The Minnesota Amateur Baseball Tournament will conclude this weekend with games at three sites, New Prague, Shakopee and Jordan. 

Champions in Class B and Class C will be crowned on Monday, Sept. 3, with the Class B championship game or games scheduled for noon in Shakopee. The Class C Championship game is scheduled for 3 p.m. in New Prague. 

Joseph Smisek, age 70 of Northfield, passed away unexpectedly at home on Thursday, August 30, 2018. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00AM, Tuesday, September 4, 2018, at the Church of St. Dominic in Northfield.  Visitation will be at the church beginning at 9:00AM.  Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Faribault. Arrangements are with the Bierman Funeral Home.  www.biermanfuneralhome.com

Each year, the Minnesota State Fair features the state’s biggest boar, and this year, the prized pig has ties to Le Sueur County.
“Johnny,” a pig raised at Widmer Pork in the Heidelberg- New Prague area, topped the scales at 1,040 pounds and was featured first at the Le Sueur County Fair in Le Center before making the trek to the state fairgrounds last week. He is on display, where he is seen by thousands of people each day.

The New Prague Area School Board got an update on the high school roofing project and approved a plan to have a licensed therapy dog available at Falcon Ridge Elementary School during its meeting Monday, Aug. 27.
Roofing project Superintendent Tim Dittberner went over a report from Building and Grounds Director Craig Most regarding the roofing project.
“The project has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked,” Dittberner said. “Inside the building, most everything is complete, but they are finishing a few minor punch list items.”

Three of four Dakota-Rice- Scott baseball teams won their second round games at the State Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25 and 26, in New Prague and Shakopee.
St. Patrick played on Saturday in Shakopee and lost 4- 3 to Red Wing. The other three teams, playing consecutive games on Sunday in New Prague, all claimed wins to advance to the tournament’s final weekend. New Market defeated Fort Ripley 4-3, New Prague beat Hanska 3-0 and Faribault defeated Mora 8-0.

Helen Keogh, 89, of Montgomery, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, at Mala Strana Health Care in New Prague. 
 
Visitation will be held on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery from 9 to 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to American Macular Degeneration Association.
 

The New Prague Trojan girls swim and dive team opened its season Thursday, Aug. 23, with a meet at Mankato East.
The host Cougars claimed a 98-88 victory in the meet, but Coach Tracy Torgerson said there were plenty of New Prague highlights.

August is nearly done and for me the month marks when I began working for The New Prague Times 19 years ago. I was 31 years old and in my first month at The Times I was part of two sections, the previews for New Prague High School’s fall sports and Dozinky, the city’s Czech harvest festival. Add to that my weekly duties of covering the city council meetings, sports, school activities and other events happening around the area and my plate was full.

It took a while to get going, but the New Prague Trojan volleyball team got on track in the second set and scored an impressive win in its season opener Thursday, Aug. 23, with a four-set win over the defending State Class A Champions Mayer Lutheran. The Trojans followed with a sweep of Faribault the next evening.
New Prague was scheduled to host Northfield Tuesday, Aug. 28, and will host Jordan on Thursday, Aug. 30. The team travels to Shakopee on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Raven Stream Elementary School principal Pat Pribyl, center, gets hugs from his students on their first day back to school the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 29. Parents were taking photos of their children heading back to school and providing some last minute advice as teachers greeted the students. New Prague Area Schools’ three elementary schools began their year two days behind the high school and middle school. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Richard L. Deutsch, age 86, of New Prague, died peacefully, in the presence of his loving family on Monday, August 27, 2018 at his home.  Richard was born on May 17, 1932 in Helena Township, Scott County to John and Marie “Mary” (Wampach) Deutsch.  He attended St. Benedict Parochial School and graduated from New Prague High School.  He was drafted into the US Army and served in the Korean War and was one of six who typed up the armistice agreement for the end of the war.  Richard married Phyllis M. Glisczinski on October 13, 1962 at St.

Kubes, Joseph John, age 78 of Webster, passed away unexpectedly on August 26, 2018 of natural causes.  Survived by his wife, Emma; children, Laura (Bob) Smisek, Joe (Karen), John, and Jeff (Carrie); grandchildren, Anna, Bobby, Joey (Joy), Kaylee, Jeffrey, and Angie; siblings, Nancy (Joe) Trnka, Bob (Betty), and Roger (Joy); also by other loving relatives and friends. Mass of Christian Burial 11 AM Thursday, August 30, 2018 at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Veseli, MN.

An overturned semi truck closed both the north and southbound lanes of State Highway 13/21 on Tuesday morning.
 
The single-vehicle accident happened around 9 a.m. at the intersection of 320th Street and Highway 13/21, north of the Lakeside Supper Club and south of Le Sueur County Road 28. Montgomery Police and the New Prague Fire Department are on the scene. Injuries are unknown at this time. 
 
Please choose alternate routes when traveling this road.
 
More information will be updated as it is received.
 

High winds and heavy rain blew through New Prague shorlty before 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27. Tree branches were down in several areas of the community, including this one on First Ave SW. Other areas had worse, with a tornado warning issued in northeastern Rice County and heavy damage in the Kasota area of southwestern Le Sueur County. New Prague remains in a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.

Three of four DRS baseball teams advanced to the round of 16 at the Minnesota Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament over the weekend.
 

New Prague High School principal Nicole Adams, right, talks with students, left to right, Chloe Jones, Maggie Nielsen, Abbey Colling and Alice Schmid during a lunch period Monday, Aug. 27. Monday was the first day of classes at the high school, and the new principal spent the lunch hour visiting with students and getting to know them. New Prague Middle School and St. Wenceslaus School also had their first day of classes.