From the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Highway 19 east of Henderson to Highway 169 closed at 12 p.m. today, June 19, due to flooding from the Minnesota River.
Traffic is detoured to Highway 19 west of Henderson, Sibley County Road 17 (391st Avenue), Sibley County Road 8 (336th Street), and Highway 169.
Motorists should monitor www.511mn.org for current road and detour information.
Other crossings closed

A house along Juniper Avenue at Cedar Lake was damaged by a fire. New Prague Fire Chief Steve Rynda said the fire department was called to a structure fire at 11:07 p.m. Monday, June 17. New Prague had mutual aid from the Jordan and Elko New Market fire departments, Rynda said. The fire was under control by 1 a.m. Tuesday. Rynda said the cause of the fire is under investigation with the fire marshal scheduled to inspect the site Tuesday morning. The house is considered uninhabitable according to Rynda. One firefighter suffered a minor cut to a hand. (Patrick Fisher photo)

Thanks to New Prague American Legion Post 45 Ballroom, fireworks will be part of the Independence Day holiday again this year.
Wednesday, July 3, just after sunset on the middle school grounds, a pyrotechnics display will be presented.
There will be the chance for people to socialize, enjoy food from vendors, check out vehicles on display, and enjoy a massage from a local chiropractor while listening to patriotic music. The national anthem will be presented at 10 p.m., just before the start of the fireworks display.

St. Wenceslaus School principal Kim Doyle is retiring July 1 after 16 years as principal at the New Prague school and 36 years as an educator and administrator.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in cooperation with Scott County, will install stop signs at the County Road 2/southbound Interstate 35 on and off ramps in Elko New Market Wednesday morning, June 5.
Following installation of the signs, westbound and eastbound County Road 2 motorists, including traffic turning southbound onto the I-35 ramp, will stop at the intersection.
Traffic traveling south from the I-35 off ramp to westbound County Road 2 will continue to have a free right.

New Prague’s Karder Schmoll, 14, is called safe at home as he scored the winning run in the Saturday, June 1, semifinal game for the Section 1AAAA baseball tournament. The Trojans, seeded second, won, 2-1, in the bottom of the eighth inning. New Prague had been trailing fourth seeded Rochester Mayo for most of the game. The Trojans will now face number one seeded Farmington Tuesday, June 4, 5 p.m. for the section championship at Dundas Memorial Field.

Those driving through Elko New Market Monday morning, May 20, likely saw crews from the public works department setting up 41 banners along Main Street. The banners honor local veterans and service members as part of the Hometown Heroes program.
The Elko New Market Fire Department’s fire relief association is overseeing the program.
“We’re really excited, this is a great thing for the community,” said Jodi Muelken, president of the fire relief association. She said the banners will be up through Labor Day.

New Prague and area residents will have the opportunity to honor those who served their country in the military or were taken from us or have passed away since their service during the annual Memorial Day services.
Monday, May 27, begins with visits to area cemeteries to honor war dead and those who have left us after their service ended. The schedule of cemetery services includes:
• 9 a.m., St. Patrick;
• 9:25 a.m., St. Benedict (change from last year)
• 9:55 a.m., Lanesburgh;
• 10:15 a.m., Union Hill;
• 10:30 a.m., Czech National;

Elko New Market Police Chief Brady Juell will be honored 4:30-5:45 p.m. before the Elko New Market City Council’s Thursday, May 23, meeting at city hall. Juell announced recently he is stepping down from the position he has held for more than five years.
Juell informed the council at its Thursday, May 9, meeting his last day will be Friday, June 7, and beginning Monday, June 10, he will be Savage’s police chief taking over for Rodney Seurer, who is retiring.

Friday night into Saturday morning was a spectacle of the skies, even those within the city limits and outside of direct light, as the aurora borealis or northern lights put on a show for all to see.
People as far south as the Bahamas and southern California were able to see them outside of light polluted areas. Even within the Twin Cities metropolitan area the aurora was visible to the naked eye.

“This is our first year doing a garage sale,” said Eric Novotny, Saturday morning, May 11. He was among several people participating in New Prague’s Citywide Garage Sales. In his yard and driveway along NE First Street, he had many articles for sale.
“We’ve got clothes, electronics, cookware, you name it,” he said.
He and his wife had seen other garage sales and they decided to take part this year. Novotny noted another reason is they’re expecting a child. “We’re making room in the house,” Novotny said.
The sale also had furniture and several knickknacks.

Seneca Foods Corporation in Montgomery has been issued a citation by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MNDLI) and issued a penalty of $156,259 in regards to the incident which happened in the early morning hours of October 5, 2023, where 58-year-old worker Jose Luis Alvarado had items in a warehouse fall on top of him and he died from his injuries.

Aiming at what it deems fair and equitable compensation for employee groups, the New Prague School Board approved a series of master agreements with employee groups, contracts including increases in wages and benefits.

By a 3-1 vote, the New Prague City Council decided at its May 6 meeting to take the next step with the city’s police station. Voting in favor were councilors Maggie Bass, Bruce Wolf and Rik Seiler with Councilor Shawn Ryan casting the single no vote. Mayor Duane Jirik was absent from the meeting.
City staff and Wold Architects and Engineers also came up with four scenarios concerning the police station and equipment for the fire and police departments. Tetzlaff noted as they move through the budgeting process the financial numbers will change. The four scenarios were:

Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category in southern Minnesota, which is unhealthy for everyone
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended the air quality alert for southern Minnesota. The alert now remains in effect until 11 p.m. on Monday, May 13. The affected area includes the Twin Cities metro, Albert Lea, Marshall, Worthington, Rochester, Winona, Mankato, and the tribal nation of Prairie Island.

A Shoreview man, a passenger in a 2011 Hyundai, was killed Thursday afternoon, May 9, in a crash on Le Sueur County Road 3, just north of its intersection with County Road 29 in Lanesburgh Township.