Since 2021, a group of citizens had been attending District 88 school board meetings to voice their opinions that the district was planning to insert Critical Race Theory into the school curriculum, and that studies and workshops on equity and inclusiveness in the district were camouflage for CRT.

The issue of inclusiveness came to a critical point in March, when a Star Tribune article described an allegation that an openly gay St. Peter basketball player had been verbally harassed by New Ulm students during games with New Ulm, and that one of the New Ulm players had been pinching him during games. A District 88 investigation led to discipline for the New Ulm player for using a slur in describing the player, and District Superintendent Jeff Bertrang issued an apology on behalf of the district.

After another game in New Ulm a car followed the St. Peter bus, which was hit with paintball pellets, sparking more concern.

In a student assembly, High School Principal Mark Bergmann implied the newspaper accounts of the harassment were not accurate and that “everything you read is not always fact.” After the player who was disciplined was given a chance to speak, other students stood up to complain that the district has been ignoring the harassment that LGBTQ students have been reporting. Bergmann promised more meetings in the future to hear the students’ concerns.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Federal, state and local government officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony on April 19 for the Highway 14 expansion project. From the left: Sen. Tina Smith, Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Courtland Mayor Al Poehler and State Rep. Paul Torkelson.

When school board elections approached, four challengers, Michael Thom, Gigi Rysdahl, Jo-Ell Flitter and Nick Thiel filed to challenge the three incumbent school board members, Amanda Groebner, Steven Gag and Melissa Sunderman. The campaign issues focused on the district’s efforts to foster inclusiveness and equity in the district, with the incumbents in favor, and the challengers focused on traditional values.

In the November election, the three incumbents were re-elected, and the district continues with its efforts to foster a welcoming atmosphere.

2. Mr. Finstad Goes

to Washington

First District Rep. Jim Hagedorn, a Republican who followed his father’s footsteps into Congress, died in February at the age of 59 after battling cancer. His death in mid-term led to a special election to fill the rest of his term, which was to end at the end of this year.

A long list of Republicans, including Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan, State Rep. Jeremy Munson, Lake Crystal, and former state legislator Brad Finstad of New Ulm, filed for the Republican endorsement.

An endorsing convention in Mankato ended in a deadlock. Munson and Finstad were the last two candidates, but with little chance of either winning the 60 percent majority needed for the endorsement, the convention ended with no endorsement.

In a May 24, 2022 special primary, Finstad outpolled Munson 38.1% to 36.9% to face Jeff Ettinger, the DFL endorsee. On Aug. 9, in a double election, Finstad defeated Ettinger to fill out Hagedorn’s term, and also defeated Munson to earn the Republican nomination for the November election for a full term in the House.

In November, Finstad defeated Ettinger 53.8% to 42.3% to earn the right to represent the First District for the next two years.

3. New Bishop Installed

After Bishop John Levoir resigned as Bishop of the New Ulm Diocese in August 2020. Over the next two years, Msgr. Douglas Grams served as diocesan administrator until this year, when Pope Francis announced the appointment of Bishop Chad W. Zielinski, bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, to take over the New Ulm Diocese, which includes 15 counties in south central Minnesota, with 61 parishes and nearly 51,000 Catholics.

Zielinski was installed as the 5th Bishop of New Ulm on Sept. 28, 2022, in a special ceremony at the Church of St. Mary in Sleepy Eye.

“I look forward to putting on my gloves and joining you in this hard work as we hear God, hand him our hearts and have renewed hope in God’s providence,” Zielinski said during his sermon at his installation mass.

Zielinski’s pastoral career includes serving as a military chaplain, serving three tours of duty in war zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to the rank of major in 2013. When he was installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, he became the first active duty chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces to be appointed as a bishop.

4. Highway 14

Construction

After decades of lobbying, proponents of making Highway 14 a four-lane highway all the way to New Ulm got their wish on April 19, when a ground-breaking ceremony for the final stretch of the project was held in Courtland. Gov. Tim Walz, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and local legislators including Rep. Paul Torkelson were on hand to toss a few spadefuls of dirt to mark the official opening of the project.

The construction is underway and is expected to continue through to completion in the fall of 2023.

5. COVID impact wanes

The COVID pandemic continued on in 2022. Brown County’s experience with the disease spiked in January. After two weeks of fewer than 60 cases, Brown County recorded 655 in one week on Jan. 22, and the monthly total exceeded 1,000 cases. Brown County government and ISD 88 maintained mandatory testing, vaccination and masking requirements for its employees.

By the end of February, COVID numbers had fallen and Brown County was among those given a low community risk rating by the Center for Disease Control.

The disease has not gone away, and Brown County Public Health Director Karen Moritz, who is retiring this month, said the disease “has become a part of our world.”

6. Hermann

Monument

The Hermann Monument has towered over New Ulm for over a century. In 2004-2005 the statue of Hermann was removed from its base for repairs and reinforcement. Now, the monument base is in need of repair.

This year the New Ulm City Council learned that the monument base is in need of repair. The repairs will be costly. The city has no original documents for the monument’s design, so Hermann’s statue will need to be removed, and the monument deconstructed and documented to create a design for the reconstruction of the base.

7. Oak Hills

Expansion Project

Oak Hills Living Center in New Ulm announced plans for an expansion in February. Market studies and demographic projections show that the Living Center, built in 1995, needs to restructure to continue to meet the needs of the area’s senior population in the future.

Plans call for 30 new units, 15 for enhanced assisted living, and 15 for memory care.

The expansion plan was budgeted to cost $13 million, but when bids were taken in March, the bids came in at $17.2 million. Rebidding brought the cost to $14.8 million, which soon soared to $15.4 million, more than the building appraisal would allow it to borrow.

The Oak Hills expansion project is seeking more community support, changes in the state’s regulation system for nursing homes and seeking USDA funding for a moratorium grant, in hopes of bringing the project to a start in 2023.

8. Mayor

Kathleen Backer

When New Ulm Mayor Terry Sveine, appointed to fill out the term of former Mayor Robert Beussman, announced he would not seek a new term in the 2022 election, a list of potential candidates filed for the office. In a runoff election, Kathleen Backer and Ronald Wendinger were the two finalists, and on Nov. 8, city voters elected Backer, making her the first woman mayor in the city’s history.

9. New Ulm’s

oldest resident dies

Erna Zahn, who at 114 as Minnesota’s oldest living resident, died on Aug. 9 at the Oak Hills Living Center. Zahn lived through two major pandemics — the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1917 at the COVID pandemic of 2020, and two World Wars. She and her husband, Prof. Meilahn Zahn, came to New Ulm when he accepted a call to Dr. Martin Luther College in 1962.

10. 3M celebrates

60 years in New Ulm

For 60 years, the 3M plant has been one of New Ulm’s biggest employers and strongest supporters. 3M celebrated its 60th anniversary in New Ulm with food, music and a salvo from the New Ulm Battery.

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