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THUMBS UP Three honored for life-saving efforts Tuesday, Sleepy Eye City Council honored Bransten Rehbein-Weber, Max Heiderscheidt and Lucas Heiderscheidt with the Outstanding Citizenship Award in recognition for their selfless and lifesaving efforts during a May 8 house fire. The three young men all entered a home engulfed in flames and assisted in getting two children out of the fire before first responders arrived. Police Chief Matt Andres presented the three young men with the award. He said their efforts went above and beyond what could be expected at such an horrific event. The ...

Minnesota politicians face belt-tightening decisions

Editorials

The State of Minnesota’s November Budget and Economic Forecast was released last week. According to the Minnesota Management and Budget, the budget for fiscal year 2026-27 includes a $2.465 billion surplus. However, in 2028-29, the state is projected to have a $2.96 billion deficit. Depending on who you talk to, there’s plenty of optimism. There is also warnings of doom and gloom. And of course, finger pointing. “Despite the president’s tariff and destabilization of health care costs, Minnesota’s annual budget forecast has improved in both the short and long term thanks ...

When healthy habits turn into unhealthy critiques

Columns

Dear Annie: When my boyfriend decided to get serious about his health earlier this year -- cleaner eating, regular workouts -- I was super proud of him. I cheered him on and swapped out our snacks without complaint. For the first few months, it brought out the best in him. But somewhere along the way, his personal reboot turned into an ongoing critique of me. If I bring home a loaf of bakery bread, he reminds me how “simple carbs kill energy.” If I skip a workout because I’m tired, he sighs with disapproval. Last week he told me my evening glass of wine was “a bad coping ...

Very young kids dealing with trauma

Columns

What bad things could possibly happen to children in their first five years of life? What dramatic experiences could possibly happen to a child between birth and 5 years old? It turns out that there are many situations that can expose young children to trauma. Early victimization that can negatively impact how a child develops is more common than many people realize. Psychologists know that these very young children are more vulnerable to things like injury or even traumatic death then they will be later in life. It has been assumed that preschoolers, toddlers, and infants ...

Girls’ wrestling now fastest-growing sport in the country

Columns

When Ben Fallon was growing up in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, all he ever wanted to do was play football. Fallon was in fourth grade, and in Western Pennsylvania, pretty much every boy wants to play football. However, his parents had some strong feelings about that sport. “My parents wouldn’t let me play football, and I was just looking for a sport that I could be really physical in and get some of that energy out that I think all fourth-grade boys have,” Fallon said. Wrestling was a sport in which he competed during middle school, high school and college. It was a ...

The square wheels of justice

Letters

To the editor: In a glaring example of how “transparently” the Trump Department of Justice goes about its nefarious missions of retribution at the behests of the President, special prosecutor Jack Smith has been subpoenaed by Republican Jim Jordan of the House Judiciary Committee to testify in a closed-door interview, which flew in the face of Smith’s request for an open public hearing. What? An open public hearing during which the public can hear the “defendant” giving his testimony for all to hear, rather than have Republicans pick and choose quotes that can be used out of ...