What are you going as for Halloween? (Asked at the Courtland “Trunk or Treat” event Saturday)

I went to visit an old friend the other day. It was the beginning of the end. We go back as far as I can remember. You might think I’m getting to be a sentimental old cuss, but I’ve been a sentimental cuss my whole life. This one literally “hits home” with me. There are dozens of ...

The General Election is less than two weeks away and Brown County voters are making their voices heard! The Elections team at Brown County is working hard to ensure that every vote counts in the upcoming election. We need voters to take a little extra time with their voting materials and ...

What do you enjoy about pigeons? (Asked at the New Ulm Poultry & Pigeon Association pigeon show at the Brown County Fairgrounds)

Should I have my furnace checked yearly? Yes, your furnace should be checked annually by a qualified person. The New Ulm Public Utilities offers a Furnace Cleaning Discount Program that will help reduce the cost. All New Ulm Public Utility residential customers qualify for this program. The ...

What is your favorite seasonal activity this time of year?

Voters in our townships and the cities of Cobden, Evan and Hanska should expect to see their ballots for the General Election arrive in their mailbox this week. If your ballot does not arrive by Oct. 12, we encourage voters to contact the Elections Office at 233-6614 to obtain a ballot. An ...

Back in my running-around days, there would sometimes be a guy at the bar who was mad about something. Mad at the bartender, mad at a girl, mad at another guy, mad at the world. I remember telling friends that I don’t understand Angry People. Drinking beer is supposed to be a happy ...

With COVID forcing a toned down Oktoberfest, what did you miss most from past celebrations?

To say the start of the 2020-2021 school year has been unique would be an understatement. Throughout the entire summer, teachers and school officials have worked to develop multiple education plans that would serve the best interest of our students as well as meet the established health ...

The New Ulm Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years — to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” The campaign works to ...

Voters who have requested absentee ballots should be finding them in their mail boxes this week. We hope that voters take the time to research the candidates and cast your ballot as soon as possible. It is recommended that ballots being returned by the USPS should be mailed by October ...

What do you like about the farm? (Asked Sunday at the Berkner Century Farm, Sleepy Eye)

To support our local small business owners, the City of New Ulm, through the work of the Economic Development Authority (EDA), are ramping up efforts for the rest of 2020 with the Small Business Development Center-South Central Office (SBDC). All consultant and programming services are offered ...

They’re gone. The swallows have left the farm. It’s not quite as predictable as San Juan Capistrano, but it’s close. They were lining up on an overhead wire. taking turns dive bombing for bugs the night before. The next morning, they weren’t here. They left in the dark, beginning a ...

Absentee voting for the general election began on Friday, September 18, in Minnesota. Brown County will start sending out ballots to those who have already requested one, the week of October 5th. Mail ballot precincts will begin seeing their ballots beginning October 7th. Want to avoid ...

Where is the best place to ride a motorcycle? (Asked at the Flying Dutchmen flat track races)

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts are unanimous that avoiding crowded public places is the best way to limit the spread of the disease and keep our communities healthy. While Minnesota remains under a state of peacetime emergency in response to the pandemic, Secretary ...

All of us have been affected by COVID-19. What we are doing today in school wasn’t on our minds when we started school last year. The new safety protocols, preparedness plans, monitoring of health conditions and managing people in spaces have taken the front seat to what we are doing as we ...

Occasionally someone refers to driving through the Midwest as boring. Corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans. If you’re a farmer, it is definitely not boring. We love looking at fields! It’s like a painter looking at other paintings. I drive around for a part-time job in the summer, so I gawk at ...