Junior members of the Montgomery American Legion Auxiliary Unit #79 (ALA), Izzi Kotek and Nevaeh Persing, crafted Valentine’s Day cards for 11 local veterans in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Auxiliary member Colleen Pavek delivered some of the cards to veterans at The Harbor and Golden Years Home. Auxiliary members Mary Jane Grundhoffer and Connie Shriver delivered the rest of the Valentine’s Day cards to veterans at Traditions of Montgomery and Park Manor Apartments.

TCU sophomore Lexi Marcussen scored a game-high 22 points and added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a 57-51 Minnesota River Conference win over Lester Prairie Monday, Feb. 13.
Marcussen scored 13 of her points in the second half and she connected on three, three-pointers.
Emma Skluzacek finished with 10 points and three rebounds. Audrey Vosejpka added eight points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

John George Stasney, age 96, of Montgomery, passed away on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at Central Health Care in Le Center. Services are pending with the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery.
Arrangements are with the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. 507-357-6116. On-line condolences may be left at www.schoenbauerfuneralhome.com.

The world may look at climate change in many different ways. I believe one thing that can’t be denied truthfully is that it is changing.
As president of the Twin Cities Meteorological Society, I have developed a growing annual Minnesota State of the Climate event. I am lucky to be friends with two of the state’s climatologists who are awesome at remaining neutral to the numbers, as well as being supportive of this endeavor.

The Montgomery Historical Society (MHS) continued its mission of collecting, preserving, and disseminating area history at its annual meeting held on January 25 at Hilltop Hall. President Jim Mladek called the meeting to order and reviewed the society’s activity over the past year and what members can expect in 2023.

Montgomery’s 2022 Masopust King Austin Testerman will be passing on his title this Sunday when a new king will be crowned during the 2023 Masopust celebration.
The Tri-City United High School senior is proud to have represented the community for the last year—and he had a lot of fun doing it.
“My year has been fun with a lot of new experiences, coming out of my shell, and being able to represent my community,” stated Testerman. “My favorite memory was definitely Kolackys Days. Throwing freezes was a blast.”

The third time was the charm for the Waconia girls hockey team in the Section 2A Quarterfinals against Minnesota River.
The teams had met two prior times this season, with the Bulldogs winning 5-3 Dec. 1 and the two teams tying 3-all Jan. 13.
The third meeting went the way of Waconia, with the Wildcats shutting out the Bulldogs, 3-0, in the Section 2A Quarterfinals played Thursday in Le Sueur.
Wildcat goalie Abigail Elvebak stopped 25 Minnesota River shots on goal, including 10 in the second period.

The New Prague Fire Department was called to a fire in pole shed/garage in Heidelberg, southwest of New Prague, at 3:49 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. The structure, belonging to the Crystal and Kevin Zvanovec family, was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. About three vehicles and tools were lost in the fire. A nearby ice fishing house also caught on fire. None of the family was injured. A cause of the fire was unknown.

Marvin R. Wondra, age 91, of Montgomery, passed away on Monday, February 13, 2023 at Traditions of Montgomery. Visitation will be on Sunday, February 19 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, February 20 at 11 a.m. with visitation 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. all held at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Fr. Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be held at a later date in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.

Beth Ann Chapman, age 56, of St. Paul, passed away on February 4, 2023.
Beth “Banny” was born to parents, Harvey and Eileen (Foss) Chapman on September 10, 1966 in Edina, MN, before moving to Montgomery in 1970. She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery, MN. She graduated from Montgomery-Lonsdale High School in 1985 and attended St. Cloud State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

Florence Patricia Koldin, age 82, of Montgomery, passed away on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at the Carriage House in Le Center surrounded by family.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 10 from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 11 at 2 p.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Fr. Tom Niehaus officiating with visitation one hour prior at the church. Interment will be held in Calvary Cemetery in Lonsdale.

She earned the local honor, then the district honor.
Now, Christine Trcka holds the state honor.
Trcka is an educator at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School (MHRS) in Montgomery, has been named the Minnesota VFW’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year for her dedication to promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in the classroom.

The Tri City United wrestling team dropped three matches to much larger schools at the Faribault High Tournament Saturday, Jan. 28.
Hastings defeated the Titans, 63-13. Prior Lake edged the Titans, 42-33. The host school defeated the Titans, 46-22.
The Titans also dropped a pair of matches Thursday, Jan. 26 at Hutchinson. Hutch defeated TCU, 51-19. Annandale/Maple Lake downed TCU, 61-9.

Todd Novak, owner of Todd’s NAPA Auto Part’s in Montgomery, was surprised with the NAPA/ASE Part’s Specialist Award of the Year Award at the end of 2022. It is NAPA’s highest award nationally for parts specialists.
In the week leading up to New Year’s Day, employees around him started cleaning up the store nicely. Novak thought it was because they usually have a little something appreciative for them on New Year’s day. He said he thought, “It’s just a little party. That seems like an awful lot for that.”

The Tri City United boys basketball team played three Section 2AA opponents last week and had some heartbreaking results.
The Titans dropped a 53-50 contest to Norwood-Young America (NYA) Tuesday, Jan. 24. NYA entered the game with a perfect 6-0 Minnesota River Conference record. TCU rebounded with a 58-37 win over NRHEG Thursday, Jan. 26. The following night Le Sueur-Henderson (LSH) edged the Titans, 64-61.
Missed free throws were key to the overtime loss to the Raiders. TCU missed 15 of their 27 shots from the charity stripe.

Richard (Rick) Ray Rogers, age 77, of New Prague, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on January 31, 2023. Rick was born February 16, 1945 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Delmar and Eleanor (Brown) Rogers. He was the second oldest out of three. He grew up in Bloomington helping raise and train collies along with his sister and her pet raccoon. He graduated from Bloomington High School in 1964. After high school he worked various jobs before getting into the family business at United Steel Products Company, Inc. He married Betty Steinhouse on December 12, 1970 in Bloomington.