Marcella A. Blaeser, 94, of Montgomery passed away Monday, Nov. 9 at St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee. Public services are postponed until a later date. Private interment will be at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.
Marcella was born April 16, 1926, in Kimball, South Dakota to Joseph and Anna (McAvinney) Smith. She married Willard “Bill” Blaeser in January of 1952 and raised a family. She was known for her excellent tailoring. She loved horses, sewing, flowers, gardening and puzzles.

Bernice (Doyle) Schmidt, age 90 of Belle Plaine, MN passed away peacefully at her home of natural causes and a broken heart. Private Family Mass of Christian Burial (due to Covid-19) will be held on Wednesday, November 18th at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church with Burial at the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Bernice attended school in Henderson, MN until 8th Grade and transferred to the University of Minnesota - School of Agriculture from Freshman to Senior Year where she graduated in 1947.

Since breaking ground for its new building on July 12, FaithPoint Lutheran Church of New Prague has seen its new church progress at a steady pace.

Late night delivery
The intersection of Main Street and 10th Avenue NE in New Prague was closed temporarily on Wednesday, Nov. 11, as a tank from Chart Industries went around the corner shortly before midnight. After turning onto Main Street the tank headed east out of town. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Montgomery and New Prague’s Catholic schools were among the top three schools in the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence’s Ofrenda Contest. Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery won first place and St. Wenceslaus in New Prague was third.
In honor of the Latino holiday Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE) wanted to embrace the culture of Latino students and build community between the schools by organizing an Ofrenda Contest.
To see more on this story, pick up the November 12, 2020 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Overcast skies and fits of rain was the order of things on Monday, Nov. 9, as Scott County Public Health staff held a free COVID-19 clinic at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 411 Fourth Ave. SW in New Prague. At the clinics people can get tested for the virus. Held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. it was the first of several free clinics that will be held on Mondays at that site and time until the end of the year. Scott County Public Health and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) are the sponsors of the clinics.

Have you ever been hurt in such a way that it needs a long time to heal? I’m not talking about the type where, as a kid, you wiped out on your bike on the street and you ended up getting this big gash that eventually scabbed over and healed by itself until the scab came off. I’m talking about where something was broken deep inside or there was a sickness of the body, where both those injuries required help from others. There are also those injuries of the spirit or the soul, where a family member or a close friend dies and you just feel sad or numb afterwards.

Alaina Bishop, 10-year-old daughter of Daniel and Dara Bishop of New Prague, has wrapped up a fundraiser for Water for South Sudan, an organization that builds wells for clean water in South Sudan. She recently surpassed her goal of $5,000, which she started in June of this year. She went beyond her goal raising $6,155.
Her inspiration was the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.

On Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11:11 a.m. Linda Dankers, Kelly and Joshua Freitag, Linda Rahn and Cindy Kuhl were offering prayers for veterans, New Prague and the United States from the top of the sledding hill at Sliding Hill Skate Park in New Prague. Linda Rahn and her husband Mark run a ministry, Radical Transformation 4 House of Healing, where they pray weekly for the community and country. (Submitted Photo)

As hospitals express concern about capacity to treat Minnesotans with COVID-19, Governor Tim Walz today announced new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus in Minnesota. Beginning on Friday, the restrictions will apply to social gatherings, celebrations and receptions, and bars and restaurants, which are three of the most significant sources of COVID-19 outbreaks across the state.
Walz also today announced $10 million in funding to support small businesses affected by the pandemic.
 

Rice County Public Health will be offering a flu vaccination clinic on Tuesday, November 17th from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Lonsdale American Legion, 115 2nd Avenue NW, Lonsdale for anyone 6 months and older.
Please wear face coverings and short-sleeved shirts for ease of vaccine administration. No appointments necessary -- physical distancing will be maintained.   

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, parents in the New Prague Area Schools received an email announcing that, “Effective Tuesday, November 17, New Prague High School students will be moved into a distance learning model.” This is after a review of the most recent case rate data for COVID-19 and the anticipated case rate projects and for the health of the school community.
The email also stated:

Milton J. “Milt” Vosejpka, age 89 of Faribault, MN passed away on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at The Emeralds at Faribault following an extended illness.
Milton Joseph, the son of Frank and Rose (Barta) Vosejpka was born on May 2, 1931 in Lonsdale, MN.  He attended Northfield High School and graduated with the class of 1949.  On August 4, 1953 he was united in marriage to Beverly Ann Shields at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Faribault.  After his marriage Milt served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1955.

A couple of school records were broken by the New Prague swimming and diving team during the Oct. 22 and 23 Section 2AA Championship Meet.
Freshman Payten Schieffer was involved in both school records.
Schieffer broke her own 100-yard butterfly record with a time of 59.71. She finished eighth overall in this event.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Schieffer, junior Lydia Popple, freshman Ella Lund, and seventh grader Taylor Bassett placed seventh in a time of 1:46.35, which set a new school record.

A deer broke into a kindergarten classroom at St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 5. It was a teachers conference day so no students or teachers were in the room when the deer broke through the window. High School students were raking leaves outside the building when they saw three deer come down an alley, one of the deer came toward the students and then broke through the window to the room. The deer was locked in the room until a New Prague Police Officer could lead it out of the building where it ran free.

Iris Sullivan, 86, of Le Center, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at The Lodge in Elko New Market. Visitation will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 10 to 11 a.m. at St. Thomas Catholic Church in St. Thomas with Mass of Christian Burial following at 11 a.m. Father Chris Shofner will be officiating. Interment will be held in St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery.