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.

    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.

To the editor:

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.

    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.

    Montgomery American Legion Post #79 and its Auxiliary celebrated the Legion’s annual birthday party at the American Bar & Grill (formerly American Legion) on Saturday, March 28. 

    Adalyn Budin, 9, was chosen to continue her reign as the Montgomery American Legion Auxiliary Unit #79 Poppy Princess at the unit’s meeting Wednesday, April 8. She is the daughter of Mike and Angie Budin of Montgomery.
    Poppy Princesses are American Legion Auxiliary junior members between the ages of 6-12 who have a relative that is a current member or was a former member. Adalyn Budin was made eligible to be a junior member through her late grandfather Donald Budin.

    A doubleheader sweep of Worthington Saturday, April 11 helped the Tri-City United (TCU) softball team finish the opening week of the season with a 3-2 record.
    The Titans defeated Worthington 13-3 in six innings and 25-5 in five innings. They also opened the season with an 11-1, six inning win over Blooming Prairie March 30.
    In between the wins, the Titans were defeated by St. Peter, 11-8, April 7 and 8-1 by Belle Plaine April 9.

    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.

Ronald “Chubby” Prchal, 75, of Brownsburg, Indiana, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. Born on October 2, 1950, in Faribault, Minnesota, to Stanley and Lucille (Heberle) Prchal, Chubby lived a life defined by grit, humor, and an unwavering devotion to the people he loved.

    Tri-City United High School was again host to the Section 2A North Visual Arts Festival. Schools within the subsection presented about 120 pieces of art in total, up from about 90 last year, according to TCU High School Art Teacher Tony Barnack.
    The Titan students, 15 in total, displayed the maximum allowed per school of 18 pieces, which included drawings, paintings, sculptures, crafts, digital photography, and ceramics.