House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., earned fame for dismissing concerns about Obamacare in 2010 by advising that “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it....” At the time, Pelosi was speaker of the House and passing the Affordable ...
To the editor: 155 years ago today a four-hour sea battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) ended the more the 3,000 year reign of wooden-ship navies of the world. That brief battle made obsolete the greatest and most powerful and expensive navy in the world, the ...
The tornadoes that hit Minnesota this week were the earliest on record in Minneosta. It surprised me that they hit this early in the year, but I was not surprised to see that one of them hit Clarks Grove in Freeborn County. I worked for eight years at the newspaper in Albert Lea, just a few ...
A legislative battle is being fought this week over roadside ditches. That’s right — ditches. To the average motorist traveling along state highways and roads, these ditches are just part of the landscape. But to farmers, the ditches are considered vital resources. Many farmers have ...
To the editor: Our Senator Al Franken has again, wittingly or unwittingly, started a tempest in a teapot. His question to then Senator Jeff Sessions at his Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General was, I think, a convoluted, hypothetical, what-if type question. Here is ...
Recently while helping the New Ulm American Legion conduct research into New Ulm men who were held as prisoners of war during World War II I accidently stumbled upon a man from the rural Springfield area, who had fought in France and was captured by the Germans during World War 1. This is ...
We thought one of the reasons for having a government and a system of laws was to make the lives of the citizens better. The Minnesota Senate whiffed on that Monday when it voted down the Real ID bill on a largely party line split. Democrats in the Senate opposed the bill because it ...
To the editor: Every time I look at the picture of Sean Howk in Saturday’s Journal, I feel deep appreciation for his work ethic. In spite of the pain that often accompanies any sport, athletes continue to show up for practice and competition. Thank you to all the coaches, parents, and ...
To the editor: When you look at the bills being pushed at our State Capitol this year it appears many legislators think that what people living in rural and small town Minnesota want are more factory farms and less of a say in what happens in our community. Nothing is further from reality. ...
A Minnesota state senator introduced a bill last week that would allow tax credits for employers who hire military veterans. S.F. No. 484 proposes to allow qualified employers a nonrefundable credit for each disabled veteran, unemployed veterans or 9/11 veterans employed by a qualified ...
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Just days ago President Donald Trump made a speech to Congress, and to the nation, that was notable for its civility, its inclusiveness and its seeming extension of an olive branch to Democrats in Congress. It was seen as a possible turning point for the president, who had spent his first ...
When I first started in the newspaper industry back in the early 1990s, editors and publishers would use a variety of tools to measure reader interest and habits. We would publish detailed surveys in the newspaper, sometimes taking up 2-4 pages, promising readers a chance at lucrative prizes ...
Hope for Fort Ridgely golf course Thumbs Up: The battle to rescue the golf course at Fort Ridgely State Park from destruction got a boost this past week, when a Senate panel, the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance Committee, approved a bill that would require ...
By Michelle Miller Principal New Ulm Middle School In September of 2016, New Ulm Middle School opened its doors for the first time with a new school program specifically designed to meet the needs and developmental characteristics of the district’s 5th -8th grade students. One of the ...
Tuesday night President Donald Trump addressed Congress in a State of the Union-like speech. It was, by and large, a successful speech, one that added a few points to Trump’s low approval rating. Most notably, it sounded a positive note that was missing in his inauguration speech. It was ...
Editor’s Note: The City of New Ulm presents a weekly column highlighting activities in different departments in the city government. Once a month the city will answer questions from readers. Questions on New Ulm city issues can be sent to comments@ci.new-ulm.mn.us. A home fire can strike at ...
You have to give former President Barack Obama credit for one thing: He and those in Congress who aided and abetted him did everything in their power to ensure Obamacare’s most glaring flaws could never be eliminated. They did so by crafting perhaps the most massive income transfer in U.S. ...
To the editor: I feel Betsy DeVos should be good for our educational system. I am responding to a previous letter about schools available to New Ulm students, and a statement made that New Ulm is a homogenous and fairly affluent community. Unless you haven’t been paying attention over the ...
To the editor: Recently there has been a growing pressure to silence voices on a local, state, and national level. I am deeply concerned that Minnesota GOP Representatives including Rep. Torkelson, voted to continue allowing the Speaker to use a mute button to silence the voices of fellow ...