“I am officially announcing my candidacy for Rice County Sheriff in the 2026 election. This decision follows Sheriff Jesse Thomas’s announcement that he will retire at the end of his term this December,” said Nathan Budin.    
    Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas announced earlier announced earlier this year that he would be retiring at the end of his term on Dec. 31.

    Tri-City United High School’s FFA students once again showed their pride in agriculture through another “Drive Your Tractor to School Day.”
    FFA students gathered early on Thursday, April 16, on the south end of Montgomery for a light breakfast and for each other to gaze over the other’s tractor — or in the case of one individual, a road grader.

    A crash of three vehicles happened at the intersection of Highway 13 and Highway 21 on the south side of Montgomery at approximately 6:58 a.m. on Friday, April 17, according to the incident report from the Minnesota State Patrol.

    Traveling back into the district for Easter break, it was clear folks are fed up with St. Paul and the lack of movement on bills. That frustration is warranted, and I agree with it.
    Right now, nothing is really happening beyond stopping bad legislation. That
may not sound like progress, but it may end up being the best thing for Minnesotans. There’s an old saying, if government isn’t doing anything, it also isn’t spending money.

    When people need help, they oftentimes call a firefighter. When firefighters need help dealing with the worst of the outcomes they face, Reverend George Jerome Grafsky was there to help.

Gladys L. Mader, age 85, of Lonsdale, passed away on April 23, 2026.

Gladys was born in New Prague and grew up on her family farm near Cedar Lake. She graduated from New Prague High School and remained deeply connected to farm life, continuing to work alongside her family. In 1960, she met the love of her life, Roman, and they were married in 1961. Together, they purchased their own farm in Lonsdale, where they built a life and raised their family.

To the editor:

    Earlier we were graced with the 2026 Kolacky Days button and now we finally get to meet this year’s Kolacky Days queen candidates.
    Parents and candidates met with the Kolacky Days Pageant Committee on Saturday, April 18, for the candidate registration and informational meeting. The committee gave a run-down of what is expected throughout the process, as well as learning about what happens if they are chosen as royalty.

Margaret "Margie" Ann Mach, age 71, of Montgomery, died on the morning of Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at her Horizon Place home in Le Center.

    Montgomery City Council said no to the location of the proposed 56-unit apartment building from Community Asset Development Group (CADG), which would have gone at the end of the cul-de-sac on 7th Street Southeast, at Monday’s regular council meeting. 

Michael "Mike" P. Bohnsack, age 40, of Montgomery, passed away surrounded by his family on the morning of Saturday, April 18, 2026, following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

    Minnesota legislators passed a new school bus safety law by a 133-0 vote in the house and 67-0 in the senate in March to close some safety loopholes. It was the first bill of this legislative session to pass. 
    Stopping for school busses allowed for some gray area in the wording that drivers shall stop when busses are “… displaying extended stop signal arm and flashing red lights.” This left the door open for people faced with a fine to argue that the arm was not extended or not fully yet when they passed.

    Tri-City United High School’s speech team had a good showing at the Section 1A speech finals in Byron last Friday. Four of the six section finalists will be moving onto the state speech tournament on April 25 at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park.

    The Tri-City United (TCU) baseball team showcased its strong potential and grit this week, moving to 4-2 on the season with back-to-back victories over Waseca and Sibley East. Behind a masterful one-hit shutout and a power surge that included a key home run, the Titans' depth was on full display as the pitching staff kept opposing bats at bay while the offense may have found its stride.

    Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), which serves much of our readership area, held its annual meeting at Jordan High School on Tuesday, April 7, where over 200 members gathered.
    A total of 20 $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors were given out or a total of $30,000. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have a parent or legal guardian who are MVEC members, be enrolled to attend an accredited post-secondary institution as a full-time student, and have at minimum GPA of 2.0. 

    Thespians depicting roles of various fairytales were thrown into the pit this past weekend in Tri-City United High School’s spring play, “Dragon’s Lair.”
    Four “Dragons,” representative of  the Sharks on the popular television show “Shark Tank,” decided the fate of various fairytale characters and their ideas and products related to make them money. Those who didn’t make the cut were thrown into a pit with the Dragon.