School board should set listening time, rules

POINTER: It seems a group of people in New Ulm have decided that the District 88 school board meetings are going to be the battleground where they draw the line on issues like kids wearing masks in schools and what kind of lessons to teach on American history. When they turned up at Thursday’s meeting, the school board was obviously not prepared for the size of the crowd, some of whom had to sit out in the hallway, and couldn’t hear. And the board refused to allow them to speak on issues not on the board agenda. The statement at the top of the agenda clearly states those wishing to speak on non-agenda items would be recognized during non-agenda portions of the meeting.

Since this appears to be a likely scenario at future board meetings, the board should work on the space issue, and set definite rules on how much time will be allowed for speakers and how much time each speaker will get. Obviously, speakers should observe rules of decorum, let everyone have their say and refrain from disruptive behavior.

A letdown for GOP

THUMBS DOWN: The Arizona GOP’s much ballyhooed “forensic audit” of the Maricopa County election results, by an inexperienced firm they hired with the unlikely name of “Cyber Ninjas,” came to a close Friday with the filing of the final report. It was not what the GOP was hoping for. Cyber Ninjas’ recount showed Biden with 360 more votes than the official results. But they also made claims that there was reason to doubt the results and that further investigation was necessary.

Donald Trump, of course, claimed the group found widespread fraud. It did not. Instead, Arizona election officials claimed the report is riddle with errors, bias and flawed methodology

Meanwhile, similar “audits” are being conducted in other states around the country. It’s time to stop whipping this dead horse.

Aquatic Center open

THUMBS UP: The New Ulm Rec Center’s Aquatic Center opened to the public on Wednesday, and kids and parents were quick to take advantage.

We hope people will grab their swimming trunks and head on over to check it out. It’s a great addition to the city’s quality of life.