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THUMBS DOWN Old man winter returns with a vengeance Last week it looked like Minnesota might get an early spring. The Valentine’s Day weekend saw unusually high temperatures. On Feb. 13, New Ulm set a high temperature record for the day. Walking around without a coat or hat outside was optional. It was wonderful. Then it had to start snowing Wednesday morning and it didn’t quit until late afternoon. Everyone had to break out their shovels again and driving conditions were terrible. The snowfall was mixed with freezing rain creating extremely slick conditions. Even walking on ...

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THUMBS DOWN Car crash takes out print edition On Wednesday, a vehicle crashed into multiple vehicles outside the House of Print in Madelia before smashing into a nearby utility pole, causing a power outage. As a result, the House of Print was not able to operate its printing press for several hours, meaning no print edition of The Journal as well as other area papers. It is an unfortunate series of events and reminder of the consequences. THUMBS UP Super Bowl Sunday a uniting event Super Bowl LX is this Sunday with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots playing for the ...

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THUMBS UP Lilleoden receives Chamber Volunteer of the Year award Andy Lilleodden received the inaugural Chamber Volunteer of the Year award Monday. The award created this year is given to those who go above and beyond in their support of the New Ulm Area Chamber. Lilleodden has served on Chamber Committees for 13 of his 15 years as a Chamber member and has regularly volunteered to assist with the Chamber’s Oktoberfest celebration. In December, he completed seven years of service on the Chamber Board, but continues to volunteer on the Chamber’s remodel committee. Many of New ...

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THUMBS UP Park & Rec Master Plan nears completion The New Ulm Park and Recreation Department held an open house Monday for the Park and Rec Master Plan. This new master plan has been in development since April and is expected to be complete by next April. The open house allowed the public to get a closer look at a draft of the plan, but also provided feedback. The plan is an impressive guide to New Ulm’s park system. It includes information on all 28 of New Ulm’s city parks as well as demographics for the community. Considering the size of New Ulm’s park system, the community ...

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THUMBS DOWN Good shot to death by ICE agent The death of Renee Good is a tragedy. By now the video of  ICE shooting Good in her car has been seen by millions world wide and for many this incident feels all too familiar to the 2020 death of George Floyd. The outrage and seeming lack of accountability in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death led to days of civil unrest in Minneapolis and it’s hard not to worry that the cities could face something similar. At this point the best outcome would be an open and transparent investigation into the shooting. Unfortunately, the Minnesota ...

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THUMBS DOWN Fraud speculation makes day care crisis worse in Minnesota The federal government is pausing federal funding for child care in Minnesota. This comes in the wake of YouTuber Nick Shirley posting a video in which he claims a dozen Minneapolis day cares were not really operating as day cares and fraudulently taking federal funds. Though the allegations have yet to be proven, it has resulted in the entire state losing federal funding for day care. Minnesota has long faced a day care shortage. There are not enough providers to meet the demand of parents. Even if this funding ...