BEVCOMM receives funds for Rice and Waseca County
While the critical importance of reliable, high-speed broadband access has become even more obvious during the pandemic, there are still unserved and underserved areas of the state. To help close that gap, on Jan. 28, the state...
To read more on this story, pick up the February 4, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Editor Wade Young, Staff Writer Lisa Ingebrand, and Graphic Designer Jennifer Leff, who work for Suel Printing Company, were honored for their work during the 2021 Minnesota Newspaper Association's (MNA) Annual Convention on January 28.
Young, from the Montgomery Messenger, won in the...
To see more on this story, pick up the February 4, 2021 print editions of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger and LifeEnterprise.

Joan Warner, age 87, of New Prague, died peacefully on Friday, January 29, 2021 at Milestone Senior Living in Faribault.  Joan was born on June 13, 1933 in Mankato to William and AnnaJane (Fuller) Ward.  She attended Mankato High School and married the love of her life, Merle J.

Joan Warner, age 87, of New Prague, died peacefully on Friday, January 29, 2021 at Milestone Senior Living in Faribault.  Joan was born on June 13, 1933 in Mankato to William and AnnaJane (Fuller) Ward.  She attended Mankato High School and married the love of her life, Merle J.

Eileen Mediger of Waterville (pictured at right) eagerly rolled up her sleeve so Michelle Steiger, a pharmacy manager for Corner Drug in Le Sueur, could give her the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on January 26 at Traditions of Waterville. Mediger, who serves as her mother’s essential caregiver, was one of 85 individuals vaccinated at the facility on Tuesday. “This was really nice of Traditions. They include two family members as part of a resident’s essential caregivers. Because of this I was eligible for the vaccine, and I’m so very grateful,” Mediger stated.

The Le Sueur/Rice County Drug Task Force released their work within Le Sueur County last week during the Elysian City Council meeting.
Le Sueur County Chief Deputy Nick Greenig presented the work completed by the drug task force and broke...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 28, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger and LifeEnterprise.

Gordon Harvey Kritzer, a Korean War Veteran, passed away peacefully at home on January 26, 2021 at the age of 87. His family is so grateful that he was able to be home thanks to hospice and home care who assisted in caring for him.

Norman Frank Berndt, age 74, of Waseca died unexpectedly on Friday, January 22, 2021, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

A man faces murder and arson charges after a fire on Sunday morning.
According to Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason, on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021, at approximately 7:15 a.m. the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a structure fire at 37722 Hunting Preserve Lane in Le Center.
Investigation into the incident revealed the deceased body of an adult male believed to be Bruce Alan Traxler, 64, who lived at the address.
Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Hardy Robert Wills-Traxler, 25, of Le Center.

At 12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, some Minnesotans eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to sign up for appointments at one of the state’s nine community vaccination pilot clinics through a new website and call center launched today by the State of Minnesota. The clinics will initially serve adults age 65 and older, as well as prekindergarten through grade 12 educators, staff, and child care workers.
Because this is a limited pilot program, vaccine...
To read more on this story, pick up the January 21, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Bill proposes increased penalties for attempted murder of law enforcement officers
 
A bill to strengthen state criminal penalties against individuals who are convicted of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, judge, prosecutor, or correctional officer was introduced at the state capital on January 14.
Waseca County Attorney Rachel Androli, a former member of the Waterville City Council and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School Board, was among those to speak at a press...
 

Rita Jean Stangler, age 84, of Kilkenny, died on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at Milestone Senior Living in Faribault. Visitation will follow CDC health guidelines and be held on Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. Canice Catholic Church in Kilkenny. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 2:30 p.m.. Private interment will follow at the Calvary Cemetery in Kilkenny for the family only. A recording of the funeral will be available on the Dennis Funeral & Cremation Services website (dennisfuneralhomes.com) after the service.

Rita Kay Grubish, age 65 of Waterville, passed away at her home on the morning of Saturday, January 16, 2021 following a difficult battle with cancer.

Milton J. Johnson, 82, of Stanford, KY passed away peacefully at home Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Born December 21, 1938 in Elysian, MN to the late John (Jack) and Renetta (Frodl) Johnson, he served in the U.S. Navy and enjoyed a long career as an Engineer for Whirlpool Corporation in Danville, KY. He was a member of St. Williams Catholic Church in Lancaster, KY and served as a member of the Knights of Columbus in Danville, KY. Milton's greatest joy was making others smile and making sure everyone knew how proud he was of his family.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown second grade teacher Mark Meyer greeted his students with a masked smile and pumps of hand sanitizer, Monday morning, January 11. The day marked the young Buccaneers’ first day back in the classroom after weeks of virtual learning and winter break. “It’s great to have them back,” Meyer stated. Many students echoed his sentiment, saying they were happy to be with their friends again, while a couple young boys grumbled about missing being able to sleep in.

New Prague American Legion Post 45 will host a Blood Drive for Memorial Blood Centers from 12-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The Blood Drive will be held inside the Club Room at the American Legion, 300 Lexington Ave. S in New Prague. To sign up, go to www.mbc.org/searchdrives and enter sponsor code 4900 or call 1-888-448-3253 or contact Alicia at 612-283-7150. To save time, people can complete a health history questionnaire online on the day of their donation at mbc.org/donate.