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School budget deficits a community-wide problem

Just a couple weeks ago, in a meeting room filled with concerned parents, the New Ulm School Board made the decision to cut the school district’s budget by $1.98 million. The cuts included a combination of elimination and reductions of both school programs and staff. Officials said the district had been deficit spending for three years. Among other things, declining enrollment, rising employee contracts, insurance and state mandates were blamed for the deficit. “I am hopeful that looking at cuts this deep will help stabilize where we are at,” Superintendent Sean Koster told the ...

U.S. cutting aid to Africa leads to changes

The Trump administration’s sharp reduction in aid to Africa last year seemed likely to cause a continent-wide crisis of apocalyptic proportions. While there has been pain, particularly in health care, many African nations displayed remarkable resilience. U.S. aid fell to $7.86 billion in 2025 from $12.1 billion in the last year of the Biden administration. That’s a decade-long low for America, and rich European countries like Germany and France also scaled back donations. Total overseas development assistance was projected to fall by $42 billion in 2025, according to Donor ...

Helping their community is part of doing business

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, eight out of 10 small businesses nationally believe in giving back to their local community. That includes donating to charities, sponsoring or donating goods/services to local events and discounts for certain groups within the community such as teachers and veterans. Often times, the charitable giving by these small businesses receive little recognition. However, inside last Tuesday’s edition of the Independent, a 44-page special section puts the spotlight on 20 small businesses for their generosity toward the communities they serve. Take ...

SMSU adding 4-year nursing program would be a big deal for region

As baby boomers age, the need for registered nurses will continue to intensify, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The AACN projects 193,111 openings nationwide for RNs each year through 2023. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., highlighted the need to fill those nursing openings by visiting Southwest Minnesota State University here in Marshall. SMSU is planning to add a four-year nursing degree in the future. Plans include a nursing simulation lab. Smith looked over design plans for the lab and talked with SMSU officials about their nursing ...

Jan. 6 actions nothing to brag about

One of the more interesting developments emerging from this year’s election race for Minnesota Senate District 15 involves the Jan. 6, 2021, rampage at the U.S. Capitol. Brian Mock is a Republican candidate in the race to replace Gary Dahms who announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of his term. During the Lyon County Republican convention earlier this month, Mock briefly spoke about his background — being charged, incarcerated and later pardoned by President Donald Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. In early ...

10 years of success at Red Baron Arena and Expo

More than 10 years ago, Dimitrios Smyrnios, the CEO of The Schwan Food Co. unveiled the name of a sports and expo center along Highway 23 in Marshall. The 78,200 square-foot Red Baron Arena and Expo was still under construction when Smyrnios joined city officials gathered at the construction site for the naming ceremony. “This expo and arena is something we’re very, very proud of,” Smyrnios said. Schwan’s donated nearly 30 acres of land to the city of Marshall to build the facility. Funding for construction of the arena and expo included $4.5 million from the state of ...