Rice County is asking for donations from residents and businesses of homemade face masks and other Personal Protection Equipment, as there is a very high need and an even greater shortage of these items.  Donations received will be distributed to all First Responder agencies throughout Rice County including Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, and Ambulance services.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for areas along and south of a line from Springfield through New Ulm to Cottage Grove in Minnesota, continuing to New Richmond and Rice Lake in Wisconsin. Alert area: Blue Earth; Dakota; Faribault; Freeborn; Goodhue; Le Sueur; Martin; Rice; Scott; Steele; Waseca; Washington; Watonwan.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for a small swath of
counties just to the north of that line, including the Twin Cities metro area.

The Easter Bunny was making his way through New Prague the morning of Saturday, April 11. About 50 people gathered in or near their cars in the New Prague High School parking lot to greet the Easter Bunny, who was accompanied by vehicles from the New Prague Fire Department, Police Department and North Memorial Ambulance for a brief parade. The Easter Bunny was also going through neighborhoods in New Prague to spread some cheer to families. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Brad Drazan has been offered and has accepted the Head Boys Hockey Coaching position at New Prague High School pending board approval. Drazan comes from a family of educators, including New Prague Hall of Fame educators Fran and Irma Langer, and mom, Mary Drazan, a second grade teacher at Falcon Ridge Elementary. Drazan is a native of New Prague, Minnesota where he graduated from New Prague High School in 2008. He played hockey for the Trojans and was the captain of the 2008 Boys Hockey team.

Congratulations to New Prague Trojan Senior Emily Russo for earning MN Girls Basketball All-Star Series Honors! Emily is 1 of 10 Seniors selected in Class 4A! Emily is headed to the NSIC next season to play basketball for the Mavericks of Minnesota State University-Mankato! Congrats Emily Russo on being named a 4A All-Star! #mngbbALLSTAR2020

On the afternoon of April 6, 2020, as part of an ongoing drug investigation, Jordan Police Department assisted the Southwest Metro Drug Task Force (SWMDTF) by conducting a traffic stop in the city of Jordan.
The suspect and driver of the vehicle was identified as Pedro Gil Garcia (57) of Jordan.  Garcia was placed under arrest and booked into the Scott County Jail for violating a No Contact Order and felony 1st degree sale and possession of 1.2 kilos of Methamphetamine. 

Mayo Clinic staff are doing extraordinary work, leading in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud of, and committed to, our staff and our communities as they come together to fight this global health crisis. Mayo Clinic is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of these circumstances, including a financial impact that requires significant adjustments to our operations.

She’s 8.
And, after almost four whole weeks of being home from school due to COVID-19, she’s anything but bored.
Penny Herrmann, daughter of Katie and Michael Herrmann of New Prague, is making and selling candles (after completing all of her schoolwork, of course). The idea came to her a few months ago when she was watching a five-minute craft program.
“I saw what they were doing with candle stuff and I told my mom I wanted to start making candles… I wanted to try it,” explained Penny, who had already delved into the arts of slime-making and chap stick creating.

Data is for cases that were tested and returned positive. Numbers are cumulative since Jan. 20, 2020. All data are preliminary and may change as cases are investigated.
Not all suspected cases of COVID-19 are tested, so this data is not representative of the total number of people in Minnesota who have or had COVID-19.
Updated April 10, 2020
Updated daily at 11 a.m., with data current as of 4 p.m. the previous day.
Dates provided are those when the case, hospitalization, or death was first posted in this situation report.

The City of New Prague received an application for a commercial building permit for the former Shopko. The permit is valued at an estimated $1.3 million and the applicant is HyVee Construction. The building is expected to be converted into a HyVee Dollar Fresh grocery store. For more see an upcoming print issue of The Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

In a 4 to 3 vote on Tuesday, April 7, Lonnie Seifert was selected by the Tri-City United School Board as the district's next superintendent.
Seifert was among three finalists for the position being vacated by retiring TCU Superintendent Teri Preisler at the end of June.
The finalists, who also included Lisa Edwards and Carmen Daniels-Strahan, completed a second round of interviews during the afternoon. The interviews included questions by the school board and other stakeholders, including staff and community members.

The family of John Harty, a longtime St. Wenceslaus School teacher (and principal), watch as hundreds of cars pass by Bruzek Funeral Home on New Prague’s Main Street the morning of Saturday, April 4. Also known as Herr Harty, he died earlier this week due to an extended illness. Due to the coronavirus outbreak a private family service was being held, but the family realized many friends, former students, colleagues and area residents would like to share in a memorial service, so a “drive-by visitation” was arranged.

People in Minnesota are being warned to be extra vigilant as scam callers are likely to ramp up their activity over the next few weeks to take advantage of increasing amounts of people being at home due to the current coronavirus outbreak.
CPR Call Blocker, a call blocking device, is predicting that scammers and fraudsters will be ready to strike and take advantage of the situation as more states go into lockdown, forcing people to stay at home, and is warning people in Minnesota to be on their guard for a rise in bogus calls.

As the United States faces the worst public health crisis in a generation, we want you to know we are here for you—and with you.
Whatever happens, whenever it happens, your newspaper will be there for you.
We’ll be there to let you know how our community is managing through this crisis—from business to government to the health care system and schools to the impact on individuals and families.

On April 1, 2020, at 11:49 a.m., Scott County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch received a report of a two-vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of Eagle Creek Avenue (CR21) and Natchez Avenue (CR 91) in Credit River Township.
Initial investigation indicates that a 2005 Toyota Corolla was traveling eastbound on Eagle Creek Avenue when it struck a 2018 freight truck that was turning southbound onto Natchez Avenue from the westbound turn lane on Eagle Creek Avenue.