Arnold Joseph Kukacka, 96, of Montgomery, died on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at his home in Montgomery. Visitation and prayer service will be held on Friday, Jan. 31 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Interment will take place at Bohemian National Cemetery in spring.
  Arnold was born on June 14, 1923, in Montgomery on the family farm to Joseph and Anna (Tarba) Kukacka. Arnold was united in marriage to Delores Duffney on November 18, 1941, in Montgomery.

Born on April 4, 1958, in New Prague, Minnesota, raised in Montgomery, Minnesota. Mary Therese Schatz-Grootveld was diagnosed with ALS in March, 2019.
She lost her battle and died peacefully in her sleep on December 7, 2019 at her home in Snohomish, Washington at 61.
She received her Master’s Degree from WWU in 2007 and her PhD. in Philosophy, with Concentration on Rehabilitation and Clinical Counseling from East Caroline University in 2017. Mary loved her job as a counselor. Her best job ever was raising her two boys.

Ten Tri-City United High School seniors were named to the Titans' 2020 Royal Sno-Ball Court, Monday afternoon.
The five young ladies include:
• Audrey Wasiloski, daughter of Brooks and Kimberly Wasiloski of Le Center
• Carolyn Mikel, daughter of Brian and Cathy Mikel of Lonsdale
• Giselle Sanchez, daughter of Juan and Luz Maria Sanchez of Montgomery
• Kali Ryks, daugther of Kirstin Lawson of Montgomery
• Mikayla Malecha, daughter of Allen and Shauna Malecha of Northfield
The five young men include:

The Titan boys’ basketball team broke its 12-game losing streak when they hosted Shattuck-St. Mary’s on January 14. The Titans won by a score of 65-31.
Coach Austin Pinke said the kids have been working hard and they earned the win.
“We talk about opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities when they are presented. Hank (Holicky) had an opportunity and he did well with it.”

A Robotics Team from Tri-City United High School earned the Excellence Award at a competition at the Austin Public School on January 11.
The high school Excellence Award is given to an overall top team. This time it was to the TCU Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots. Organizers said it is the highest honor given at a VEX robotic competition.

The Tri-City High School Titans are gearing up for its annual Sno-Ball week January 27 to 31, and students are taking the reins on a new activity.
Teacher and Sno-Ball advisor Carey Lang said this year’s Sno-Ball theme is “Candyland,” and that high school staff is collecting nominees for royalty and actively planning for all aspects of the winter week.
Candidates will be announced on Monday, Jan. 27 during Titan Time from 12:33 to 1:03.

Le Sueur County and the City of Kilkenny have reached an agreement pertaining to law enforcement services.
During the Jan. 21 Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Brett Mason presented a contract that has the county providing law enforcement to the City of Kilkenny.
City officials in Kilkenny have already endorsed the contract. The commissioners approved the contract unanimously Tuesday.
Sheriff Mason said the county had been patrolling Kilkenny without a contract for years.

MANKATO, Minn. – (3:45 p.m.) With significant snow and strong winds forecast for Friday and Saturday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation advises motorists to plan for difficult driving conditions or make alternate plans.
Heavy snowfall combined with moderate winds can dramatically reduce visibility during the storm and continued wind gusts after the storm may prolong MnDOT snowplow drivers’ ability to recover the roads.

Secretary of State Steve Simon is reminding Minnesotans about the beginning of absentee voting for the March 3, 2020, Presidential Nomination Primary. The primary will help determine both the Democratic and Republican party candidates for the November general election.
“The presidential nomination primary opens up the selection process and allows more Minnesotans to participate,” said Simon. “Caucuses are limited to a few hours on one evening; this primary will give more people more ways to participate, and over a longer period of time.”
How to request an absentee ballot

It's a girl!
The Montgomery Messenger is happy to announce the arrival of Montgomery's New Year's baby, Blakely Bernice Reak, daughter of Tim and Kim (Myhro) Reak of Montgomery.
Little Blakely was born at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, January 16, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Health System New Prague Hospital, weighing in at 8 pounds 7 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.
She is the Reaks' first child.
Watch for more about the Reak family in the print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

On Tuesday, Jan, 14, Bevcomm, the Blue Earth based telecommunication company, announced it has reached a definitive agreement with Lonsdale Telephone Company to acquire ownership of that Lonsdale based business. Transfer of ownership is pending regulatory approval, which is expected in the first half of this year.
According to a press release from Bevcomm, “Existing employees of Lonsdale Telephone Company will become employees of Bevcomm, and will continue to manage the day-to-day office functions.”
For more on this story see upcoming print issue.

In advance of the forecasted heavy snow and winds, the TCU School District cancelled school on Friday, Jan. 17.
Through the district's phone-alert system, Superintendent Teri Preisler said the day will be considered a "Blended Learning Day" so students should check for the online work posted by teachers in the morning.
Because Friday is the last day of the semester, Preisler said any student who still has final exams to take will take them when school resumes on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Dorothy Ann Sladek, age 88 of Dundas and formerly of New Trier and Bloomington, died peacefully following a brief illness on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at Mayo Clinic Health System - St. Mary's Campus, Rochester.
She married Allen Sladek of Montgomery on June 21, 1980.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, January 20 at 11:00 a.m., with visitation from 9-11 a.m., at St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Trier. Interment will follow at the church cemetery. Memorials are preferred to St. Mary's Church or to donor's choice.

Leonard Joseph Wondra, 95, of Montgomery, died on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 at Traditions in Montgomery. Visitation will be held on Friday, Jan. 17 from 4 to 8:00 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Father Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will take place at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in spring. Full obit in next weeks paper.

On Monday, the Montgomery City Council got things in order for the new year approving depositories and appointments to committees, boards and commissions, and the council calendar.
The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, which contained the majority of the housekeeping items, one of which was designating the Montgomery Messenger as the city’s official newspaper. This means the Messenger will again be the publication for the city’s public or legal notices for the year.

World renown photographer Edward S. Curtis, who captured images of Native Americans in the early 20th century, spent a decade growing up in little Cordova in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
Curtis’ work and his ties to the local area are celebrated in the Arts and Heritage Center of Montgomery’s newest exhibit: Edward S. Curtis Photography Display.
The exhibit, which opened last week and will remain open for public viewing during the center’s regular hours until February 29, features more than 60 of Curtis’ prints of Native American life between 1900 and 1930.