The New Prague Chamber of Commerce announced in a newsletter on Thursday, Aug. 13, that due to the COVID-19 pandemic they have come up with some unique ways to celebrate the 36th Annual Dožínky Festival and Classic Car Cruise “virtually” from Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20. The Chamber will have other things in the days leading up to the virtual celebration. The Chamber said unfortunately the Classic Car Cruise, street dance, and Parade of Farm Pride have officially been cancelled.

Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn has reported the death of a one-month-old infant in Erin Township.
Dunn said his department received a call on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 5:29 a.m. for an unresponsive baby at a residence on the 14000 block of Shields Lake Trail in Erin Township.

Staff at New Prague’s Coborn’s Marketplace serve people meals to go as part of the store’s Customer Appreciation Dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Held from 3-6 p.m. the drive thru meals were adult dinners that included BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and kids dinners that included hot dogs. In the first hour 59 meals had been served. The meals were cash or check only, with pre-orders and pre-pay of meals available. All proceeds from the meals are to be donated to the Peace Center, New Prague’s food shelf. For more see a print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Applications for local elections for New Prague’s city council and school board closed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11. For the New Prague School Board all incumbents filed, plus there was one new name. For the New Prague City Council six people filed for the three seats.
School board incumbents who filled for re-election are Dennis Havlicek, Matthew Goldade, Kim Holden and Jeanne Kubes. Candidate Dan Call added his name to the election. The four seats have terms of four years each.

A voter marks their ballot during the primary election in New Prague the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 11. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voters are being asked to wear masks. Other changes are that voters are asked to distance by six-feet while they wait in line and to take a pen for filling out their ballots and then drop it off before they leave. The pens, plus voting booths, are sanitized after each voter uses them. New Prague is holding its elections in the gym at the New Prague Fitness and Aquatic Center. Primary elections opened at 7 a.m. and are to remain open until 8 p.m.

According to a preliminary report from the New Prague Police Department, a Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy and New Prague Police Officer were apparently involved in a struggle with a motorist around 3:57 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6.

The New Prague City Council had an update on reconstruction work on Main Street during its electronically held meeting on Monday, Aug. 3. As part of the bore and tunnel work for a new storm sewer line under the railroad tracks, the subcontractor, Rice Lake Boring, will be working around the clock until the installation is complete.

New Prague Area Schools (NPAS) is working on plans for bringing students back to school, keeping them safe and engaging them in high levels of learning. In a letter, sent out to families on Monday, Aug. 3, Superintendent Tim Dittberner stated that it is likely the school district will be starting with hybrid learning for grades 6-12 and elementary students may either be attending daily in-person or following a hybrid learning schedule. A final decision will be made by Monday, Aug. 17.

From left, Isabelle Adamek, nanny Brenda Bohnsack holding Duke and Gabby Adamek were selling lemonade on Wednesday, Aug. 5, along Lady Slipper Avenue NE in New Prague. Sisters Isabelle and Gabby wanted to do something that the community could use and benefit it also, as all their proceeds are going to the New Prague Veterans Memorial. They were selling cookies as well as lemonade and hoped to raise $100. They started on Tuesday, Aug. 4, would be selling until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and planned to be out on Thursday, Aug. 6, between 12-4 p.m.

US Rep. Angie Craig (D, MN Second District) visited local New Prague businesses on Saturday, July 25, with Mayor Chuck Nickolay, New Prague Chamber of Commerce Board President Dan Jacobson and City Administrator Mike Johnson. During the brief tour Rep. Craig saw the reconstruction work that is being done on Main Street, visited with Doug and Patty Lau at Lau’s Czech Bakery, Janeil Dropik of New Prague Floral and Ben Thietje of DalekoArts, the city’s non-profit theatre company.

No one was injured in an early morning fire in Montgomery that damaged two buildings on Wednesday, July 29.
The Montgomery Fire Department was called to a fire at 104 First Street at 3:45 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they observed flames engulfing the second floor of a vacant building.
City Administrator Brian Heck said the fire was under control in about 5½ hours. Montgomery firefighters continue to remain on the scene.

Due to the heavy rains on July 25th and 26th, the following lakes have now reached water levels that have ascended past the threshold concerning a "No Wake". The three lakes listed below have a "No Wake" restriction effective immediately:
Lake Tetonka, Lake Sakatah, Lake Washington
See PDF of complete press release regarding the "No Wake" restrictions.

The City of New Prague will be changing its election site for 2020 from St. Wenceslaus Church’s Parish Activity Center (PAC), 215 Main St. E, to the New Prague Fitness and Aquatic Center (FAC), 410 Central Ave. N.

Tracy Gliori of New Prague is among four women business owners from around the region who are being recognized by the Minnesota Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO- MN). Gliori is president, TMI Coatings, Inc., St. Paul, which she purchased in 2001 from her family and has expanded over the years.

The Le Sueur County Board recently approved a pair of independent contractors to a number of projects.
But the decision to approve these individuals came with questions about their rate of pay, which will come from the CARES Act dollars which was recently approved by the federal government.
Barbara Droher Kline was approved to work with townships, cities, and Le Sueur County on COVID related planning. Her rate of pay is $75/hour.

New Prague’s Coborn’s Marketplace began asking its customers to wear masks as of Monday, July 20. According to a press release from Coborn’s Inc., the chain of stores began phasing in the policy for its Minnesota and Wisconsin locations on July 20. This is for those shopping in their Coborn’s, Cash Wise, and Marketplace Foods supermarket and liquor stores. The press release states this in consideration of CDC guidance and increasing local and state government mandates. In the event a guest arrives without a mask, a mask may be provided at the store, while supplies last.