Breaking News

Columns

Getting history straight during trip to Europe

When I write one of these, it’s like sewing a rug. I take a bunch of ideas and stitch them together till I have a column that I can shake outside and put on the floor. Today, I have a lot of loose ends. These are remnants from our trip to Europe in June. Instead of rug, it might come out looking like a bunch of rags. We spent a week in the Czech Republic and a week in Poland with two daughters, a son-in-law, and a 10-year-old grandson. Part of that was seeking ancestral places. Part of it was touristing. Both those countries were behind the Iron Curtain 50 years ago when I ...

In the ‘70s, musicals found Jesus

NEW ULM – By the late 1960s, the musical film genre was at a low point and looked to religion for salvation. The New Ulm Film Society will explore this musical revival with a screening of 1973’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.”  The screening will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the New Ulm Library. In the early 1970s, musicals weird place. For decades, the musical genre was among the most successful genres. That trend continued into the 1960s, but by the end of the decades studios were starting to see diminishing returns. Audiences were turning away from the big lavish ...

Answering common questions about elections and voting

These are brief answers to commonly asked questions about elections and voting in Minnesota. For more information see www.Vote411 or www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting. What are the qualifications for voting in MN? To vote in Minnesota, you must be: • A U.S. citizen • At least 18 years old on Election Day (16- & 17-year-olds can pre-register) • A resident of Minnesota for 20 days • Not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction • Not under a court order that revokes your right to vote When is identification required for voting in MN? Identification and ...

DIY distress

There are several three-lettered acronyms that invoke anxiety, such as FBI, IRS, and IOU. An acronym that should be added to that list is DIY. “Do it yourself” sounds seductively simple. While there are numerous things that people should definitely do themselves — such as blowing ...

It’s time to go but not completely

After more than 26 years at The Journal and passing what many consider retirement age, it’s time to move on at least to a degree. After working five or six days a week and holding one full-time job and up to three part-time jobs at the same time, it’s not easy to just cut loose from it ...

Enjoying Toast

My wife, my sister Jane, and I recently got toasted. It had nothing to do with overconsumption of alcohol or being feted at a festive gathering. This toast had to do with bread. Sort of. The music group Bread flooded the AM airwaves with hit tunes during the 1970s. Bread essentially created ...