Today is Ash Wednesday. Many of us Christians will be walking around with a smudge of ashes upon our forehead. It might seem odd, but this is a favorite day of the year for me. Ash Wednesday heralds another Lent, another chance to get my messy life in order. Unfortunately, my life is like ...
Why did you take the Arctic Plunge? (Asked at The Lamplighter’s 2nd annual Arctic Plunge)
The City of New Ulm is not unique in its abundant use of acronyms. Every department shortens frequently used phrases (FUP) and titles to acronyms that become part of the language or culture in that area. If you hear a city staff member use an acronym you are not familiar with, it’s okay to ...
In the fall of 2019, all students at New Ulm Middle School were issued a Chromebook as part of a 1:1 technology initiative to support teaching and learning in and out of the classroom. In the first few months of the program, all middle school students learned about digital citizenship and ...
What do you like about the River Valley Dutchmen snowmobile hill climb?
The City of New Ulm Emergency Management Department has received notification that there is a strong likelihood of significant flooding for this spring. The primary reasons for this concern involve the high river and soil moisture levels that we are currently encountering for this time of ...
I like to run a couple times a week, usually on Sleepy Eye’s lake trail or a gravel road. This time of year, when the great outdoors isn’t so great, I sometimes use the track at Vogel Arena. I was there, pushing one foot ahead of the other. A ten minute-a-mile pace is a fading memory. But I ...
On Dec. 17, 2019 the City Council approved the final budget for 2020. The process that goes into creating a city budget is a long, complicated and challenging process that starts in May each year. Staff starts by estimating all the expenses each department will have in the coming year. Once the ...
Get ready to vote in the 2020 presidential nomination primary. Voters who meet the Feb. 11 pre-registration deadline will save time at the polls on Election Day — March 3, or if you are in a mail ballot precinct you can be assured of having a ballot mailed to you. Voters must update their ...
Note: In January 2004, Holocaust survivor Henry Oertelt of St. Paul visited New Ulm to tell the story of his survival to New Ulm High School students. With the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp this week, I thought it would be appropriate to rerun this column I ...
Here’s a mental exercise for a winter night. Think on this: Am I better than anyone else? I don’t mean in skills. I learned long ago there are people better at baseball. That was followed by discovery that there are people better at singing, dancing, running, you name it. Even things I ...
Common questions posed to local election officials about the presidential primary scheduled for March 3, 2020 are answered in this column. Will all parties participate in the presidential nomination primary? No, only major parties will participate. Two major parties, the ...
You may have seen the logo before when shopping for appliances and lighting. You may have even seen it on buildings or windows. But do you know why the logo is there, what it represents, and who put it there? Energy Star is a voluntary program backed by the Environmental Protection Agency ...
Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?
It is always a privilege and honor to recognize students for their achievements. This past school board meeting, several students were honored for their positive work ethic, for being a great classmate and assisting other students in class, and for their academic achievements. Our district ...
Ed Blackstad passed away on Jan. 15. Ed was a fellow Lion, patient, and good buddy. I had many great conversations with him through the years. We liked to review movies. In 1996, we did our best “Siskel & Ebert At the Movies” of “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” I asked him “What did you ...
Were you satisfied with the weekend blizzard?
Farmers had a year about as good as the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers lost 114 games. Ron Gardenhire manages the Tigers, so we know the Tigers “battled.” Those years Twins losses piled up when Gardy managed here, you could count on him to tell us the players “battled.” Through bad ...
For the first time in decades, Minnesota will hold a presidential primary March 3, and early voting begins Jan. 17. There are a couple of other big changes. When you vote on Super Tuesday, your secret ballot won’t be as secret as it used to be. To be clear, no one will know who you voted ...
Gov. Tim Walz has been taking a different approach to his proposal for the state bonding bill that will be the main focus of this year’s session. In the past, governors have put together their bonding proposal and presented it as a big package. Last year, Walz had a $1.27 billion bonding ...