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Report on Cuomo should lead to his resignation

The New York State Attorney General’s office released the findings of its five-month investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The report asserts that the governor harassed at least 11 women, many of them members of his staff or connected with New York state government. The harassment included suggestive or sexual comments, groping, unwanted hugs and kisses, and so on. Cuomo denies it all, or minimizes it as misunderstandings, or cultural differences (he’s a demonstrative Italian), or politically motivated bias. There should be no room in the ...

Vaccination debate now affects football

People can be pretty unconcerned when talking about COVID-19 vaccinations. Do you worry about unvaccinated health care or nursing home workers? Perhaps. Do you worry about unvaccinated people next to you in restaurants or movie theaters? We have our shots, so we’re not worried. But now the vaccination question is affecting something really important — pro football. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has spent the past few days being quarantined and miss ingtraining camp, under the NFL’s COVID RULES, because he’s not vaccinated Suddenly, we’re paying attention. People care ...

Gov’t needs to address evictions

This past weekend the federal government’s moratorium on evictions during the COVD-19 pandemic came to an end. For a year the moratorium had helped families who couldn’t keep up with their rent because of pandemic-related job cutbacks, shorter hours or illness from being evicted. As a result, eviction notices and actions are starting up, causing a run on the aid programs and courts that handle eviction hearings. This is a problem that the government knew was coming. The Biden Administration knew it could not extend the moratorium through the CDC, where it originated, because ...

Cash for vaccine?

Last week President Joe Biden encouraged states and local governments to up the ante — really! — for getting a COVID-19 vaccination. The Biden administration is recommending paying people $100 for getting the shot. That’s right, a Benjamin. A hondo. A C-note, or whatever slang term you want to use. States have already been offering incentives. In Minnesota you could get free Twins tickets or State Fair tickets, or state park sticker, or fishing licenses, California has given away $116.5 million in gift cards and prizes, the biggest payout pot in the country so far. But still, ...

Thumbs Up/Down

Rec Center preview THUMBS UP: Members of the New Ulm City Council took a tour of the improvements at the New Ulm Rec Center on Wednesday. The center, being expanded and improved through the RENU program, will have a lot more to offer when it is fully open. On Monday the fitness center portion of the center will be open, and it offers a large, bright area for working out. A large indoor playground is being installed, and a new aquatic center will be finishing up in September. It will be a great facility for New Ulm. No smoking zone THUMBS DOWN: All the haze and smoke that has been ...

Suni Lee steps up

We love to look for heroes in the Olympics. Every four years athletes who have been dedicating themselves to training and competition don the colors of their various countries and see who is the best. This year Americans were counting on Simone Biles, considered the greatest gymnast of all time, to be a hero, to bring back the gold in the women’s all around and lead the U.S team to victory. We all know how years of trying to meet high expectations became too much for Biles this week, forcing her to withdraw. But another hero was ready to step in. Suni Lee of St. Paul, who had been ...