Jean A. Hartman, age 72, of Jordan, MN, passed peacefully surrounded by family at her home, after a courageous battle with cancer, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. 

More than once I’ve heard the saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” For those who want to get technical it is based on a Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” that is originally, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men, Go oft awry.”
Awry is a good word for the last few days. Work on Main Street is still progressing, but for The Consignment Lodge and Downtown Sound, things are still up in the air as of press time as to when or how they will be able to reopen.

As of Thursday, April 15, the City of New Prague announced it is allowing the one story “rear” portion of Downtown Sound at 104 Main St. E to reopen. This is the portion that is marked internally in the building – essentially all the rear portion except the north 12-feet closest to the two story portion of the building. This will allow Downtown Sound to continue to hold music lessons in that portion of the building. This determination was made in consultation with the building owner’s structural engineer and the City’s structural engineer and Building Official.

The Rice County Master Gardener volunteers are hosting their annual Arbor Day tree and shrub giveaway on Friday, April 30, at the Rice County Fairgrounds in Faribault. The giveaway will take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m., while supplies last.
The giveaway will take place as a drive-through, minimal contact event. Everyone is welcome to drive through the fairgrounds and select a free tree or shrub seedling. Participants should enter the fairgrounds from Second Avenue NW and there will be signs indicating the flow of traffic.

(This is the first in a series about changes that New Prague’s Main Street businesses are dealing with due to the reconstruction of Main Street.)
Businesses on New Prague’s Main Street will be dealing with changes due to the reconstruction of the street and the placing of new infrastructure underneath the street.
New Prague Postmaster Pauline Lambrecht said the post office’s hours are still the same. The mail box in front of the building was moved on Friday, April 8, onto...
To read more on this article, pick up the April 15, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Kathryn M. “Katie” Berg, age 40, died peacefully with her family by her side, just one day shy of her 41st birthday on April 9, 2021 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.  Katie was born on April 10, 1980 in New Prague to Paul and Mary Lee (Shonka) Berg.  She attended St. Wenceslaus School, graduated from New Prague High School, graduated from Argosy University in dental hygiene, and attained her B.S. from Minnesota State University Mankato.  Katie had an indomitable spirit, enjoying dance in her younger years and music all her life.

Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen was appointed to the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), effective Monday, April 5. His appointment was among several board appointments recently announced by Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.

Take a Mom Fishing Weekend is the weekend before fishing opener
Fishing seasons open for walleye, bass, trout in lakes, and northern pike on Saturday, May 15, with this year’s date taking the prize for the latest possible opener under Minnesota statute.
“We know there is some confusion about this year’s opener date,” said Jon Hansen, fisheries program consultant for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Students from St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague worked on a challenge from the Minnesota Zoo to get their red panda, Min, out and about more.
Red pandas are omnivores, but can also exist on a bamboo diet, and are native to Asia’s high forests and are unfortunately an endangered species. Red pandas are slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur.

It’s started. The reconstruction of New Prague’s Main Street began on Monday, April 5, with quite a bit of noise as crews were out sawing street pavement in preparation for its removal. There was also a lot of banging and crashing as machines dug up that street pavement. It’s definitely going to be a loud summer.

Gerald M. “Jerry” Anderson, age 59, of New Prague, died suddenly on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital New Prague.  Jerry was born on March 17, 1962 in St. Peter, MN to Michael and Dorothy (David) Anderson.  He graduated from Le Center High School and Mankato State University.  Jerry married the love of his life, Lori L.

Woodrow Glazer, class of 2019 New Prague High School, continues his shotgun team career at Hillsdale College, MI. Hillsdale shotgun team brought home its Seventh Division III national championship title from the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate Clay Target Championships in San Antonio, TX, on March 25-27. The team won the coveted Highest Overall (HOA) Division III Team award, breaking the most targets across all disciplines throughout the competition.

The City of New Prague will have the building located at 102 E. Main Street (containing The Consignment Lodge at 102 E. Main Street and Downtown Sound at 104 E. Main Street) posted as an unsafe structure and to be vacated (per MN Rules1300.0180) until further notice.

The Le Sueur County Commissioners cast their votes Tuesday, April 6 for their top candidates for the county administrator position.
The board was presented a list of nine candidates by DDA Human Resources Management Consultant Liza M. Donabauer, who has been working on the hiring process for the county.
The position was posted February 17 and four weeks later 30 individuals had applied. 14 of those applicants were selected as semifinalists. Of those, five withdrew their applications.

Patricia Jean Krouse, 76, of New Prague, MN, passed away after a lengthy illness on April 5, 2021 with her husband by her side.