Ann Marie Wood (Luedtke) passed away peacefully at her home July 17, 2020.
Ann was the youngest of the four children of H. Walter and Thora Luedtke. She was born on a farm in Fairmont MN where she graduated from high school. She married her late husband Charles Wood, also of Fairmont on July 17, 1953. In 1971 Chuck and Ann moved their family to a farm on Pleasant Lake in New Prague from Minneapolis.

Elko New Market’s roundabout at the intersection of Main Street and Natchez Avenue, which are also Scott County Highways 2 and 91, respectively, is on schedule. If the work on the partial multi-lane roundabout continues as scheduled the roundabout will open on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
City Administrator Tom Terry said a ribbon cutting for the project will be held after lights are installed.

New Prague entered the 10-team Region 3C amateur baseball tournament as the No. 6 seed.
They ended the tournament as the Region 3C Champions.
The Orioles upset No. 3 seed Lonsdale, 3-1, edged No. 2 seed Prior Lake, 5-4, and knocked off No. 1 seed St. Patrick, 3-1, to claim the region's No. 1 seed in the Class C State Tournament.
In the championship game, New Prague scored first with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning.

The filing for local elections closed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, creating several races for the city councils in New Prague and Elko New Market. For the New Prague School Board there are six people running for five seats. Area residents will decide who will serve in the general election on November 3.

This week marks the beginning of my 21st year at The New Prague Times and it’s definitely not how I imagined it would be.
Talking with Tony Buthe with the New Prague Area Schools and Chuck Kajer’s name came up. His death is still something that’s hard to accept. It’s been a year of learning all of the things he would take care of. Last week’s Back to School section was one aspect. There have been and will be other sections that we have to plan for where Chuck usually took the lead. You’re still missed my friend.

Adrienne L. Skluzacek, age 87, of New Prague, died suddenly but peacefully of natural causes with her family at her side on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at Mala Strana Assisted Living.  Adrienne was born on November 15, 1932 in Lonsdale to Art G. and Julia (Voracek) Lexa.  She attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School and New Prague High School.  She married Albert J.

Rita Ann Way, 84, of Montgomery, died on August 9, 2020, in New Prague.
Funeral services and visitation will be held Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, at Most Holy Redeemer Church. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m., with a Mass to follow. Officiating will be Father Thomas Neihaus.
Rita was born in Montgomery to Thomas and Anna (Flicek) Moravec on October 11, 1935. She graduated from Montgomery-Lonsdale Schools in 1953.

Valdene Martha Hodapp, 88, died on Monday, August 17, 2020, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, due to complications from a fall.
Val was born on January 6, 1932, to Fred and Caroline (Tietz) Bohnsack on the family farm in Lanesburgh Township, Le Sueur County, Minnesota.  She attended a one-room schoolhouse as a child, and went to high school in New Prague and Jordan.  On October 10, 1949, she married Gregor John Hodapp at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jordan. 

Andrea L. Kelnhofer (Annie), 61, beloved wife, best friend and companion for 42 blessed years died peacefully, Sunday, August 16th at home after a long 5 year battle with ALS.  Beloved Mother to our special needs daughter, she sacrificed her career and her needs to raise Alexandra (Allie) L. Kelnhofer into the lovely young lady she is today.  Annie was the embodiment of the Christian concept: Fruit of the Spirit.  Annie brought: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness to every life she touched. 

Eugene “Gene” Hennen went to see Jesus Monday, August 10, 2020.

New Prague Area Schools announced today (Monday) that it will start the 2020-21 school year in a hybrid model for grades K-12. The school district came to this decision in consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health and after examining COVID case data for the three counties the school district is located in (Scott, Le Sueur and Rice). Families can read the school district’s updated Return to School Guide at https://drive.google.com/…/11ECSJLKMlvoo0MvRy4Pu1QMC5k…/view. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times.

Testing for COVID-19 has continued with the public health departments in Scott, Le Sueur and Rice counties helping where they can. Reports from the counties and Mala Strana Rehabilitation Center and Assisted Living are as follows.

Look for the Back to school section in the August 13, 2020 New Prague Times.

In the primary elections on Tuesday, Aug. 11, the two big winners for the Minnesota Senate race were Republican Jason Lewis and Democrat Tina Smith. Lewis garnered 78.13 percent of the vote from his party, beating back four challengers. Incumbent Senator Smith received 87.15 percent of the vote out of five challengers in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. Voters will decide between the two in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. For more see an upcoming print issue of The Times.

The New Prague Chamber of Commerce announced in a newsletter on Thursday, Aug. 13, that due to the COVID-19 pandemic they have come up with some unique ways to celebrate the 36th Annual Dožínky Festival and Classic Car Cruise “virtually” from Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20. The Chamber will have other things in the days leading up to the virtual celebration. The Chamber said unfortunately the Classic Car Cruise, street dance, and Parade of Farm Pride have officially been cancelled.

Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn has reported the death of a one-month-old infant in Erin Township.
Dunn said his department received a call on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 5:29 a.m. for an unresponsive baby at a residence on the 14000 block of Shields Lake Trail in Erin Township.