Thanks to the LWV

The Brown County Commissioner candidates forum held this week completes the lineup of debates sponsored this year by the League of Women Voters of New Ulm. We hope all local voters, whether DFL or Republican or independent, will agree on one thing – the League deserves the thanks of all of us for their special efforts to inform and educate the voters.

Each election season the League of Women Voters sponsors candidate forums for all local races, from city council and school board to state legislature. They provide citizens the rare opportunity to see the candidates side by side and listen to their answers to the questions posed by the League and by the audience.

As a strictly non-partisan group, the League plays no favorites, harbors no grudges and lays no traps for candidates. It is all as fair and balanced as they can make it, and we all benefit from that. Thanks, League.

Good times for Halloween

There is certainly no shortage of opportunities for fun during the Halloween season in New Ulm. We have haunted houses at the Marktplatz Mall and at Turner Hall for the older kids, the ECFE?party for the younger ones at Jefferson school, and special music and parties at night spots throughout town.?On Monday, the big Halloween day, the Sons of the American Legion host their Treat Night where kids can come and take a break.

And a special mention should go to all the folks in town who go the extra mile to decorate their houses and yards to create a spooky but fun atmosphere for trick-or-treaters. Residents along South State Street have truly gotten into the habit, drawing thousands of kids to their haunted area.

We hope everyone celebrates safely and has fun this weekend.

Downtown dwelling

The New Ulm Planning and Zoning Board has sent a recommendation to the New Ulm City Council to amend the city code and allow ground floor apartments in downtown buildings. In the past, ground floor were reserved for retail or business, while apartments were relegated to upstairs.

If this can create some new uses for empty downtown spaces, it is a change worth making.