A 22-year-old Gaylord man was arrested on March 20 for his role in supplying fentanyl pills to a Montgomery 18-year-old girl who died as a result of a suspected overdose on Jan. 8, according to a press release by the Cannon River Drug Violent Offender Task Force (CRDVOTF).

She’s a two-year starter on an NCAA Division II womens’ basketball team headed to the Elite Eight Monday night in St. Joseph, Mo. New Prague’s Emily Russo is enjoying quite a ride with the Mavericks.

The decision to sell the family-owned hardware store was easier in some ways than it was to tell the employees, Donald Simon said. Monday, March 18, he and his siblings will turn control of the stores they have built over to new owners.

Members of the New Prague School Board face a decision on a $3.5 million budget adjustment Monday, March 25, a vote they know will likely leave many people unhappy but a decision the district needs to have completed to balance the district’s books for the 2024-25 school year.

Sandra M. (Skluzacek) Tuma, born January 18, 1955, and formerly of Lonsdale, passed away March 16 after a hard fought battle against cancer. Preceded in death by her father Rudolph, she is survived by her mother Arlene of Lonsdale, her son Chad (Julie), daughter Amber (Chris) Gehrke and son Dustin (Leanna) and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Also survived by sisters Sharon (Ken) and Laure (Mike) and brothers Lyle (Sandi), Brian (Angie), Bruce (Lisa) and Eric (Bobbie).

Benjamin “Ben” James King, age 51, of New Prague, Minnesota, died tragically on March 13, 2024, in a drowning accident while on vacation with his family in Puerto Rico. While his family and friends are shocked by his passing, they are thankful for his life.

A Waterville woman was arrested Saturday, March 16, after holding sheriff’s deputies and police at bay in a several-hour standoff on the 100 block of Sakatah Boulevard.
Saturday morning at 12:04 a.m., Ande Bremmer, 30, advised police in several phone calls she was upset how officers handled a domestic disturbance at the residence earlier in the night and she began making comments about shooting law enforcement and advised she had firearms and ammunition, according to a press release from the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office.

Thursday, March 21, the New Prague Educational Foundation will host its second annual Arts & Activities Showcase at the Park Ballroom in New Prague, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
There will be art exhibits by preschoolers to high school students in music and speech on the stage from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. with many, many other items to see and groups to visit with.
This is a no-charge, come-as-you-wish social event. There will be a drawing for two tickets to the O'Neill Brothers Holiday Concert in late-December. The O'Neill Bros. provided door prizes for this event.

Walter J. Eischens, age 76, of Jordan passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
Funeral Service will be May 4, 2024, at 10 a.m with a visitation an hour prior to service at St. Patrick Church of Cedar Lake 24425 Old Highway 13 Blvd Jordan, MN 55352

In an eerie foreshadowing statement, the Montgomery Fire Department put out the message Sunday on Facebook saying, “Despite the super nice weather this weekend, please consider NOT burning anything this afternoon. With the elevated fire conditions this afternoon, it would be highly unsafe to burn anything.”
    Temperatures soared into all-time record territory for March 3, with temperatures being broken across the state for the day. In the Twin Cities, it reached 74 degrees, which broke the old record of 65 that was set in 1905.

David Harry Noyes, age 74, of Prior Lake, passed away peacefully with staff by his side at VA Medical Center on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
David was born to Harry and Leona Noyes and grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota as the eldest boy of eleven children. From a young age he milked Holstein cows, baled hay, and plowed fields. Despite dropping out of school to help on the farm, he earned his GED and studied meat cutting at Pipestone Vocational. 

Matthew James Soller, age 33, of rural New Prague, died suddenly Sunday morning, March 3, 2024 as a result of heart failure. Visitation will be at the Kolden Funeral Home in Belle Plaine on Sunday, March 10, starting at 1:00 p.m. and concluding at 5:00 p.m. with a short tribute service.

Voters in New Prague and the area not surprisingly picked their respective political parties' favored candidates for president in Tuesday’s primary election.
In New Prague, Democrats on both the Le Sueur and Scott county sides of Main Street liked President Joe Biden over Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, 282-24. There were 25 votes for “uncommitted.” On the GOP side, voters in New Prague overwhelmingly liked Donald Trump over Nikki Haley, 469-131.

Mary (Doyle) Dillingham, very beloved wife, mother, grandmother and sister, died on March 1, 2024 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.
Mary was born on January 12, 1936 to Francis and Elizabeth (Heddle) Doyle. Raised on the family farm in Cedar Lake Township with three sisters and one brother, she attended New Prague Schools and attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Mary E. (Doyle) Dillingham, age 88, passed away on March 1, 2024.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM with a time of gathering from 10:00 - 11:00 AM on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at St. Catherine Catholic Church of Spring Lake, 4500 220th St E, Prior Lake, MN 55372. Father George GrafskY will preside. Mary will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis.

Barbara Jean Weiers, 88, of New Prague, MN, passed away on the afternoon of February 22, 2024, with her children by her side at Mala Strana Assisted Living Center in New Prague, MN. 
She is preceded in death by her husband of 34 years, Robert Weiers of Union Hill, MN, and brothers Roy "Jerry" Deutsch and Daniel Deutsch of St. Paul, MN.