Breaking News

Opinion

NU Film Society heads to the bullpen with screening of ‘Bull Durham’

Columns

NEW ULM – The 1988 romantic comedy “Bull Durham” is next on deck for the New Ulm Film Society’s next screening in its Baseball Film Series.  The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 9 at the New Ulm Public Library. “Bull Durham” is cited as a romantic comedy set in the world of Minor League Baseball. The film title is a reference to the Durham Bulls, a Minor League team in the Carolina system. The movie follows two players on the Bulls team and their odd love triangle with a devoted fan. “Bull Durham” definitely fits the genre of romantic comedy, but the ...

Thumbs up/down

Editorials

THUMBS UP HermannFest back with the Hermann 5K Saturday, New Ulm is celebrating Hermannfest, the festival that commemorates Arminus’ (Hermann’s) victory against three Roman legions at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest over 2,000 years ago. The entire celebration is held in Hermann and Harmon Park in the shadow of the Hermann Monument. New Ulm is often called the City of Festivals, with its wide range of celebrations, but Hermannfest has the distinction of being the most unique. It’s not connected to any other seasonal event celebrated in other communities. Outside of Germany, ...

You can help save a life by asking the question

Columns

Saving lives may sound like the job of first responders or emergency room clinicians. Yet saving a life from suicide can begin with a caring conversation. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the courage you show when you talk to someone who’s struggling might be lifesaving to a friend or family member. Many people think about suicide; in fact around 12.8 million people report having seriously thought about suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Close to 50,000 people die by suicide in the U.S. every year. Professionals in behavioral ...

Husband holding hostage my birthday gift

Columns

Dear Annie: I recently had my 50th birthday. My boyfriend and I have been dating for seven years, with a two-year break. His friend recently asked me if my boyfriend gave me a present from him. I hadn’t received the present, so I didn’t say anything to my boyfriend, hoping maybe time just got away from us and he forgot. It has been over six weeks now, and still nothing. There is no chance my boyfriend is jealous of his friend in any way. Could my boyfriend be holding an old grudge from our past breakup? We broke up because of a trauma of mine that he did not handle well; he ended ...

Passed by the Legislature, struck down in court

Columns

Nine years in the Minnesota Senate teaches you plenty. You see good ideas rise, bad ones fall and a whole lot in between. But lately, the thing that keeps jumping out at me is that more and more laws from the last few years aren’t surviving in court. The pattern is hard to miss. A controversial bill flies through the legislature. Party-line votes shove it across the finish line. Headlines roar and political points are tallied. Then it ties up the courts for months or sometimes years before finally getting tossed as unconstitutional. A fast legislature can pass laws. A thorough ...

Salsa time

Columns

“Your everlasting summer you can see it fading fast / So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last.” — Steely Dan, “Reeling in the Years”, 1972 My wife and I have been doing a bit of salsa recently. I mean the sauce, not the dance. Her new titanium knee is much better than her original one, but not to the point where she’s ready to sashay to the beat of a peppery Latin tune. Turning our homegrown tomatoes, peppers and onions into salsa is a way to preserve a smidgen of summertime. In my imagination, we’ll open a jar of salsa on a subzero winter day, ...