Windings in space

THUMBS UP: The night sky holds a little more interest this week for employees of Windings, Inc. The Perseverance Mars rover that just landed on the red planet contains components made right here in New Ulm by Windings. It’s all classified, of course, but knowing what Windings does, we can assume that when the rover’s robotic arm reaches out, for instance, Windings parts are helping power the movement.

Congratulations to the folks at Windings. We’re all proud of the job you do.

Bipartisan rejection

THUMBS UP: Gov. Tim Walz must be feeling a little frustrated today, after the Minnesota House of Representatives, controlled by his own party, failed to pass a bill to create the fund he wants to pay for security at the upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin. The bill failed by a 71-63 vote, with some DFLers joining the Republicans in the House to vote against it.

This is a pretty good sign that the Walz’s plan needs some refiguring. He might need to really listen to Republican concerns for once.

Garland cost

THUMBS DOWN: Everybody who has seen them appreciates the special touch that the traditional holiday garlands gave to downtown New Ulm at Christmas time. For decades they had cast a glow over Minnesota Street. But in recent years concerns have arisen about the safety of the garlands and their connections to the buildings along Minnesota Street.

The New Ulm City Council this week authorized an engineering study of putting up new poles to anchor the garlands. The cost of the study is between $32,500 to $45,000, for enough poles to string 11 garlands. The cost of the poles is another matter. They could be $15,000 to $20,000 apiece, for a total that could approach $450,000 to $500,000.

We’re pretty sure the city fathers and business people who put up the original garlands would blanche at the thought of spending that much money on Christmas decorations. We would hope today’s city leaders would feel the same way.