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Slowing down after the summer of speed

Columns

When I was young, there was a farmer who lived west of me. George’s wife had passed away, and he lived alone. Several times a day, George drove to town for coffee, meals, and fellowship at Schultz Café. The staff and other old guys were his family. George was never in a hurry to get to town. I knew that if I got behind his green Buick, it was going to be a while till I got to where I was going. I guess he was going about 30 mph. It’s possible that my younger, more impatient self thought he was slower than he really was. Regardless, there are two curves and a hill which made it ...

Thumbs up/down

Editorials

THUMBS UP St. Paul’s Lutheran brings Ninja course to New Ulm Last week, St. Paul’s Lutheran Schools staff and volunteers began installation of a new Ninja course playground set. The course is a play feature laid out as an obstacle course. Unlike traditional playground equipment, kids using the course would run through the obstacle course, competing to complete it in the fastest time. The course has been in the works for over two years. New Ulm’s Optimist Club helped finance the Ninja course with $30,000. Other area organizations donated money and in-kind donations to make ...

Breaking the cycle

Columns

Dear Annie: I’m a 44-year-old autistic man living in Montana. I am happily involved with a woman who has five kids, ages 12 to 24. My question is about breaking unhealthy patterns. Growing up, my family often held grudges against me for my past mistakes, even when I’ve admitted my faults and failures. Now I find myself doing the same with my stepkids, holding onto their mistakes longer than I should. Everyone says that because I am disabled with autism that I am a nobody. Yet I am finishing my doctorate degree in psychology. I am so confused. I’m trying to make sense of who I ...

Bonds, babies and boundaries

Columns

Dear Annie: My sister, “Renee,” and I have always been close, but things changed after she had a baby last year. I was genuinely happy for her, and I’ve tried to be supportive -- dropping off meals, babysitting when I can, texting to check in. But ever since the baby was born, she’s been distant and, honestly, a little cold. She cancels plans last-minute, rarely responds to my texts, and when we do talk, she only wants to discuss the baby. I’ve invited her to lunch or coffee just the two of us, but she always says she’s too busy or tired. I get that motherhood is ...

Celebrating legendary New Ulm Legion team

Letters

To the editor: This Saturday at 12:30 p.m., before New Ulm Legion Gold plays in the Upper Midwest Classic Tournament at Johnson Park, our community will honor the 1985 Legion team, a group of young men who achieved the extraordinary. Forty years ago, these “Renegades” captivated New Ulm and Minnesota, hosting and winning the American Legion Great Lakes Regional at historic Johnson Park. They defeated state champions from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania with stellar pitching, clutch hitting, and spectacular defense, earning a trip to the American Legion ...

Tension at the lake house

Columns

Dear Annie: Every summer, my husband “Jake” and I spend a week at his parents’ lake house in Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful spot -- right on the water, with pine trees, hummingbirds and a little dock where Jake used to fish as a kid. When we first started dating, I actually looked forward to these trips. I imagined quiet mornings with coffee by the lake, helping out in the kitchen and bonding with his parents, “Barbara” and “Ron.” But the reality has turned out to be much more complicated. Barbara is kind in her own way, but she has incredibly firm ideas about how ...