John R. Harty, age 69, of New Prague, died peacefully with his family at his side on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at University of Minnesota Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis.  John was born on August 28, 1950 in St. Paul, MN to Robert John and Sarah J. (Meyers) Harty.  He attended Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, graduated from Edina High School and received his BA from the University of St. Thomas.  John was teaching religion/German at St.

On April 1, 2020, at 11:49 a.m., Scott County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch received a report of a two-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Eagle Creek Avenue (CR21) and Natchez Avenue (CR 91) in Credit River Township.
Initial investigation indicates that a 2005 Toyota Corolla was traveling eastbound on Eagle Creek Avenue when it struck a 2018 freight truck that was turning southbound onto Natchez Avenue from the westbound turn lane on Eagle Creek Avenue.

Allie Reynolds, left, and her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds decorate their fence along Seventh Street NE in New Prague the afternoon of Tuesday, March 31. Debbie was inspired by the Facebook group World of Hearts. “Plus my granddaughter was bored,” she said with a grin. They had hearts, shamrocks, a smiley face, “Honk to say Hello!” and other messages on the fence. Around New Prague many chalk messages and pieces of art have been popping up. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

UPDATE - 4/2/20 
Highway 93 between Highway 169 and Henderson opens after 5 p.m today Thursday,, April 2, 2020.
 
Crews monitoring Highway 19 closely.
Motorists are advised that Highway 93 from Highway 169 to Henderson remains closed due to flooding on the Minnesota River.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed Highway 93 early Sunday morning. 
MnDOT and area law enforcement are closely monitoring Highway 19 between Highway 169 and Henderson as current river forecasts indicate the potential closure later this week.

Arnold “Arnie” J. Horejsi, age 91, of Lonsdale, died Monday, March 23, 2020 at the Northfield Care Center. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are being completed and will be announced by the Boldt Funeral Home, Faribault.

Ermin Edward Wolf, age 80, of Jordan died peacefully on Saturday, March 28, 2020, surrounded by his loving, devoted wife Jane and six children. Ermin was born July 13, 1939, to Raymond and Hildegard (Schloesser) Wolf in Jordan, Minnesota.  He was raised in the St. Benedict area.
He learned the true meaning of hard work, growing up on the farm and working alongside his father. At age 18, his father passed and he took over the farm that has now been in the family for over a century. He continued to learn from his father-in-law Leonard Seifert.

The first Le Sueur County COVID-19 case was identified on March 22. Since that time, over the 
course of the last week, Le Sueur County Public Health has been notified by the Minnesota 
Department of Health (MDH) of an additional 10 cases of lab confirmed COVID-19. MDH does 
not release specific case information to protect the identity and privacy of the individuals. 
Aggregate data regarding the Le Sueur County cases that can be shared at this time include:
none of the cases were hospitalized, all are recovering at home and following isolation guidance 

Effective immediately, we have been directed by our DNR Regional office to implement Burning Permit Restrictions in our counties.  Restrictions mean that (in an electronic burning permit county) the only burning permits that can be activated and legally burned are variance permits. A variance is a burning permit issued for over 1 acre of grass and special permits issued for large piles such as for a road construction activity or similar projects. Variances are issued by a forester and not fire wardens or purchased online.

New Prague residents were greeted by these signs at the playground in Memorial Park on Friday, March 27. City staff made the decision the morning of Friday, March 27, that parks in the City of New Prague will be open, with the baseball, softball fields and trails open for use. The playgrounds would be closed due to the coronavirus and the difficulty to keep such equipment clean. Park staff had been sent out and taped off the playground equipment.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division (DPS-DVS) is closing all exam stations statewide beginning Friday at the close of business to follow Governor Tim Walz’s executive order for Minnesotans to stay home and slow the spread of COVID-19. Offices will stay closed through April 10, when the executive order is set to expire. 

Public service changes, effective 4:30 PM March 27
Governor Tim Walz issued a stay-at-home order for Minnesota effective Friday, March 27, at 11:59 p.m. through April 10. Only essential services will remain open.
 What does this mean?
All driver’s license agents and deputy registrar offices must close.

The Walgreens at 100 Chalupsky Ave. SE in New Prague is closed this morning for a cleaning that began at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to last four hours. The store will reopen today after the cleaning is completed. People will be able to pick up prescriptions after the store reopens.

Rice County Public Health was notified today, Tuesday, March 24 by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) of a second lab confirmed case of COVID-19 in Rice County.
Limited information indicates the confirmed case is in their 30’s with transmission linked to travel within the United States. This person was not hospitalized and is in isolation at home.
Rice County Public Health continues to work with MDH and local health care partners to address the needs of those who are ill in our community.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) notified Le Sueur County Public Health that Le Sueur County has an additional four cases of lab confirmed COVID-19, in addition to the case reported on March 22. MDH reports that the additional cases had contact with a known positive case and are recovering at home.

Freda Joyce Wacker, age 78, of New Prague, died on Monday, February 24, 2020 Mayo Systems in Rochester.
Private family services will be held in West Virginia at a later date.
Freda was born on June 7, 1941 in Hollygrove, West Virginia to Frank and Viola (Hill) Swartz. Freda was united in marriage to Ronald Wacker January 11, 1964.
Freda enjoyed gardening, flowers, babysitting, cooking/ baking, traveling, and dog sitting.

Barbara Ellen Miller, age 81 of rural Belle Plaine died peacefully at home on March 21, 2020 surrounded by her loving, devoted husband Val and family after a courageous battle with cancer.  Barbara was born September 20, 1938 to Lester and Helen (Dryer) Scholl in Salem, South Dakota and grew up near St. Peter, MN. She married the love her life, Val Miller on September 20, 1953 and for 66 wonderful years they were an inseparable team.  It was rare to see one without the other.