The calendar year of 2019 will be filled with many projects in Le Sueur County.
One of the county’s biggest projects in the last three decades is the construction of the new Justice Center in Le Center.
The project is scheduled to be completed and ready for occupancy in August of 2019.
The county is currently hiring a number of new correction officers and dispatchers.
They are also working on the transferring of probation, court administration, court rooms, judicial court areas, and all sheriff’s department personnel to the new justice center.

The Elko New Market City Council interviewed three candidates to fill its fifth seat during its Thursday, Jan. 10, workshop and then approved a resolution appointing one candidate to the council at its business meeting later that evening. Candidates Jon Schwichtenberg, Kelly Strong and Amanda Novak answered questions from the council. Schwichtenberg was chosen to fill the remaining two years on the seat. The seat had previously been held by Joe Julius, who had been elected mayor in the November elections.

New Prague High School has named its 2019 Sno Ball Royalty candidates. They are (front row, left to right, Baylee Rezac, Carlie Simon, Danielle Burns, Hailey Wight; (second row) Brooklynn Isley, Caroline Geiger, Chloe Davis, Mary Daly; (third row) Luke Schoenbauer, Joseph Beatrez, Charlie Jirik, Joe Weiers, Noah Weichert; (back row) Murphy Warner, Spencer Kajer and Cody Harder. Sno Ball week is January 28 through February 2. Coronation will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, in the high school auditorium.

Sugar Rose Bakeshop opened at 801 First Street SE, in the East Town Plaza in New Prague, on Thursday, Jan. 3, in the spot that formerly housed Lady A’s Cupcakes. It was the final step in a long process that owner Jody Breathwaite hadn’t anticipated a little more than a year ago.

Area residents spiced up their evening on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Cowboy Chili Feed and Cook Off held in St. Wenceslaus Church’s Parish Activity Center in New Prague. HIS Haven Ranch sponsored the evening that included a chili meal, a contest for best chili recipe, a silent auction, square dancing and a live auction for desserts.
“We did really well,” said Laurie Baer of HIS Haven Ranch, a free local youth mentoring non-profit organization. “The crowd that was there had a good time.”

LE CENTER - Le Sueur County received outstanding bids on their $12.635 million general obligation capital improvement bond sale.
A total of eight bidders attempted to purchase the funds which will be used to fund the remaining non-jail portions of the County's Justice Center and the second phase of remodeling to the current courthouse in Le Center.
The Justice Center will use $9,720,000 of the money and the Phase II Courthouse Remodel will use the remaining $2,915,000.

Indelible, chivalrous, electrolysis were some of the words that students spelled correctly to win their schools portion of the annual New Prague Area Schools’ Spelling Bee. Held on Saturday, Jan. 12, students from five schools met in the Lecture Hall at New Prague High School to test their skills in front of family and friends. Schools that participated were the elementary schools of Falcon Ridge, Raven Stream and Eagle View, plus New Prague Middle School and St. Wenceslaus School.

Shopko has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, the company announced on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
The company has announced plans to close more than 100 stores as part of its reorganizational plan. The closings affect both Shopko stores and the smaller Shopko Hometown stores, but does not include the Shopko Hometown store in New Prague. Based in Green Bay, WI, the company currently operates 363 stores in 24 states.

Le Sueur County Judge Mark Vandelist sent a strong message to the Le Sueur County Historical Society (LCHS) and its membership on January 3 when he rejected the society’s request to split the fees for the retired judge overseeing the case.
Vandelist stated the disputes within the organization are only hurting it, and if the membership and Board of Directors want to deplete the society’s resources by continuing their contentious disputes, there is little doubt their actions may have an adverse financial effect.

New board members, from left, Leo Giesen, Tammy Pexa and Mark Bartusek take the oath of office at the beginning of the school board's organizational meeting Monday, Jan. 14. The three were elected in November to four-year terms. Also remaining on the board are Kytyn Schoenbauer, board chair, Jeanne Kubes, vice chair, Kim Holden, treasurer and Dennis Havlicek, clerk.

David Mecredy, left, leads off a line of dancers to gather people for square dancing at the Cowboy Chili Feed/Cook Off in New Prague on Saturday, Jan. 12. Held at the St. Wenceslaus Church’s Parish Activity Center, the evening event was sponsored by HIS Haven Ranch and featured a chili contest, silent auction, live dessert auction and other activities. For more see an upcoming print issue of The Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Tom Schmidberger, left, and Mallory Jirik were the final two contestants out of 12 students from New Prague Middle School that competed in the New Prague Area Schools’ Spelling Bee on Saturday, Jan. 12. Schmidberger won by spelling the word electrolysis. There were five schools that had final spelling bees at New Prague High School on January 12. For more see an upcoming print issue of The Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

UPDATED at 2 p.m. 1-14-19
Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn announced the name of the victim in the death investigation. He identified that it was David Amundson, 44, of New Prague, who was found in a field near his vehicle on January 13, 2019, at 30th Street West and Halstad Avenue in Wheatland Township.
UPDATED at 3:45 pm. 1-13-19

The Elko New Market City Council at its Thursday, Jan. 10, meeting had three members take the oath of office and adopted a resolution appointing a member to fulfill a term. From left are Jon Schwichtenberg, who was appointed to fill the remaining two years of a term that ends in 2020, council member Dawn Seepersaud, Mayor Joe Julius and council members Kate Timmerman and Josh Berg. Mayor Julius and council members Timmerman and Berg each took the oath of office at the beginning of the meeting. They were elected to office in November.

Diane Goulson has been put in a very different position the last few months.
The longtime New Prague resident and pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church near Belle Plaine, Goulson was diagnosed in November with pancreatic cancer. She’s facing a series of chemotherapy treatments and surgery, but she’s not facing it alone. She has her family (husband Daryl and daughters Meredith, Rebecca and Erica) along with friends and people from her church who continue to be supportive throughout the process.

The 2019 fee schedule in Lonsdale has been set and it does not include an increase to the water and sewer fees.
Every year the city council makes adjustments to the fee schedule and sets the schedule at its first meeting of the new year. On Thursday, the council did just that, making 15 adjustments.
Lonsdale City Administrator Joel Erickson said that the reason for making these adjustments is to recoup costs incurred by the city, not to make a profit on the items.
In particular, the cost for fingerprints for non-residents is doubling in price.