a visit to New Ulm, getting the grand tour from greeters Denis Warta and George Glotzbach.

12 – The New Ulm Municipal Band kicked off its 70th season with a concert in German Park.

16 – The Brown County Board approved an application for a COPS grant to cover the cost of adding another deputy position to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, but waited for more information before actually approving the hiring of a new deputy.

22 – A heavy wind and rain storm swept through the area around 5:45 a.m., hitting hardest in the St. George area, where the farm of Don and Karen Wendinger. The wind blew sections of metal roofing off of the barn, broke off trees at the base and drove a 2×4 through the side of a steel shed on the farm.

25 – The District 88 School Board awarded contracts totalling $15.1 million related to the ongoing construction of the new high school building.

25 – The New Ulm Planning Commission recommended not to approve a permit request to allow the sale of rabbits on a residential property in New Ulm. Tina Severin, 1007 S. Valley, had asked for the permit to sell the rabbits she raises at her home.

27 – Area churches are collaborating to create a homeless shelter for single – mother families with children. The NUMAS House, named after the New Ulm Ministerial Association, is being created at the home on Center Street behind First United Methodist Church, which has used the building for other purposes including a youth center. The house is being remodeled to serve three families, and will provide training on job retention, nutrition, parenting skills and credit restoration to help the families re-establish themselves.

27 – The third bi-annual Quiltistry event was held in New Ulm, drawing quilters and quilting fans to exhibits set up throughout New Ulm.

28 – Jeff Gulden, owner of the B&L Bar, was featured after he sold his portion of the B&L Bar to Bill Kittler, who joins Rick Kamm as owners of the bar. Gulden and Kamm had owned the bar since 2002.

30 – German Consul General Knut Abraham visited New Ulm to reconnect with cousins in the area and to enjoy the sights and hospitality of New Ulm.

30 – The New Ulm Park & Rec Commission held a special work session to discuss plans for the Local Option Sales Tax, which is coming up for possible renewal before 2021.

July

1 – The State Street Theater Co. announced the election of new officers and listed its season for the coming year. Officers elected for the 2015 – 2016 year are: Judy Sellner, Board Chair; Reed Glawe, President; Kent Menzel, Vice President; John Bergstrand, Secretary; Nick Hage, Treasurer; Ruth Schaefer, Asst. Treasurer; and Vickie Kuehn, Production Manager. Paul Warshauer remains as the Executive and Artistic Director.

6 – Maggie Bauer was featured for celebrating her 54th years as an employee of Citizens Bank Minnesota in New Ulm.

6 – The Highway 14 expansion project between Nicollet and North Mankato began with a ground breaking ceremony in Nicollet. The ceremony marked the beginning of a 2.5 mile, four-lane Nicollet bypass and exchange, to be completed in 2016.

6 – The State Street Theater Company officially took over title of the New Ulm Middle School auditorium from Cenate LLC. State Street Theater Co. is planning to develop the auditorium into a top quality regional performing center.

7 – The Brown County Commissioners voted to explore the idea of a county sales tax to generate funds for highway construction in the county.

7 – The New Ulm City Council passed a motion to limit the number of pet rabbits people may keep inside city limits to four.

10 – 12 – Local law enforcement authorities arrested 13 men in a prostitution sting conducted in New Ulm and St. Peter. Among those arrested was a New Ulm pastor, the Rev. David Bendix of St. Paul’s Lutheran, who resigned from the ministry after his arrest. He said in an interview he had disqualified himself as a pastor and it was his “moral obligation” to step down.

15 – The “Adopt a Hydrant” project got underway with local artists painting several downtown hydrants with whimsical themes.

17 – The 2015 Bavarian Blast began at the Brown County Fairgrounds.

21 – The New Ulm City Council appointed James Hogen, Jeff Dittrich and Bob Skillings to the Local Option Sales Tax review committee. The council also heard a report on the Safe Routes to School project and approved the demonstration project for the program. Safe Routes to School is a cooperative effort of local public and private schools, city officials and others, which seeks to provide safe routes to encourage students to walk or bike to school.

21 – Don Brand received the Minnesota Valley Action Council’s Roger J. Wolfe Achievement Award.

23 – The District 88 School Board approved support for the Safe Routes to School Program.

23 – A session of the Minnesota River Congress was held at Turner Hall. Minnesota DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr was on hand to talk about conservation and water quality issues along the Minnesota River.

31 – The Brown County Relay for Life was held at the Brown County Fairgrounds, raising $134,000.

31 – Brown County REA added Hanska and Comfrey among 11 distribution territories when it acquired Alliant Energy’s southern Minnesota electric service territory.

August

4 – Lt. Gov. Tina Smith talked about the need to expand broadband communication systems in Minnesota during a forum at Farmfest in Redwood County.

6 – Gov. Mark Dayton explained his agricultural buffer zones proposal at Farmfest.

9 – Former New Ulm resident Anna Biedenbender was in New Ulm preparing an exhibit of her art work at the Grand Center for Arts and Culture.

10 – John G. Hansen II, who faced charges for a marijuana growing operation in his home, received a stay of ajudication in his case, with three charges dismissed. Hansen’s attorney had argued that he had a constitutional right to grow marijuana for health purposes, and that the pending Minnesota medical marijuana law mean marijuana was no longer a class 1 substance. Hansen pled guilty to a 5th degree possession charge. He was placed on five years probation, and if he successfully completes his probation the charge will be dismissed.

11 – The former New Ulm High School building, which later became the Middle School, was named to the National Register of Historic Places, which will enhance its conversion to apartments, and the State Street Theater.

10 – The New Ulm Park and Rec Commission approved creation of a monarch butterfly preserve in New Ulm on a portion of a park at 2250 N. Broadway.

12 – The 2015 Brown County Free Fair opened its gates at the Brown County Fairgrounds for its five – day run.

13 – Bert Marth of the New Ulm American Legion was named to the Minnesota Legion Baseball Hall of Fame for her long activism with the local and District Legion Baseball programs.

13 – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar stopped in New Ulm and toured the AMPI Butter Plant. She also talked with AMPI officer about their concerns for the need for funding the Highway 14 expansion project.

13 – Jim Hogen and Florence Kuck were honored at the Brown County Fair’s Senior Citizens program. Hogen received the 2015 Outstanding Senior Citizens Award, and Kuck receive the 2015 Distinguished Service Award.

14 – New Ulm Eagle Scout Noah Stocker was featured for his service project, which involved designing, creating and maintaining a pollinator habitat garden.

18 – The Brown County Commissioners voted to add e-cigarette regulations to the county tobacco ordinance.

18 – The New Ulm City Council discussed the possibility of addressing the issue of limiting the number of cats persons could own in the city, but took no action.

19 – Sid and Jan DeLeo were winners of the city’s Big Tree contest, locating the biggest Cottonwood tree in the city limits in the 900 block of North Spring Street.

20 – The New Ulm Sport Fishermen hosted a Kids Fishing Contest on a perfect sunny day on the Minnesota River. More than 200 kids took part in the contest, catching 60 fish in the first hour of the contest.

21 – Students started moving in at Martin Luther College, in preparation for the upcoming academic year.

26 – New Ulm Police Chief Myron Wieland was arrested on a charge of domestic assault. The incident at his home on Aug. 24 was investigated by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested, booked in the Brown County Jail, and transported to the Faribault County Jail in Blue Earth. He was placed on paid administrative leave. At an Aug. 28 hearing, Wieland was charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He was released on $5,000 bail. Charges said Wieland and his wife had argued over money, when he allegedly placed hands on his wife and threw her on a bed.

28 – A New Ulm teen, Zachary Hauser, 17, died in a broadside crash on Highway 169 and Highway 68 in Blue Earth County.

September

1 – Brown County commissioners unanimously denied a Personnel Policy Committee recommendation to increase annual vacation hours.

1 – The City Council revisited the issue of electronic delivery device (e-cigarette) regulations in New Ulm.

1 – Brown County commissioners and the highway engineer concluded public informational meetings about a half-cent Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) for Transportation at the Brown County License Bureau.

2 – Shirley Olson was recognized for volunteering for the American Red Cross blood drive for 27 years, at Vogel Fieldhouse.

2 – The City Council agreed to reduce the lease payment for MR Paving and Excavating for the operation of the compost/burn site.

3 – Author Elisabeth von Berrinberg shared stories from her memoir “The City in Flames: A Child’s Recollection of World War II in Wurzberg Germany” at the Public Library.

4 – The New Ulm Oktoberfest was nominated for Best Oktoberfest in a USA Today online poll.

4 – Carisa Buegler, Director of the New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) Foundation and Community Engagement, was named as successor to Director of Operations and Finance Steve Schneider, who announced his retirement after 30 years at NUMC.

5 – Several dozen Goosetown residents and spouses shared stories of their younger days at the Goosetown Gathering, during the 2015 Riverblast in Riverside Park.

8 – The Brown County Planning Commission unanimously approved a pair of proposed feedlot expansions, despite opposition from a Sigel Township resident who lives near one of the feedlots.

9 – The New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) was named to Becker’s Hospital Review list of 50 Critical Access Hospitals to Know.

11 – Brown County District Court