The Scott County Sheriff’s Office offered its congratulations to Deputy Duane “Dewey” Jirik on his retirement today. Deputy Jirik, left, is honored by Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen. “Deputy Jirik has served the residents of Scott County for over 25 years, working numerous assignments including Volunteer Reserve Deputy, Patrol Deputy, and as a Sergeant overseeing Court Security, Civil Process, Transports, and Campus Security,” said Sheriff Hennen.

The Postal Service is good to go on its plan to slow down the mail and implement aggressive price increases, according to the Postal Regulatory Commission in a pair of decisions handed down this week.
The PRC expressed skepticism about the wisdom of adding an additional day to service standards for both First-Class and Periodicals mail.
But it stopped short of telling USPS not to make the change. Instead, it cautioned USPS to examine its assumptions about cost savings and to look into the root causes of mail slowdowns in recent months.

Jazmin Simon, center, of Coborn’s Marketplace in New Prague serves up a meal during the grocery store’s Drive-thru Guest Appreciation Dinner on Wednesday, July 28. Held from 4-6 p.m. Coborn’s hit 300 meals served at the 45 minute mark of the event. The meal included BBQ pork sandwiches with sides and sweets for a small fee per meal. Proceeds from the evening were going to United Way. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Officer Bryan Tupy, who began with the Montgomery Police Department in October 2019, unexpectedly passed away on Monday, July 26, 2021.
Officer Tupy began his law enforcement career as a part-time officer for the City of Le Center in 2015. Officer Tupy generally worked the afternoon or night shift with Officer Jack Strand.

Hy-Vee in New Prague had a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27, attended by representatives of Hy-Vee, its employees, City of New Prague officials, area dignitaries and special guests during its grand opening. The new grocery store had mascots from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams providing some fun. Hy-Vee is also celebrating the opening of its new store with specials through July 27. For more on the ribbon cutting see this week’s issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Four people lost their lives in a two-vehicle accident in Le Sueur County’s Sharon Township, Sunday night, July 25.
According to a press release issued by the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, the crash occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of Le Sueur County Road 15 and Le Sueur County Road 22.
Initial investigation indicates a 2012 Ford Expedition with seven occupants, who were all from California, collided with a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado with one occupant from Le Sueur.

St. Patrick Church of Cedar Lake had a beautiful day for its annual Summer Festival on Sunday, July 18, with sun and temperatures in the 80s. The weather helped bring out large crowds, plus the festival not being held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everybody’s happy to be free from COVID,” said Chad Sandey, one of the organizers of the festival. “The crowd is definitely larger than other years.”

The idea for “Back to Basics,” the new display by the New Prague Area Historical Society, came from the recent events of the COVID-19 pandemic. The display will be up at the New Prague Library through the first part of November.
Dennis Dvorak of the New Prague Area Historical Society noted how the restrictions and guidelines due to the pandemic changed people’s lifestyles. For those who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s they will remember the restrictions their families had to deal with due to the Great Depression and World War II.

There were more than 20 people at the New Prague School Board’s Monday, July 12, meeting with seven of them speaking during the open forum. Their comments ranged from inclusion to history to Critical Race Theory. School Board Chair Tammy Pexa informed those that would be speaking that they were limited to five minutes and personal attacks would not be tolerated.

The Credit River Antique Tractor Club held its 1 p.m. parade on Friday, July 16, at Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park. Around 40 tractors took part in the parade that was part of the 22nd annual show, which continues at the park north of New Prague on Saturday, July 17, and Sunday, July 18. Tractor parades will also be held at 1 p.m. those days with antique vehicles and engines on display, plus activities around the park and food vendors. The show is held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and offers free admission and parking. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times.

Beginning at 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, the intersection of Main Street and Highway 21, on the west side of New Prague, is scheduled to be closed for one day for mill and overlay work. The work will begin at the intersection and go west on Highway 19 to the intersection with Fifth Avenue NW/SW. There will be several detours around the closed intersection. Northbound vehicles on Highway 21 can take the turnoff right before the intersection to get onto Main Street. Drivers can then go north on Second Avenue NW, then west onto Second Street NW and reconnect to Highway 21.

The New Prague City Council on Tuesday, June 29, unanimously offered the position of the New Prague City Administrator to Joshua Tetzlaff, who currently serves as the City Administrator for the City of Dodge Center. The offer came after a two-day interview process, held on Monday, June 28, and Tuesday, June 29. The terms of employment were under negotiation and were expected to be presented for consideration and approval to the council at its Tuesday, July 6, meeting.

This weekend Generations Theatre Company will present Shrek Jr., a production that was all set to go in 2020, but was cancelled on its opening night due to COVID- 19 restrictions. There are three shows that will be performed at the New Prague High School auditorium, 221 12th St. NE. The first is 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 9, the next two are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 10. Cost is a donation to Generation Theatre Company’s scholarship fund.

Le Sueur County’s new Public Health Director Megan Kirby hit the ground running April 26th when she officially stepped into the position.
“I was fortunate enough to have multiple weeks with our previous director, Cindy Shaughnessy, to train and learn the role a little more in depth,” stated Kirby, who has a background working in community health along with a Master's Degree in Public Health, a Bachelor's Degree in Community Health Education, and an Associate's Degree in Psychology.

If you were driving along Minnesota Highway 21 between New Prague and Jordan around 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, you may have noted an unusual sight - an old caboose moving on a flatbed trailer.
For nearly 50 years, the old Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway caboose number 1201 was a fixture in the back yard of Bill Hennes’ home, northeast of Jordan. Hennes was a collector of many things, including the old caboose. The Hennes children spent many hours of their youth playing inside the caboose, likely taking many imaginary trips across the country inside its walls.

The Henderson Tractor Ride on Saturday, June 26, paused in Union Hill as part of its 20th annual journey through the Minnesota River Valley.
There were 60 tractors ranging from a 1937-38 John Deere to a model from 1982, and lots of tractors from the 1950s and 1960s, that took part in the trip. Many of the tractor riders were looking forward to this year’s ride as last year’s was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.