Scott County Public Health will be continuing to hold testing for COVID-19 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in New Prague through the month of January. There will be two more testing dates at the KC Hall, 411 11th Ave. SW, next to the Dairy Queen in New Prague. The remaining two dates are Monday, Jan. 18, and Monday, Jan. 25, both will be held from 2-5 p.m. The testing is open to everyone age 2 or older, whether or not they have symptoms and are free with no insurance needed.

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.

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a variety of free online peer support groups for adults and young adults living with a mental illness, their families, friends, spouses/partners, as well as parents of children and teens. Led by trained peer facilitators, the support groups help individuals and families learn coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences.

Mary Johnson, who resides at Traditions of Waterville, has been busy helping others throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using her own “stock piles” of fabric, she uses her sewing machine to...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 14, 20221 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

The WINTER STORM WATCH has now been elevated to a WINTER STORM WARNING which will go into effect TODAY (Thursday) at NOON through FRIDAY evening at 6 p.m.
Key Points:
- Snow is expected today, with total snow accumulations of 6 to 9 inches possible.
- Winds may gust as high as 35 miles per hour.
- Travel could be very difficult. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility.
- If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Lynden James is New Year’s Baby
 
Montgomery’s New Year’s Baby arrived just seven days into 2021 at Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague. Little Lynden James, a girl, claimed the honor. She is the daughter of Peter Clark and Madisen Ziebell of Montgomery.
 
Lynden is the couple’s second child. Her big sister,...
 
To see more on this story, pick up the January 14, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

A Montgomery man experiencing cardiac arrest was saved by responders from four different agencies on December 2, 2020.
Those agencies (Montgomery Ambulance, Police, Fire and North Memorial Ambulance), and the 18 members at the scene, were recognized Saturday by South-Central Minnesota EMS Regional System (SCEMS).
A special guest at the awards presentation was the patient, Leonard “Lenny” Lingsweiler of Montgomery, and his family and friends.
Mark Griffith, Director of SCEMS, said the outcome of a case like Lingsweiler’s is rare.

A young man’s failure to use his turn signal and noncompliance with law enforcement led to his arrest and eight criminal charges filed against him, including three felony drug charges.
According to Le Sueur County Court documents, Kody Benjamin Glende, 19, was pulled over shortly after midnight on Saturday, Dec. 19 in Montgomery for failing to use his turn signal.
An officer approached the Ford F450 to find...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 7, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

Restoration and car sales are at Swede Rides
Scandinavian influence has come to Czech Country.
Swede Rides Customs & Classics opened in December at 409 4th St. NW (former Skluzacek Oil, Co.). The business is a speciality auto dealership that performs restoration, customizing and building cars from the 1920s through the 1970s.
According to owner Mike Nielson, the service will be...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 7, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

The new year may be ushering in a slight sense of normalcy with the announcement Monday that school will be back to in-person learning as early as next week.
At a special meeting held on January 4 to discuss the proposed transition plan presented by the superintendent, the Tri-City United School Board unanimously...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 7, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

A fire in the early morning hours on Wednesday, Jan. 6, destroyed a home in Montgomery.
The fire happened at 201 Boulevard Ave NE. According to public records, it was owned by Mitchell Dappen. It had been the home of the late Stanley Busta.
The Montgomery Fire Department was called to the scene around 2 a.m. to find the house engulfed in flames. The New Prague Fire Department was also called for assistance.
No other information is available at this time.
The story is developing.

Recognizing Minnesotans’ sacrifice and commitment to their communities over the holiday season that helped change the COVID-19 pandemic’s trajectory and save lives, Governor Walz announced measures on Wednesday that loosen restrictions on important parts of daily life while urging Minnesotans to protect the progress we’ve made.

Long-time Le Sueur County employee Darrell Pettis will be ending his more than 20+ year career with the county.
Pettis submitted his resignation Tuesday, Dec. 22 during the Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners Meeting. The board approved the resignation, which will take affect Jan. 22, 2021.
Pettis has been with the county for 21 years, starting as the county engineer from 1999 to 2009. From 2009 through 2017 he served as both the county engineer and administrator. From 2017 through the present he has been the county administrator.

Every year, Tri-City United Community Education instructor Karen Parsons offers a mystery quilt “class,” and dozens of quilters sign up for it.
Each week, a directional “clue” is mailed or emailed to the quilters for their...
To read more on this story, pick up the December 31, 2020 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

Teens create snowflakes for seniors
A flurry of snowflakes hit area nursing homes and assisted living facilities last week.
Students in the TCU Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) were busy recently working on...
To see more on this story, pick up the December 31, 2020 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

Aid is coming to the Montgomery Ambulance Service.
At its regular meeting on December 21, the City Council approved the hiring of two full-time EMTs to work daytime, week-day hours.
The council discussed the ambulance’s lack...
To see more on this story, pick up the December 31, 2020 print Edition of the Montgomery Messenger.