Margie Jindra, 97, of Montgomery passed away on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at Central Health Care in Le Center. Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 9 from noon until 2 p.m. with Funeral Service following at 2 p.m. with Pastor Jason Pollington, officiating, all at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery.
Interment will be at a later date in Bohemian National Cemetery in Montgomery.

WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM, Friday, January 7, 2022.
The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.Counties involved are Anoka, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Dakota, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, Martin, McLeod, Nicollet, Ramsey, Redwood, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Steele, Waseca, Watonwan and Wright.

Roger W. Simon, age 74, died peacefully, surrounded by his family on Saturday, January 1, 2022 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, MN.  Roger was born on January 11, 1947, in New Prague to Walter R. and Julia (Svoboda) Simon. He was raised in the Veseli area and attended Most Holy Trinity Catholic School, graduated from New Prague High School, enlisted in the National Guard and later graduated from Mankato State College. He married Carol J. Trnka on July 26, 1969, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lonsdale, MN.  They were happily married for over 52 years.

Mary Ann Ruehling, age 62, of New Prague, died peacefully with her husband at her side, on Christmas Day 2021 at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in Rochester.  Mary Ann was born on July 20, 1959 in Detroit Lakes to Arthur and Mary Jane (Lundeen) Kiehl.  Born and raised in Detroit Lakes, she graduated from Detroit Lakes High School.  She met the man who would become her soul mate and life partner, John B. Ruehling, three years before they married on August 13, 1988 at Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lanesburgh.

The Tri-City United Wresing Team won a tournament last weekend, for the first time ever. According to Coach Shaun Timmerman, the team won the Larry Severson Raider Invitational in Northfield.
"We haven't won this tournament before, so it's a nice experience to come, wrestle well against some teams that we haven't seen before, and walk away as the tournament champions,” Timmerman said.
Individual champions went to Caleb Whipps, Caden O’Malley and Marco Reyes. In second place were Christopher Johnson, and Carter O’Malley.

An intimate, outdoor ceremony at Tri-City United High School marked the dedication of two memorial benches, Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 22.
The benches, which are gifts from the Class of 2021, commemorate the lives of two Titans who passed aways in recent years.
One bench is dedicated to Blake Asher, a member of the TCU Class of 2021 who passed away at the age of 17, just a few months shy of graduation in a one-vehicle car accident on February 18, 2020. The words “In memory of Blake Asher, Class of 2021” appear on the front of the bench.

What can I saw about 2021? I’m an optimist, so I’ll search for something positive about the year we close out on Friday.
It was less awful than 2020.
With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, life in 2021 returned to something resembling normal. Gymnasiums were full again. Kids in the public school attended school in person instead of in their pajamas. Lockdowns eased and businesses reopened. TCU High School returned its Commencement Exercises to an in-person format, which again filled the high school gymnasium.

The Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners approved the final 2022 levy in the amount of $24,611,528, which is an increase of $1.1 million or 4.8 percent from 2021.
This action was taken during the December 21 meeting.
County departments developed their proposed budgets during the months of April and May. Work sessions are held between the department heads and the county commissioners during June through August. In September the board sets the preliminary levy.

The tradition where residents make Christmas special for the needy was again a success in 2021.
According to Eileen Segna, the coordinator for the Sharing Tree program, all of the recipients who had tags on the tree, received gifts. She said people were generous with their gifts to the people who are mostly local senior citizens.
“I’m so happy. There’s a lot of people who buy over (the suggested amount) what’s on the tag,” she said.

The Lonsdale City Council has approved another no-frills budget and property tax levy for the 2022 fiscal year.
“I know there are no frills in this budget,” said Lonsdale City Council Member Kevin Kodada. “I know we won’t end up in a surplus like the state did.”
Lonsdale City Administrator Joel Erickson echoed Kodada’s statement as he went over the budget and property tax levy proposed for approval at the December 9 council meeting.
“The whole city budget is as basic as it gets,” Erickson said.

After a couple of close losses to Fairmont 44-47, Belle Plaine 35-61, and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 38-40, the TCU boys’ basketball team cranked out a 65-52 home win over Sibley East on Friday, Dec. 17.

Montgomery has a new church.
Life Church, a new non-denominational church, has served the Montgomery religious community since early November, but the church’s beginnings started on a lakeshore in rural Le Sueur County.
According to Executive Pastor Doug Pint, the church began meeting in open-air spaces on Lake Volney during the summer. Life Church, which promotes helping one another as a family, now has a new, physical home at Hilltop Hall, 206 First Street N.

The holiday classic, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," made its way to St. John Lutheran Church on Sunday, Dec. 19. The program, which features Charlie Brown trying to find the Christmas spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree, was presented by the church’s Sunday School youth. In addition to the play, the production also included songs, “Christmastime is here,” “Joy to the World,” “O Christmas Tree,” “Away in a Manger,” and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

The great gift dilemma. We’ve all gone through it.
Especially at this time of year, a common quandary is what to give someone who has everything. If you don’t get a list of suggestions from the recipient, how do you choose something that allows you to communicate your feelings and appreciation for them?
You talk to people close to the recipient to get ideas.
You can guess what they’d like and attach a gift receipt with the present.
Or you buy the last resort - a gift card.

The Minnesota River Bulldog Hockey Team had an upand- down week last week. The team hosted Redwood Valley on December 14 and cranked out a definitive 8-1 victory.
Three days later, the boys traveled to Dodge County and lost to the Cobras by a score of 1-13.

A number of school districts around the country, including Tri-City United, are responding to an anonymous threat on TikTok that seemingly warns against students attending class on Friday.
The threat, or "challenge,"reportedly calls on students to commit acts of violence on Dec. 17. It does not name a specific school or district.
According to TCU Superintendent Lonnie Seifert, there have been no threats that the district is aware of that specifically identify TCU schools as a site for violence.