Mike Geisen was, and still is, a practical man with more common sense than most. He has lived much of his life in a rural area, a few miles outside Belle Plaine on the edge of Carver and Sibley counties. No doubt he was bewildered back in 2006 when his new neighbor, a transplant from the suburbs, was putting up pasture fence for horses and explained what he was doing as if asking for Mike’s approval.

“What do you care what I think? It’s your land. You can do what you want,” he said.

“Yeah, but I’d rather get along with you more than not,” the transplant said.

We frequently receive columns and statements from the politicians who represent the area. More often than not, they are complaining about what the ‘other’ side of the political spectrum is up to. This week, an email from Rep. Terry Stier, R-Belle Plaine, reached the in-box.

During the June 23 school board meeting, directors Carrie Cuff and Dan Call cast two votes in opposition to the school board’s plans to ask New Prague School District voters to approve in a single question an increase in the amount of property taxes it can use to fund daily operations. One of the votes was far more interesting than the other.

Tomorrow, Friday, July 4, we’ll celebrate the nation’s 249th birthday. It’s quite a feat, celebrating so many birthdays until you think about how young a country we are compared to some of the other great democracies around the world.

It’s been said one of the few constants in life is change. We see it in our personal lives, we’re seeing it in our own towns and we see it in our country and the world.

On a quiet Saturday morning, the peace in an upscale suburban neighborhood was shattered when Minnesota’s speaker emerita of the House of Representatives and her husband were murdered. In another neighborhood not that far away, a member of the Minnesota Senate and his wife, were shot and wounded, allegedly by the same gunman masquerading as a police officer.
Why? The popular working theory in the hours shortly after the murders and attempted murders was that the lawmakers supported a prochoice agenda. Really?

Having not held the required public hearing to sell bonds to fund the proposed new police station attached to the fire station and, in the eyes of some, ignoring the comments of the people who opposed the issuance of bonds once a public hearing was held, the New Prague City Council has arguably given people the idea it is going to do what it wants.
Regardless of the opposition from a small number of people.

The Minnesota Legislature has effectively done what school boards across the state have seemingly been unwilling to do – require students put their cell phones on hold during class time.
Monday, Feb. 10, the New Prague School Board discussed a proposed policy requiring students not be allowed to use their phone during class time. The proposed policy will be considered during the spring and likely included in the student handbook for the 2025-2026 school year. The proposed policy is a reasonable start at governing an issue that unfortunately has become a problem.

Just when the Minnesota House of Representatives appears it cornered the market on the biggest circus since Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey went dark in 2017, the Minnesota Senate made a bid for your attention.

We received an unexpected surprise Sunday evening – a letter to the editor from a person expressing on an opinion she feels is important.
These days, letters to the editor, especially the ones you don’t expect, are worth their weight in gold. It’s on the right side of the page, below the political cartoon. At a time where anybody can post anything they want, fact or fiction disguised as fact, an honest-to-goodness letter to the editor is delightful.

Just when you’re starting to fret not having a reasonable idea for a column for this week’s paper, along come the good folks from Oklahoma willing to try to skirt the U.S. Constitution for their religious beliefs.

New Prague’s elected mayor in 2026 will serve for four years after the city council adjusted the mayor’s term from two to four years at its Oct. 21 meeting.

It was a question that needed to be asked but wasn’t expected. The position of the school board on this issue is critical to the financial future of the New Prague Area School District and the relief candidates for seats on the board brought is welcomed.
The question to board candidates at the forum held Tuesday, Oct. 15: Should the New Prague School District remain a member in the Minnesota State High School League? The six candidates all answered in the affirmative.

We find ourselves once again in the fall season when trees change colors and farmers are busy harvesting their crops.
This fall, Minnesota has been spoiled with warmer than average temperatures in August and September. It’s only been over the last few weeks temperatures have begun to plummet into the 50s and 40s. Temperatures have also been cold enough for frost warnings to spring up once or twice during the night.

There is a fee for election-related letters starting Aug. 29
The New Prague Times is charging for the publication of letters to the editor that relate to candidates for office, are a political endorsement, or relate to an upcoming election. These letters will be considered political paid ads and are subject to a $25 charge for local candidates (i.e. mayor, city council, school board).

This past week I saw a literature piece that I assume was sent to almost all households in Lanesburg Township. It was a hit piece about candidate Liz Krocak who is running for a county board seat. The authors of this mailing did not have the courage to sign their names,  which tells me a lot about what I need to know about their character. An unsigned letter isn't worth the paper it is written on.