Superintendent aims for district to be ‘better together’

In the wake of a successful performance review, New Prague Superintendent Andy Vollmuth laid out a series of goals and steps to achieve them last week.

The draft of the goals were provided to board members Monday, Sept. 9, at a workshop meeting. They include:

• To support the NPAS School Board to achieve excellence in governance;

• To create systems and structures to enhance excellence in management;

Participants in the Dozinky Zero K at Giesenbrau Bier Co. in New Prague Thursday evening, Sept. 18, give a toast. This was the fifth year of the “race” where the starting and finishing line were one and the same. The Zero K and Dozinky Bingo shortly after that are among the many activities that will be held during New Prague’s Czech harvest festival, rain or shine, this weekend. On Friday, Sept. 19, is the Classic Car Cruise beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

A serious crash on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 11, left two vehicles, one towing a trailer with a vehicle on it, in disarray with at least one fatality, according to a press release by the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened at the intersection of Le Sueur County Roads 28 (320th Street) and 32 (211th Avenue) in rural Derrynane Township, about three miles north of Clear Lake (Lexington) at about 7:12 a.m. 

The New Prague Fire Department was flying a United States flag in front of its department the morning of Thursday, Sept. 11, in memory of the events that happened Sept. 11, 2001. This is the 24th anniversary of the terroristic attacks on American soil on Sept. 11, 2001, when two airplanes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a third was flown into the Pentagon and a fourth airplane crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field, during a passenger revolt.

The New Prague Police Department reported Tuesday, Sept. 9, on its Facebook page, that at 10:50 a.m. law enforcement located a body suspected to be a young man reported missing since Sunday, Sept. 7. The body was located in a field within New Prague with the assistance of a law enforcement drone.

Information regarding the identity of the deceased and the cause of death will be released at a later date by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, said New Prague Police Chief Tim Applen in the press release. The incident remains under investigation said Applen.

The search is on for a missing adult male, Logan Sampson, who has been missing since Sunday, Sept. 7. According to the New Prague Police Department’s Facebook website Sampson was last seen on camera at 1:30 a.m. near Phillips Parkway wearing a grey hoody and blue jeans or black jogging pants.

According to the Facebook group New Prague Happenings, he was possibly seen heading west on foot along Highway 19 towards Union Hill around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The same post stated a search party was started at 6:45 a.m. Monday morning, Sept. 8.

Ken and Lana Witt of New Prague were recently named the grand marshals for Dozinky’s Parade of Farm Pride.

The couple have been pillars of the New Prague community for decades, according to the New Prague Chamber of Commerce.

Ken and Lana Witt will lead the Parade of Farm Pride, Saturday, Sept. 20, at noon, along New Prague’s Man Street. The parade is part of Dozinky, the city’s Czech harvest festival being held Thursday evening, Sept. 18, through Saturday.

As a student growing up, she never enjoyed art classes. “The art teacher always told us what we should do and how we should do it,” Beth Vander Heiden said.

Today, the New Prague photographer is her own artist. She uses the earth and night sky as her pallets, creating images using a blend of a keen eye for light, shape and color and unshakable patience.

Despite the threat of storms over the weekend, the rain mostly held back until after-hours of the Le Sueur County Free Fair.

The 168th annual event took place Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 14-17.

The forecast called for storms each day, but the worst of the rain came in the early hours of Saturday and well after the fair closed Sunday night. Both times, Le Center saw up to an inch of rainfall.

A half-inch of rain fell in the afternoon Friday, but had cleared as the events for the day moved into gear.

Three years ago, members of the New Prague Lions Club began volunteering their time to support Dollars for Deb, a fundraiser designed to raise money to serve cancer patients and remember Deb Bertrang-Piotter.

The Elko New Market City Council continued work on Highlands at Eagle View, a proposed neighborhood development covering about 52 acres, at the council’s Thursday, July 24, meeting. The council approved two resolutions, one wetland replacement plan and one preliminary plat, plus an ordinance for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and a grading authorization agreement.

The 2025 Le Sueur County Fair begins Thursday, August 14 at the fairgrounds in Le Center and runs through Sunday, August 18.

Events are scheduled through the weekend at one of the state’s oldest county fairs.

Tuesday, Aug. 5, was Night to Unite in New Prague with at least five parties held around town. The national event allows neighbors to get out and meet each other, plus representatives from the New Prague police and fire departments. Jess and Lisa Realander’s house at 500 Central Ave. S was the central point for one party.

The New Prague Chamber of Commerce held its ninth annual Czech Out New Prague Thursday evening, Aug. 7, at Memorial Park and while it was a humid night with temperatures in the 80s, people showed up.

“It was a steamy night and amazing turnout,” said Brooke Sticha, executive director of the New Prague Chamber of Commerce.

There were 60 groups, including vendors, churches, businesses, athletic organizations, non-profits and agencies from the New Prague city government that were represented, said Sticha.

New Prague girls relive their 2000 state hoops title

It’s been 25 years since New Prague High School’s girls’ basketball team made history with a Class AAA state championship described as a total team effort by a group that bought into playing together for their school and the community.

Sunday, Aug. 3, members of the team reunited for the first time in years to share more than just hoops memories and the experience and lessons they learned along the way.

Lauren Kitner, a New Prague native, is interested in one day caring for people as a physician. She’s also a strong advocate of military service. Combining those two interests made sense.

Kitner is a Minnesota National Guard specialist participating in a new, one-of-a-kind program at the University of Minnesota Medical School providing medics like Kitner an opportunity designed to take their military experience and catapult it into a career as a physician. For medics like her, the program is a way to potentially jumpstart a career that may not have been otherwise accessible.