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Opinion

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 ...

Distance and red flags

Columns

Dear Annie: My younger sister and I used to be incredibly close. We talked every day, shared everything and supported each other through some of the hardest times in our lives, including the loss of our mom. But over the past two years, she has pulled away, and I feel like I do not even know her anymore. It started when she began dating her current boyfriend. At first, I was happy for her. He seemed charming and attentive. But over time, I noticed some red flags. He constantly checks her phone, criticizes her family in subtle ways and seems to isolate her from her old friends. Now, she ...

Ugly political rhetoric leads some of us down dark path

Editorials

Saturday was a very dark day in Minnesota. The news of the assassination of a member of the Minnesota Legislature and the attempted assassination of a second member sent shock waves through the state and the nation. Former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were each shot multiple times and survived. They are both currently recovering in a Twin Cities hospital. “We are incredibly lucky to be alive,” Yvette Hoffman said in a ...