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Hungry for festivals Thumbs Up: Bavarian Blast is looking to have one of its best festivals ever, judging by big crowds Thursday and Friday. That’s due in part to pleasant weather, but another reason has to be the hunger for getting together and celebrating that developed over the past year. That hunger for social contact developed over the past year as people realized the truth of the old saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” This summer, with restrictions lifted, people are flocking to opportunities for celebration. And Bavarian Blast is just what ...

Hiding out an old political ploy

The Democratic members of the Texas Legislature are on the lam in Washington D.C. this week, to prevent Republicans in the state from passing more restrictive voting regulations by denying them a quorum. It’s not the first time a legislative caucus has abandoned their session to stymie legislation they can’t defeat. Going AWOL to prevent a legislative quorum is an old concept that has been used from time to time by both Democrats and Republicans. There are even some instances dating back to the George Washington administration. But for sheer nerve, perhaps no legislative quorum ...

No time to relax on COVID

We have been heartened by the drop in COVID-19 cases in Minnesota and Brown County during the past month and a half. The daily count of new cases has been seemingly stuck, with one or two new cases every couple of days. It is good to see people feeling comfortable going without a face mask, thanks to their vaccinations. But there is still reason to be cautious, especially in light of nationwide statistics. There continue to be hot spots, places where people have been resistant to getting vaccinations, and are falling victim to the new variants like the delta variant that is spreading ...

From pets to pests

An interesting news item from Burnsville this week recounts the problem of lunker-sized goldfish taking over Keller Lake. Apparently people have been dumping their no-longer-wanted pets into the lake and the cute little finny friends are growing into football sized pests that tend to root up bottom vegetation, roil the bottom sediment, releasing phosphates that lead to algae growth and compete for food with native species of fish. It is against state law in Minnesota to release goldfish or any other fish into domestic waters; it’s called illegal stocking. We’ve seen what has ...

Sacklers got off easy

Last week Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin and the Sackler family that owns it reached a settlement in a lawsuit over their part in creating the opioid epidemic. The Sackler family will pay $4.3 billion to 15 states, including Minnesota, involved in the suit. Minnesota will receive more than $50 million for opioid addiction prevention and treatment. The family got off easy. Their company created an extremely dangerous and addictive product, promoted it relentlessly while hiding what it knew about its dangers, and reaped in billions in profits while tens of thousands of people across ...

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UCC will be missed Thumbs Down: It’s sad to think that the United Church of Christ in New Ulm will be closing at the end of the year. The church, founded in the 1960s, has a relatively short history, but it is one that has been very open and community oriented. It has hosted speakers on social issues, conducted free monthly community dinners and even has a Little Free Library by its front door. We understand how a small congregation can grow older over the years, making it difficult to maintain the level of programming and service that has made UCC an important part of New Ulm. We ...