Rice County Highway Engineer Dennis Luebbe appeared at the Morristown City Council’s March 2 meeting to discuss the possibility of connecting a trail or sidewalk from Highway 60 to Verdev Drive.

“That project is still in our 10-year plan,” Luebbe said. “The county board approved it in the middle of February. We’re looking at trying to secure money from MnDOT, through one of their grants.”

Luebbe says they have tried to get a grant for that project for a few years.

WEM art students have been sharing their talents with the community in displays in Waterville and Faribault and beyond over the course of the last few weeks.

The Graphic Design students created personalized logos for hats and shirts under the guidance of visiting artist and local business owner, Brady Fisher of Brady Gifts and Promotional. Featured WEM designers include: Cody (Otten) Doring, Gage Bliss, Jackson Dahl, Gage Hobmeier, Nevaeh Geyer, Alix Velzke and Cora Shaw.

In last year’s legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law ending the shotgun-only zone for deer hunting in the southern and west-central counties of the state.

The action leaves each county currently in the shotgun-only zone with the decision of whether to pass an ordinance to maintain the ban on rifle hunting.

Le Sueur County can either do nothing and allow the rifle hunting ban to lift, or it can pass an ordinance to uphold the current law.

MnUSA Snowmobile Family of the Year Award - 2025

Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association’s (MnUSA) awarded Saturday, February 14 during that evening’s banquet at the annual Winter Rendezvous at SouthShore Hotel in Bemidji, the Snowmobile Family of the Year to the Mike and Cheryl Clevenger Family of Morristown and member of Faribo Sno-Go Club - Faribault, MN and Sakatah Trail Sno-Cruisers - Waterville.

A new member of the Waterville Police Department is currently in the process of going through training while still be utilizing by the department.

Leo, a new law enforcement therapy dog, is currently in the middle of his training which is being provided by Soldier’s 6, a non-profit based in Inver Grove Heights.

Waterville Chief of Police Bob Petrasek and the Waterville Police Department have been selected by Heart of America Whoodles to receive the canine who will become part of the department. Petrasek will be the dog’s handler.

The WEM Board of Education accepted the retirement letters of two long-time school district employees.

Jeff Boran, Activities Administrator/Community Education Director and Thomas Walker, High School Spanish and Social Studies Teacher, will be be retiring following this school year.

Boran submitted this letter to the WEM Board:

For the past 37 years it has been my privilege to work alongside excellent colleagues, administrators, members of the WEM Board of Education, teachers, coaches, custodial, transportation, and clerical and support staff.

NRHEG Secondary hosted the 2026 Gopher Conference Fine Arts Showcase Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. A total of 71 band and 87 choir students from NRHEG, Blooming Prairie, JWP, Hayfield, Medford, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Randolph, Triton, USC and WEM participated in this extraordinary event.

Waterville Police Sergeant Amy Mathias is now a certified D.A.R.E. Officer after completing training over the past month.

Mathias is scheduled to starting teaching the WEM fifth and sixth grade students next year, continuing the tradition the Rice County Sheriff’s Department had started with local students in Morristown over a number of years.

As a child, you may have created your own special valentine box out of a shoe box and some construction paper. Did you know that the custom of crafting valentine boxed emerged way back in the mid 1800s and began in the United States?

More than 500 individuals took advantage of a gorgeous mid-February afternoon to take part in the North Elysian Silver Lakers Fishing Contest Sunday, Feb. 15.

According to Silver Lakers President Tyler Schnoor the event was the biggest in the 38 year history, with the amount of people and the amount of fish actually caught.

He said more than 50 fish were caught, and within seconds of the contest starting people caught fish and had them recorded. There wee many more caught but returned to the water knowing...

Just a few months after leading the WEM football team to the Class AA State Football Tournament and a Section 2AA Championship, senior Talen Taylor signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Minnesota State University - Mankato.

Taylor signed his contract during a special gathering of coaches, family, and members of the WEM senior class Wednesday, Feb. 4.

A young lady well known to many in the Waterville – Elysian area is celebrating her 90th birthday. Julaine Roemhildt Jacobson was born on Valentine’s Day in 1936 to Hugo and Mabel Roemhildt. They lived on a farm by Roemhildt’s Lake south of Elysian. Julaine grew up with her brother Loren and two sisters Darlene and Louise. They moved once to a larger farm house but remained in the same area.

The Waterville Chamber of Commerce has completed the first month of its new program, Businesses Celebrating Businesses. Because owning and operating a small business is a challenging journey, the Chamber is committed to highlighting milestones, achievements, and advancements by Waterville-area businesses each month.

In January, three businesses were recognized for their “good news” accomplishments. Each received the special Businesses Celebrating Businesses Megaphone, a memento symbolizing the amplification of their success stories throughout the community.

The Trinity Lutheran School students in North Morristown recently celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week with the theme “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord” from Psalm 100. The week began with the students singing and playing hand chimes to “From All That Dwell Below the Skies”. They also sang Psalm 100 a capella with hand chime accents.

After 37 years of faithful service at Camp Omega in rural Waterville, Mary Wetzel of Waterville has retired from her position as Director of Food Services. A retirement celebration honoring Wetzel was held at the camp on January 25. Many of Wetzel’s family members, friends, and long-time co-workers shared special memories of working with her. It is estimated that Wetzel prepared well over one million plates of food for retreat guests and summer campers during her years at camp.

Members of the Elysian Fire Department were honored Monday, February 2 by the South-Central Minnesota EMS Regional System for their efforts in helping save a local man’s life in November of 2025.

Mark Griffith, Director of the South-Central Minnesota EMS, presented nine Elysian Fire Fighters and two members of the Allina EMS out of St. Peter with certificates during the fire departments meeting.