Somehow, we’ve made it this far – 250 years old.

With the power of governance divided between a central national government and individual states, the United States celebrated its 250th birthday as a constitutional federal republic and a representative democracy this past week.

We’ve been around for 250 years. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to some governments around the world. Fifty years ago, we thought 200 years was a really big deal. The celebration of our bicentennial in 1976 was a big deal. There was a premium on patriotism.

There have been a few posts on the local social media pages the past few months regarding the site of the anticipated new post office and if the post office isn’t going to use it, maybe – insert the name of your favorite restaurant – might be interested.

In the mid- and late-1960s, the United States began drafting its young people into military service in a faraway place called Vietnam. It’s safe to say many of them had never heard of the southeast Asian country nor understood why they were being called to serve.

New Prague city councilors met in a special meeting Monday, June 8, to discuss a challenging question – how to handle the city’s budget today and in the future and begin to discuss the long-term plan for how to bridge the gap between that the city and its residents want and what they are willing to pay for.

The New Prague School District loves to credit itself for its attention to treating everyone equally. And there’s no reason to believe the district is sincere with its claim equity matters.

But in a recent case, its attention to the notion of treating everyone equally missed the mark. Badly.

For anyone who is a big hockey fan they are preparing for the finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I know it happens every year, but I still find it odd the National Hockey League (NHL) is wrapping up in what some might call spring, and others might call the first month of summer.

The Minnesota Legislature called it a day Sunday, May 18, taking credit in the House for working together for the good of the state and its citizens as mature adults ought to do. People working together for a common good, compromising and acting reasonably in a legislative session will oftentimes occur when the two major parties enjoy equal representation.

And yet, the Minnesota House of Representatives weekly news service makes it sound like such bipartisan cooperation is to be celebrated rather than expected. Sadly, it is.

Tomorrow evening, Friday, May 22, New Prague High School’s Class of 2026 and seniors from the community, regardless of where they attend high school will join the ranks of high school graduates this community has a right to be proud of and hold in high esteem. Young people are the future of this community, its future leaders, its someday civic leaders, its elected representatives of a community looking up to you.

The city of Belle Plaine has reportedly received a request from citizens to not fly the Minnesota state flag. New Prague has not received such a request. Over a dozen Minnesota cities and many townships have decided to reject the new state flag. The decision is understandable. Lacking creativity, it looks like a design an elementary student could have created using clip art. To its credit, the new flag addresses Gov. Tim Walz’s “One Minnesota” theme by eliminating the symbolism some folks find offensive.

New Prague city councilors approved the purchase of two Matrice 4TD Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAV) from Vertex Unmanned Solutions for $24,598. Last Monday, April 20, drones the police department will use to serve the public in times of urgent need – when searching for a lost person, searching for a suspect or someone in need.

Back in the late-1980s, when Shakopee’s ‘Bubble,’ home of the community’s fledgling hockey program, went down for the last time, community members matter-of-factly assumed they could go to an area indoor rink for hockey practices and games. For many years, a dedicated group of guys had mended the bubble. They repaired the ripped fabric by hand, sometimes in sub-zero temperatures, and reinflating the Bubble after snowfalls.

If you read the newspaper each week, thanks for doing so. We hope it keeps you abreast of what’s going on in your community. You have a right to know what’s going on in your city, school district and the area. After all, you’re paying for it.

We heard last week President Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan announced Operation Metro Surge was coming to an end. No matter how you feel about immigrants and illegal immigration, there seems one simple question we should all ask and demand those responsible for it answer.

Was it really worth it?

Fortunately, New Prague didn’t see even a sliver of what happened in Minneapolis. Yet the agency is keeping an eye on our neighbors in rural communities.

New Prague’s school board meeting Monday, Jan. 26, offered a wide-ranging list of topics and requests for residents to consider.

In May of 2020, we saw a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kill George Floyd while a crowd of observers captured video via cell phones. At the time, it seemed maddening nobody put down their cell phone cameras and tried to intervene. Floyd might still be alive today and Chauvin and officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane wouldn’t have been sentenced to years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

If you pay attention your city council, school board or county board – and be honest, most don’t – you might think they easily go through their agendas with relative ease with the exception of the occasional sticky item elected representatives know we care about one way or another.