New Ulm Journal

Courtesy of Arlington Raceway ARLINGTON -- Mike Vogt of Brownton won a $1,000 for his efforts Saturday night at Arlington Raceway. Starting from his seventh-place starting position in the Olson Snowplowing & Lawn Care Outlaw Hobby feature, Vogt moved forward to take the lead on Lap 8 and remained the leader for the remaining 12 laps to win the race. The race was intense as the 33 of Matt Schauer and the 0X of Mark Oestreich lined up in the front row and took off at the drop of the green flag.

After all three local high schools opened their seasons on the road, they all have home contests Friday for Week 2. New Ulm High School hosts Fairmont at 7 p.m. at Eagles Field in a Southeast Central District, Red Subdistrict game, while New Ulm Cathedral and Minnesota Valley Lutheran play an afternoon/night doubleheader at Johnson Field.

Obituaries SLEEPY EYE-Monica A. Warwick, 85, of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, died on September 2, 2026, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026, at Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye with Christian Mothers Rosary at 4:30 p.m. and a Prayer Service at 4:45 p.m. prior to the visitation. Visitation will continue on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church - North Entrance.

Ramona Schewe Witt died peacefully on September 1, 2026, at Prairie Cottages in Hutchinson, Minnesota after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Visitation will be held from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm on Friday, September 11, 2026, at Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. A memorial service will follow at 1:00 pm. Private interment will be at Home Cemetery. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.

I recently visited Fort Ridgely because I wanted to learn more about the history of this important place in southern Minnesota. Instead, I left feeling very sad and disappointed. What I found was heartbreaking. An estimated 75 to 80 percent of the historical plaques and signs at the site have been destroyed or are no longer there. Without those plaques, visitors have very little information to explain what happened at Fort Ridgely or why this place is important to Minnesota's history.

NEW ULM -- A new exhibit highlighting the 125th anniversary of Hanska celebrated its official grand opening on Saturday on the second floor of the Brown County Historical Society. Titled “125 Years of Heritage: Hanska’s Quasquicentennial Celebration,” the exhibit features historic artifacts, photographs, and traditional Scandinavian items from the Hanska community's past.

What could be worse than a tornado devastating a community? That is the question writer James Arlen Anderson poses in his debut novel, "The Storm Next Door." Anderson is a career journalist, living in Burnsville. He is the author of over 20 nonfiction books for early readers, but recently he made the jump to fiction with his debut novel, "The Storm Next Door." Anderson has worked for serval Minnesota newspaper in his career, including a brief time as a New Ulm Journal sports reporter in 2000.

NEW ULM – New Ulm's Economic Development Authority (EDA) approved an $800,000 loan to Oak Hills Living Center Tuesday to furnish the new Garden Terrace building (The Oak) under construction. Loan terms for the approval begins with 24 months of no interest or required payments, followed by 120 months of a 1% interest rate.

•A 34-year-old woman from Lafayette left Walmart Friday at 4:39 pm without paying after her card was declined for a purchase of $228.84. The woman claimed that she was unaware that the card was declined. • Police responded to a call at 10:52 pm Friday that a homeless man was trespassing at Broadway Haus. The 27-year-old man was reportedly harassing residents. He was served a trespass notice and is banned from the premises.

The Willkommen Committee of the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce recently toured the Chamber's newly completed downtown apartments. Located above the Chamber office at 1 N Minnesota Street, the three apartments were created as part of the Chamber's strategic plan to generate non-dues revenue while making use of underutilized space in the Chamber building.