Families depending on buses to get their children to and from New Prague schools can breathe a little easier.
The bus-driver shortage that threatened to cause a disruption in the district’s regular in-class education—and major headaches—has been averted, for now.
Superintendent Tim Dittberner informed the School Board, Monday night, Oct. 25, that new bus drivers have been hired and a few current school employees are in the process of getting their commercial drivers license (CDL).

Peggy Ann Olson, 74, of New Prague, MN died peacefully on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 surrounded by beloved family and caregivers, thus ending a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.  She is survived by her loving husband, Jim, of 53 years; children, Josh (Michelle) Olson of Jacksonville, FL, Luana (Mark) Ciccarelli and granddaughter Madeline of St.

Funeral arrangements have been set for Father Denny Dempsey, 73, a former pastor of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, who passed away unexpectedly Monday evening, Oct. 25, according to an announcement made by Dempsey’s current parish, Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville.
The church posted the following on its Facebook page on Tuesday: “It is with heavy hearts that we need to share some very sad news. We learned Monday evening that Father Denny Dempsey had been riding his bike in Rosemount, as he so loved to do. He was struck by a motor vehicle and did not survive the impact.”

Former New Prague mayor Chuck Nickolay, center left, and Mayor Duane Jirik, center right, share the duties of cutting a ribbon along Main Street in downtown New Prague on Tuesday, Oct. 26. The ceremony marked the two years of work that has gone into rebuilding the city’s Main Street. Also present were representatives of the City of New Prague, the city’s engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., contractor SM Hentges & Sons, MnDOT, the New Prague Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and residents. For more on the ceremony see this week’s print issue of The New Prague Times.

Kathryn J. Grassmann, age 74, entered eternal life on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at her home peacefully surrounded by her family after a 20 year battle with cancer. A Time of Gathering with closing words in honor of Kathy will be held from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, 104 First St W, Jordan, MN 55352.

Scot Ben Cervenka, age 58, of Askov, MN formerly of New Prague passed away unexpectedly on October 17, 2021.

Paul A. Yackley, age 76, of St. Paul, MN (formerly New Prague) passed away on the 20th, of October 2021 at his home in St. Paul.
Paul was born on August 23rd, 1945, the son of James P. and Loretta M. (Seifert) Yackley in Davenport, IA. He attended the St. Mary’s Mission Seminary, Techny, Il, from 1960-1961. He graduated from New Prague High School in 1963.

New changes are coming to how people make phone calls as mandatory 10-digit dialing starts on Sunday, Oct. 24. The Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) July 2020 Order required all telecommunications carriers, to make any network changes necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) by July 16, 2022.

The top six runners for the New Prague girls cross country team placed in the top 25, helping the Trojans place second in the Jordan Invitational Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Senior Nora Rosemeier placed third in a season-best time of 20:00, leading New Prague to a score of 78. Belle Plaine won the nine team event with 52 points. Jordan placed third with a score of 101. Rosemeier finished just three seconds behind two-time State qualifier Addison Houf of Lester Prairie.
In addition to Rosemeier, Sophie Baker placed...

New Prague’s branch of Habitat for Humanity held a fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 16, at Giesenbrau Bier Co. with 200 tickets sold for the event held 2-7 p.m. There was music, food, an assortment of beers, a silent auction, a meat raffle and commemorative mugs and wine cups.

A pair of Metro West Conference wins moved the New Prague volleyball team into second place in the conference.
The Trojans defeated Orono Tuesday, Oct. 12 (25-21, 25-10, 25-21) and defeated Robbinsdale Cooper (25-12, 25-14, 25-16) Wednesday, Oct. 13.
In the win over Orono, Anna Molstad had 12 kills, Abby Molstad had 24 assists and five aces, and Emerson Dillon finished with 15 digs.
In the win over Cooper, Avery Klein had six kills, four digs, and three aces. Laci Kratochvil had six kills as did Kayla Thorsfeldt. Dillon had nine aces and Anna Molstad nine kills.

The Elko New Market City Council approved the adoption of two ordinances that deal with pawnbrokers and precious metal dealers in the community.

Come and celebrate the Main Street ribbon cutting and ceremony. Be sure to shop these local businesses. 

The Memorial Duck Cup held its Stomp the Stigma Gala at the Hotel Broz in New Prague on Friday, Oct. 8.
From top to bottom and inside and out Hotel Broz on Main Street was decked out in purple and lights by organizers of Stomp the Stigma Gala in an effort to “Light up the Darkness” and support Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention to their community and supporters. The Stomp the Stigma Gala was attended by more than 200 guests. They enjoyed music and connections with family and friends while honoring and remembering those that have suffered with a mental illness.

LCHS Goals: Elysian Museum, technology updates, artifact inventory
Le Sueur County Historical Society (LCHS) has been busy.
The society, which aims to collect, preserve, and tell the story of Le Sueur County, will be holding its October meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 19 in New Prague at the New Prague Public Library. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. CDC guidelines are followed.

Tom Chromy, left, tapes a message just before he tees off from the first hole at the New Prague Golf Club around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, with him are Kurt Ruehling, PGA and Director of Golf Operations at the club, and Chromy’s golf partner Tim Neeser of New Prague. Chromy plans to shoot 65 holes in honor of his 65th birthday and raise funds for the New Prague Golf Club Junior Golf Foundation. Chromy estimated they needed 13 hours to reach the goal of 65 holes and with only about 11 hours of sunlight they needed to start early with glow in the dark golf balls.