A man from Lexington Township has died in a single tractor rollover on Wednesday, April 24.
Joseph William Schatz, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene after Le Sueur County deputies found him trapped under a tractor. Sheriff Brett Mason said the sheriff’s office received the report at approximately 9:40 a.m. The deputies, along with Le Center Fire Department, Le Center Ambulance Service and North Air Care responded to the scene in Lexington Township.
Mason said Schatz was extricated and life-saving efforts were performed, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Richard Robert Meger, 89, of rural Le Center, died peacefully on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, surrounded by his family. Visitation will be held on Friday, April 26, 2019, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Union Hill with visitation two hours prior at church. Burial will be held in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Lexington. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the donors choice.

Richard Trempe, age 73 of New Prague.
Passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on April 21st, 2019 of heart failure.
Preceded in death by his parents Prime & Lucille, brother Tom, survived by wife Cheryl, children Matt (Emily) Gebhart, Jessica (Todd) Dusbabek, Mark (Robin), Jennifer (Jeff), Rachel, Josh Gebhart-Trempe, many grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Dorothy M. Skluzacek, age 85 of Lonsdale, passed away April 20, 2019, surrounded by her loving family at The Villages in Lonsdale. Survived by her husband, Clarence; children, Roger (Sharon), Donna (Ken) Kocina, Arnie, Karen (Joe) Korbel and Dan (Jennifer), and 8 grandchildren. Preceded in death by her son, Dennis and granddaughter, Kacey. Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 AM Thursday, April 25, 2019 at Immaculate Conception Church, 116 Alabama St. SE Lonsdale, MN.

LaVonne Iverson, age 89, of Mankato, died on April 17, 2019 at New Perspective.

Members of the New Prague Area Catholic Community, FaithPoint Lutheran Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church perform the Passion in mime during the Good Friday Community Service at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church on Friday, April 19. Pastor Ben Hilding led the Call to Worship, Fr. Kevin Clinton read the Passion according to St. John and Pastor Steve Trewartha gave the Homily. A 7 p.m. service will also be held. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

The New Prague Trojan boys track and field team hosted Northfield and Mankato East on Tuesday, April 9, finishing in second place.
Mankato East had 68 points, edging the Trojans, who had 63. Northfield had 27.
“Although we came up just short of the team victory, we were pleased with our approach, mentality, and effort today,” said Trojan Coach Nick Meyer. “Our experienced athletes are doing a nice job of showing our younger kids how to do things the right way, and as a relatively inexperienced team, our guys are benefitting from that.”

When it comes to timeliness, Le Sueur County Human Services is among the best in the state.
Minnesota Department of Human Services records list Le Sueur County as one of five counties in the state when it comes to 2018 child protection assessment visits. .
The county did not miss one of its scheduled 146 visits last year. Only Le Sueur, Marshall, Stevens, Red Lake, and Lake of the Woods counties had a 100 percent rating in overall timeliness.
The state average rating is 88.4 percent.

Monday, April 15, was a big day for the New Prague High School girls lacrosse program.
The program, in its first year, travelled to Waconia for the first-ever game for both schools. It was played at the junior varsity level, and New Prague came home victorious with a 15-1 win.
"We were all a little nervous going into the game," said Coach Julie Bowers. "It was a lot of firsts for everyone and the team was excited and filled with anticipation."

Last week, both the DFL-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate passed a Hands-Free Cell Phone bill that was then signed by Gov. Tim Walz.
The law had tremendous support in both the House, where it passed 107-19, and the Senate, where it passed 48-12. It becomes law on August 1.
The measure makes holding a cellphone while driving illegal in all but rare instances. A first offense carries a $50 fine, but the penalty would top $200 for repeat offenses.

Many years ago, I was interviewing Jerry Bohnsack, then the New Prague city administrator. I don’t remember what the story was about, but I noticed that when I asked him a question, he sat there, thinking…. for at least 30 seconds before he responded.
I had noticed this before, when interviewing then State-Rep. Bob Vanasek, who was at the time the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. When I mentioned this to Jerry, he said he learned it from Vanasek. The two were close friends, and they both had learned to choose their words wisely.

Luke Tupy threw five innings of no-hit baseball, and Joe Becker went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead New Prague to a 5-0 win over Chanhassen Tuesday, April 9, in high school baseball action.
Tupy struck out 11 and walked just two. Becker, who pitched the final two innings, gave up a the Storm’s only hit in the seventh, but struck out four.
New Prague got on the board in the first when Colin Dorzinski drew a leadoff walk. He stole second and third, and after two more walks loaded the bases, he scored on a passed ball.

A Mother’s Day meal last spring could have ended in tragedy for the Moulton family in New Prague, if not for the calm, quick thinking by son JD Moulton.
Greg Moulton had grilled some hamburgers for the family celebration and sliced some onions.
As he bit into his burger, he coughed and a piece of onion lodged in his throat and he was unable to breath.

Willard Anthony “Bink” Bender died at home on April 16, 2019 in New Prague, MN at age 88. He was born Aug 23, 1930 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to Floriann J. (Hartz), a teacher, and Willard C. Bender, a banker. His sister called him Binky, and ever since, he has been known as Bink.

UPDATE: Belle Plaine Police reported that Andrew Cunat was found safe on Wednesday evening and was reunited with his family.

Road repairs and improvements on Highway 21 between Highway 19 in New Prague and Highway 169 in Jordan are underway. Work began Monday, April 15, with shoulder and culvert work just north of New Prague. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, beginning Wednesday, April 17, work will begin on the road surface. The project includes construction of turn lanes, improved drainage, and concrete and pavement repairs. Construction activities will take place Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.