Back in 2006, former Minnesota State Rep. Tom Emmer, then R-Delano, took the editor of a nearby community newspaper to the woodshed for suggesting in an editorial the proposed smoking ban for bars and restaurants was worthy of discussion.

The Dakota-Rice-Scott League will have a slightly different look next summer when teams take the field and the St. Patrick Irish isn’t one of them.

The Irish, a Class A team, announced earlier this month they were leaving the DRS and joining the other Class A teams in the River Valley League. An announcement the team posted on social media noted the move puts the Irish in closer proximity with Class A RVL teams like Burnsville, Chanhassen, Chaska, Eagan, Prior Lake, Shakopee and Victoria.

Some people make golf, painting, photography, porcelain figurines or traveling to exotic places as a favorite hobby. Paul Bongers enjoys growing pumpkins in the backyard of his house in Lonsdale.

And for Bongers, bigger is unquestionably better.

He grows Dills Giant Atlantic pumpkins in his backyard. He started growing them in 2020. This year’s crop of three pumpkins ranged from 1,200 pounds when it split, a condition leading to rot, to 1,219 pounds and the largest of the three tipping the scale at 1,819 pounds.

Betty Gill, age 84, of Union Hill, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on October 22, 2025, on the very day she and her beloved husband once celebrated their wedding anniversary.

James (Jim) Francis Kalina, age 90, of Lonsdale, MN, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family on October 21, 2025. Jim was born in Wheatland Township, MN, on January 6, 1935, to Max and Emma (Cecka) Kalina. After high school, he served his country in the U.S. Army, stationed in Korea.

An impressive comeback effort fell just short of victory as the New Prague girls’ volleyball team lost a decisive fifth game and the match to Farmington in the opening round of Section 1AAAA playoffs tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 22, at NPHS.

Ervin J.

Outscoring Rochester John Marshall 13-8 in the final two quarters, New Prague High School’s football team topped the Rockets 39-30 Tuesday, Oct. 21, to earn a trip to the Section 1AAAA semifinals Saturday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., at Rochester Mayo.

Paul Adolf Swidorski, age 87, of Montgomery, died on the morning of Friday, September 26, 2025, at the Belle Plaine Lutheran Home.

New Prague High School hosted its second annual Career & Tech Day, Thursday morning, Oct. 2, in the high school’s auditorium, gymnasium and back parking lot. There were 55 area businesses that participated.

The event showcased community employers and provided sophomores and juniors a high-impact, effective, and efficient day to explore various career areas, said principal Brian Thorstad.

Many students were able to talk with business representatives in the gymnasium, while others were able to get a bit of hands on experience with demonstrations in the parking lot.

This past week, news outlets covering the capitol reported on progress, or the lack of it, on the desire some folks have to address the accessibility of guns to people who ought not have them. So far, about six weeks after a gunman took the lives of two innocent children and injured 30, no news is not good news.

With the regular season complete, New Prague swimmers and divers are turning their focus and training schedule to prepare themselves for the section meet, a competition where they can earn entry in the state meet.

Elko New Market firefighter Jodi Muelken was honored Monday, Oct. 6, with the 2025 Minnesota Crime Prevention Association Volunteer of the Year award.

The award is given to a person who has demonstrated by their actions, a furthering of crime prevention efforts in a given community or specific area. The MCPA has been presenting the award since 1973.

Jay Simon, fire chief of Elko New Market’s volunteer fire department, nominated Muelken.

Rose Mary (Rosie) Gill passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, October 14. She was born on July 30, 1932, to Joseph and Eva (Dorzinski) Gill and grew up on the family farm in rural Union Hill. She graduated from New Prague High School and went on to dedicate her life to a long and successful career in the banking industry, retiring in 2004.

For three-plus quarters, New Prague gave Chaska all it could handle until Section 2AAA’s No. 2-seeded team’s superior size and speed took its toll in a 26-15 win over NP Wednesday night, Oct. 15, in Trojan Stadium.

Gopher Stat Railway Museum, north of New Prague along Highway 21, had 300 people come out for its annual Pumpkin Express, Saturday, Oct. 11. Many families rode in one of two cabooses pulled by its train engine to a pumpkin patch where they could pick out a pumpkin.

“This is our first time,” said Tom Murphy of Dundas, who was with his children Edward and Georgina. He looked up the schedule for the Pumpkin Express on the museum’s website. “We decided to take advantage of it. It’s a fantastic family event, it’s the right size and it was close by.”