New Prague firefighter Andrew Charnstrom, center, provides a hands on demonstration during the New Prague Fire Department’s Open House on Sunday, Oct. 7. While it was a cool fall day, a good sized crowd showed up for the event. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Betty Jane Neisen, age 93 of Belle Plaine, died Thursday, October 4, 2018 at the Belle Plaine Lutheran Home.  Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 8 at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church in Belle Plaine.  Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 7 at the Kolden Funeral Home in Belle Plaine, and will continue one hour prior to Mass  at the church.  Interment will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Belle Plaine.  

MnDOT released the following on its Twitter Page today (Saturday, Oct. 6) at about noon

OPEN EARLY! Hwy 19 in New Prague- Railroad crossing repairs completed early. The driving lanes are complete and the final layer of asphalt will be placed on the shoulders next week weather permitting.

MnDOT District 7 added,

Demonstrations on Dutch oven cooking were popular at the Scott County Autumn Fare on Saturday, Oct. 6. Held at the Scott County Fairgrounds the annual event had crowds gathering for warm food and drinks, plus there were many activities for families. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Sandra M. Wadsworth, 71 of Willmar, formerly of Burnsville, died Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at Prairie Senior Cottages in Willmar.  Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 8, 2018 at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Spicer.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.  Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery in New London.  Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral Home in New London.  www.hafh.org

Thursday, Oct. 4, was a busy evening in New Prague as shoppers were proving that “Nothing is S’more Fun than Ladies Night Out.” A crowd stops in Mainstream Boutique, one of the 14 area businesses that participated in the event that was sponsored by the New Prague Chamber of Commerce. While temperatures were in the 60s, it didn’t stop roughly 200 shoppers from checking out an evening of sales, deals, merchandise and treats. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

The New Prague Trojans had no answer for running back Aaron Limberg as the Rochester John Marshall Rockets defeated the Trojans 35-14 Friday, October 5th at Rochester. Limbers carried 19 times for 375 yards. The Trojans trailed 16-14 at halftime, with both New Prague scores coming on long passes from Parker Johnson. New Prague (1-5) will face Rochester Mayo at home Friday, Oct 12.

Brent W. Meyer, age 54, of New Prague, died peacefully, surrounded by his family on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at his home.  Brent was born on August 15, 1964 at Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague to Gerald J. and Carman L. (Elder) Meyer.  He grew up in Belle Plaine, attended Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic School and graduated from Belle Plaine High School and Mankato State University.  Brent married Jane M.

The New Prague City Council approved a pair of resolutions during their Monday, Oct. 1 meeting, that will allow the city to bill residents for unpaid bills through property tax assessments.
Ken Ondich, city planner, explained that the first resolution is for unpaid snowplowing and property maintenance bills from the period beginning September 15, 2017, through September 14, 2018. These claims were for properties that the city had ordered to be cleaned up, but hadn’t been. The city then hires a contractor to do the cleanup work and bills the property owners.

The New Prague Trojan girls cross country team had a strong showing Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the New Prague Invitational. The team placed second of six teams, with three runners finishing in the top six.
Lakeville South won the meet with 31 points while the Trojans were second at 48. Red Wing was third at 49, followed by Le Sueur-Henderson (97), Norwood-Young America (157) and Tri-City United (162). Cannon Falls and Sibley East did not field full squads.

Due to the significant amount of property and agricultural damage after the Sept. 20 storm, the Le Sueur County Board has entered into a resolution which will help county residents.
The commissioners declared Le Sueur County in a State of Emergency Sept. 24 for the high wind storm event of Sept. 20.
During the Oct. 2 meeting, the county board signed a resolution which will waive zoning permit fees and grant administrative variances.
The resolution deals with affected properties as documented in the damage assessment from the storm damage.

The New Prague Trojan girls soccer team went 1-1-1 last week, tieing Rockford 1- 1, defeating Hutchinson 4-0 and losing to Orono by the same 4-0 score.
New Prague was scheduled to host Jordan in a makeup game Tuesday, Oct. 2. The girls will conclude their season on the road Thursday, Oct. 4, when they play at Holy Family Catholic at 5 p.m.

With two wins last week, the New Prague Trojan boys soccer team has established a new school mark for wins in the season. New Prague has a 6-8-1 record going into their season finale at Holy Family Catholic at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. The previous high was four wins, in each of the two previous seasons.
The Trojans defeated Rockford 6-1, Hutchinson 5-1 and lost to Orono 3-1 in Wright County Conference action. The Trojans have a 2-3-1 record in the Wright County Conference going into their finale.

We are now a little more than one month from the November General Election. No doubt, people are starting to tire of the constant media barrage of commercials on the television, radio or even on the internet and social media. Candidates are out there trying to make their case as to why they should be elected to office, or why their opponent should not. Special interest groups, through Political Action Committees, are also getting into the act and stating their case for or against certain candidates.

For the second year in a row Lonsdale’s city tax rate is staying the same.
At the Lonsdale City Council meeting held on September 29, the council approved a resolution setting the 2019 preliminary city budget and property tax levy.
“We’re pretty much at the same levy as we were in 2017,” said Lonsdale City Administrator Joel Erickson.
Despite the property tax rate, which is set at 17.64 percent, the same as in 2018, this does not mean residents will not see a change in their city portion of their tax rate.

Workers began removing the current railroad tracks crossing Main Street in New Prague Wednesday, Oct. 3. Reconstruction of the rail crossing and patching of the highway is expected to take up to a week. The official detour takes drivers north of town on Scott County Road 2, however local traffic is being rerouted along local streets to the crossings at Second Street NW and also at Fifth Street SW.