NP falls to champs in Saturday semifinal round
Rebounding from a tough loss in the semifinal round to the tournament’s eventual champion, the New Prague Trojans’ floor hockey team took third-place honors at the Minnesota State High School League’s floor hockey tournament at Bloomington Jefferson High School.
Over 300 people showed up to show their support at the benefit for Mike Meyer held at the American Bar & Grill in Montgomery on Saturday.
Paulette “Polly” Bieber, coordinator of the benefit said, “It was a really great turnout. Really good support.” She said that a total of 32 businesses “from Belle Plaine to Montgomery and everywhere in-between” donated to the benefit, whether silent auction items or in-kind.
Gary West provided music for the event, and Odenthal Meats provided the pulled pork for the sandwich dinners.
To the Editor,
This letter is written in response to Rep. Terry Stier’s article on federal immigration enforcement published in the Feb. 5, 2026, edition of The New Prague Times (and Montgomery Messenger). Rep. Stier outlines his law enforcement background and his preference for behind-the-scenes engagement with federal agencies rather than public confrontation, a perspective shaped by his years as a police chief and legislator.
Heading into the state tournament, New Prague High School’s cooperative floor hockey team seems ready to begin a strong defense of its state championship from a year ago.
The opening round is the big question mark. New Prague will face Shakopee-Prior Lake-Chaska-Chanhassen tomorrow evening, Friday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., at Bloomington Jefferson High School’s activities center. See the team congratulations page in the print edition for the bracket information.
The longstanding American Legion building, 102 Elm Avenue Southwest, is now under the new ownership of Robert Krautkremer and Dione Bast of New Prague, renaming it The American Bar & Grill.
“This place came available. We looked at it, talked about it and saw some potential there,” said Krautkremer. Their first day of business, a soft opening, was Friday, Jan. 29.
Firefighters from at least New Prague Fire Department and Montgomery Fire Department extinguished a fully-engulfed separated garage fire Thursday, Jan. 29, during the evening hours at Number One Auto north of Heidelberg in rural Lanesburgh Township in Le Sueur County. Temperatures at the time were only about five degrees above zero.
The Tri-City United School District School Board voted on Monday, Dec. 22, to ask voters in the district again to pass the same $39.99 million bond that was proposed at the November 2025 single vote election. In November, the tax base that showed up to vote voted 926 in approval and 1,088 in opposition.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public input on the potential installation of an aeration system on Cody Lake between Lonsdale and Montgomery within Wheatland Township in Rice County. This would essentially be a reinstating of aeration that had been turned off a number of years ago operated by Wheatland Twin Lakes Sportsmen Club (WTLSC).
WTLSC, working under new leadership this year, has been doing a number of improvements to the Cody Lake public access site area that resides between Cody Lake and Phelps Lake.
The $39.99 million bond for Tri-City United Schools was rejected by voters in the Nov. 4 election despite $7.982,004 being covered by the state Ag2School Tax Credit.
Tax impact on a $400,000 residential property would have been between $10.12-$10.66 a month.
The three precincts voted in total 926 (45.98%) in favor and 1,088 (54.02%) opposed.
Lonsdale voted to pass with 311 in favor and 269 opposed.
Tri-City United Schools held a series of four open houses this and last week, one at each school, ahead of the Nov. 4 election for the $39.99 million dollar bond. Each location had plenty of resources on hand to answer questions and tours were given showcasing some of the areas that the bond would cover.
Only six total Tri-City United (TCU) runners competed in the New Prague Cross Country Invitational Thursday, Sept. 25 at Cedar Lake Farm.
The top runner on the day was senior Grant Fitterer who placed 11th in 18:09 in the boys race.
Sophomore Gabriel Coryell placed 32nd in 19:32. Freshman Graysen Moon placed 37th in 20:32. Eighth grader Patrick Duchene placed 41st in 21:03.
New Prague High School 1967 graduate and United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Dave Bruzek is being recognized in the Montgomery American Legion Post 79’s Thank A Living Vet display through Nov. 23.
Bruzek enlisted in the U.S. Air Force months before he graduated on his 18th birthday in March.