Carlton E. Miller, age 87, of New Prague, died on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at Mala Strana Care and Rehabilitation Center.  Carl was born on September 15, 1932 in rural Montgomery on the family farm to William H.

Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Vikla, 90, of Montgomery, died on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
Visitation will be held on Monday, Feb. 10 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery with Rosary at 3:45 p.m. Mass of Christian
Services will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Father Tom Niehaus officiating with visitation 9:30 to 11 a.m. at church.
Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.

Minnesota native Hanna Cesario will perform a free concert of love songs on her ukulele at the Montgomery Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 11, starting at 7 p.m. The event, which will feature popular songs from Ella Fitzgerald to The Beatles, is sponsored by the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System.
Cesario brings what some call a "refreshing approach" to a timeless instrument and genre by diving deep into every song, giving purpose to each phrase, each note, each word, and everything in-between.

After years of hard work, six senior athletes from Tri-City United High School participated in National Signing Day to commit to playing sports at the collegiate level. On Wednesday, Feb.

José Reyes of Lonsdale and Audrey Wasilowski of Le Center were crowned Tri-City United’s SnoWeek king and queen at TCU High School Friday, Jan. 31 during school hours. Candyland-themed SnoWeek continued Friday afternoon and ended that night after a three-hour lock-in. (Photo courtesy of Devin Reyes)

A Le Center woman faces four felony charges, including wrongfully obtaining assistance and three counts of perjury. Her significant other, with whom she resides, is also charged with a felony for his role in the alleged crime.
According to Le Sueur County Court records, Shannon Jean Foline, 39, of Le Center, has been charged with receiving public assistance benefits (greater than $1,000 and less than $5,000) based upon fraudulent representation and concealment, which constitutes a felony.

I purchased a piece of Montgomery history a while ago, and it’s pretty cool.
It came by way of Charlene Washa, of Le Center, who was cleaning out a closet when she discovered a “slightly used and aged” Montgomery Messenger cigar box. She posted it online, and Kathy Peterson tagged me on it because it had to do with the Messenger.
Charlene said she didn’t know much about the box, but she received some information from Kathy Heyda, who has extensive history on the Richter family history.

In a special meeting Monday, the TCU School Board approved five personnel items. Among them was the resignation of Superintendent Dr. Teri Preisler.
In an electronic communication to district residents, Preisler said it is an honor to serve the Tri-City United School District, students, staff, families, and community members and that she will retire at the end of the school year on June 30.  

Arnold Joseph Kukacka, 96, of Montgomery, died on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at his home in Montgomery. Visitation and prayer service will be held on Friday, Jan. 31 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Interment will take place at Bohemian National Cemetery in spring.
  Arnold was born on June 14, 1923, in Montgomery on the family farm to Joseph and Anna (Tarba) Kukacka. Arnold was united in marriage to Delores Duffney on November 18, 1941, in Montgomery.

A 34-year-old man died in a two-vehicle car crash Monday evening, Jan. 27, in Lonsdale.
Anthony Joseph Mancino, of Glencoe, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident that happened at the intersection of Highway 19 and County Road 2. It occurred at 5:24 p.m.
Mancino was not wearing a seatbelt.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Mancino was traveling westbound on Hwy. 19 in his 2010 Kia Rio. David Ludwig Wolf, 72, of Northfield was driving his 2012 Audi Q5 eastbound on CR 2 when the vehicles collided at the intersection.

Born on April 4, 1958, in New Prague, Minnesota, raised in Montgomery, Minnesota. Mary Therese Schatz-Grootveld was diagnosed with ALS in March, 2019.
She lost her battle and died peacefully in her sleep on December 7, 2019 at her home in Snohomish, Washington at 61.
She received her Master’s Degree from WWU in 2007 and her PhD. in Philosophy, with Concentration on Rehabilitation and Clinical Counseling from East Caroline University in 2017. Mary loved her job as a counselor. Her best job ever was raising her two boys.

Ten Tri-City United High School seniors were named to the Titans' 2020 Royal Sno-Ball Court, Monday afternoon.
The five young ladies include:
• Audrey Wasiloski, daughter of Brooks and Kimberly Wasiloski of Le Center
• Carolyn Mikel, daughter of Brian and Cathy Mikel of Lonsdale
• Giselle Sanchez, daughter of Juan and Luz Maria Sanchez of Montgomery
• Kali Ryks, daugther of Kirstin Lawson of Montgomery
• Mikayla Malecha, daughter of Allen and Shauna Malecha of Northfield
The five young men include:

The Titan boys’ basketball team broke its 12-game losing streak when they hosted Shattuck-St. Mary’s on January 14. The Titans won by a score of 65-31.
Coach Austin Pinke said the kids have been working hard and they earned the win.
“We talk about opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities when they are presented. Hank (Holicky) had an opportunity and he did well with it.”

A Robotics Team from Tri-City United High School earned the Excellence Award at a competition at the Austin Public School on January 11.
The high school Excellence Award is given to an overall top team. This time it was to the TCU Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots. Organizers said it is the highest honor given at a VEX robotic competition.

The Tri-City High School Titans are gearing up for its annual Sno-Ball week January 27 to 31, and students are taking the reins on a new activity.
Teacher and Sno-Ball advisor Carey Lang said this year’s Sno-Ball theme is “Candyland,” and that high school staff is collecting nominees for royalty and actively planning for all aspects of the winter week.
Candidates will be announced on Monday, Jan. 27 during Titan Time from 12:33 to 1:03.

Le Sueur County and the City of Kilkenny have reached an agreement pertaining to law enforcement services.
During the Jan. 21 Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Brett Mason presented a contract that has the county providing law enforcement to the City of Kilkenny.
City officials in Kilkenny have already endorsed the contract. The commissioners approved the contract unanimously Tuesday.
Sheriff Mason said the county had been patrolling Kilkenny without a contract for years.