William “Bill” A. Pass, age 84, of Jordan, MN, entered eternal peace on February 20, 2019, at New Prague Mayo Hospital.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, February 26, at 11 am, with a time of gathering 2-hours prior, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Jordan. Father Neil Bakker will preside, with Bill’s sons acting as urn bearers. Military Honors will be provided by the Jordan Vets and New Prague Honor Guards. A family private burial will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

The New Prague Trojan wrestling team finished its dual meet season Friday, Feb. 15, at the Section 2AAA meet. New Prague defeated Eastview in the quarterfinals before losing to Apple Valley in the semifinals.
New Prague finished the regular season with a 20-4 record, with all four losses coming to state-ranked teams. The Trojans were rated No. 7 in the most recent state Class AAA poll.
Trojan Coach Dan Wagner said it was a great night of wrestling. “We came into the event with a couple of untimely injuries that played a huge factor in our dual with Apple Valley,” he said.

The New Prague Trojan adapted floor hockey team claimed a pair of victories last week, against South Suburban and Dakota United.
Trojans 12, Jets 0 New Prague hosted South Suburban Tuesday, Feb. 12, and scored a 12-0 win.
"We were very happy just to get a game in with all the weather cancellations we’ve had this year," said Coach Shellie Kriha. "And we were thrilled to be able to come out so strong against South Suburban."
New Prague had six goals in the first and three each in the second and third periods.

Last week, The Times used this space to talk about the efforts of local snowplow drivers. There is one other group of public employees who deserve accolades for their efforts during this snowy winter:
School bus drivers.

Author Julia Cook was a special visitor to Eagle View Elementary School in Elko New Market on Thursday, Feb. 21. She visited all three of New Prague Area Schools’ elementary schools talking to students about the things they can learn and reading a few stories from the 90 books she has written. Students at Eagle View, Falcon Ridge and Raven Stream elementary schools read her book “Bubble Gum Brain” as part of I Love to Read Month. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Last week’s story on the closing of the New Prague Shopko Hometown store drew a mixed reaction from many on social media.
On the New Prague Happenings Facebook page, dozens of people lamented the loss of the store, with some adding that they feel sorry for the employees. However there were some who posted their opinion that the store was not worth having in town, and said they hoped something better would replace it.

It’s a 25-year tradition that feeds several hundred people in one night and helps feed many more throughout the year.
The St. Wenceslaus Church Soup Kitchen group held its annual Soup supper Monday, Feb. 18, in the church basement. This year’s event served 316 guests, who enjoyed either chili, vegetable beef or chicken noodle soup.

Some of the ways of measuring time will be exhibited at the New Prague Library,400 Main St. E, as part of the New Prague Area Historical Society’s display “It’s AboutTime.” A variety of calendars and time pieces make up the display that will be at the library through the middle of May.

Despite a loss to Waconia last week, the New Prague Trojans are still in the hunt for a tie in the Wright County Conference East division, going into the final games of the season.
Holy Family Catholic leads the conference with a 7-2 record. New Prague and Waconia are tied for second at 6-3. Waconia plays Holy Family on Thursday, Feb. 21. If Waconia wins, the Trojans can make it a three-way tie for first with a win at Delano Friday, Feb. 22.

Traffic was still moving and people were out the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 20, although it was slow going as a storm blanketed New Prague’s Main Street with snow. Snow began falling around 2 a.m. Wednesday with a total of 5 to 9 inches of snow were being forecasted for the day. The New Prague area was under a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. this evening. Winds are to be coming from the east at 5 to 10 mph and then come from the south to southeast in the afternoon. The National Weather Service was advising drivers to plan for extra traveling time.

MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is preparing motorists for forecasted heavy snowfall rates overnight through Wednesday. Weather conditions will limit visibility and make travel difficult in south central Minnesota.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of southern Minnesota, and advises motorists to plan for extra travel time, especially for the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
MnDOT snowplow operators will do their part to make highways safe and motorists should remember to:

New Prague Area Schools will be closed on Wednesday, February 20 due to inclement weather. This closing includes all K-12 grades, Preschool, Kids Company and the WRAP program. This will be a blended learning day for K-12 students.

Allie Eischens of the New Prague High School gymnastics team will be competing at the state Class AA meet at the University of Minnesota Maturi New Prague Times Sports Pavilion this weekend. Eischens qualified on the uneven bars and the balance beam on Friday, Feb. 15, as New Prague hosted the Section 2AA Gymnastics Tournament. New Prague finished third at the tourney with a score of 138.075. Lakeville North won the tourney and Lakeville South was second. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Rosemary “Rosie” (Tikalsky) Busch, of Jordan, passed away February 17, 2019 at the age of 82.  A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (104 First Street West) in Jordan.  Mass of Christian Burial is Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 11:00 AM with visitation one-hour prior at St.

Gene Vavra, left, begins a demonstration on cleaning a fish on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the New Prague Sportsman’s Club Youth Fishing Seminar. Held at the Central Education Campus in New Prague, there were 130 children that attended the annual event. Youngsters could also participate in a casting contest, minnow races and learn about fishing regulations. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Margaret M. Sticha, age 71, of New Prague, died peacefully with her family at her side on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at Mala Strana Rehabilitation Center. Margaret was born on September 4, 1947, in Shakopee to Jerome A. and Bernice A. (Wolf) Sand. She attended St. Mary’s Purification Grade School in Marystown and was a 1965 graduate of Guardian Angels High School. Prior to her marriage to William R. Sticha on October 12, 1968 at St. Mary’s Purification Church in Marystown, Margaret worked for Scott County Welfare.