The New Prague Fire Department says it received a call for a pole shed on fire at approximately 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Upon arrival on scene at 29394 201st Ave., approximately one mile south of Union Hill, the department said the shed was fully engulfed.

Robert A. Janovsky (Bob), age 75, of Montgomery, died peacefully on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at home surrounded by loved ones. Visitation will take place on Thursday, January 25 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Schoenbauer  Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, January 26, at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with visitation one hour prior. Fr. George Grafsky officiating, burial will occur at Calvary with lunch and celebration of life following at the Montgomery Legion Club.

In loving memory of Rose Mary (Miska) Franta, age 85, who peacefully embarked on her final journey, reuniting with her beloved husband Scott on January 17, 2024. Born on August 22, 1938, in New Prague, Rosie's roots ran deep on the family farm near Saint Thomas where she blossomed into the remarkable woman we all knew.

Having taken on two tough teams, one the defending state champion and the other a state participant, the New Prague floor hockey team knows it will need to play a little better to return to the top of the mountain.
The Trojans opened the season Jan. 9 with a win over Dakota United, a team they topped at the state tournament a year ago. They fell in the second game, a rematch of the last two state championship games against Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville. The Trojans won the 2022 game and the Blazing Cats enjoyed revenge in 2023.

Tyler and Kelsey Neumaier welcomed in their baby girl, Peyton Sue Neumaier, at 11:11 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2024, after almost 16 hours of labor, starting at 7:30 p.m. the day before.
Baby Peyton was born at 7 pounds 10 ounces at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee.
The Neumaiers said that they knew the gender of the baby before it was born and that it is their first child.
Tyler comes from a family of 11 children and Kelsey was an only child. “I’m very close with my family so I feel like I grew up with a lot of siblings,” said Kelsey.

The Tri-City United (TCU) boys basketball team improved to 3-2 in the Minnesota River Conference (MRC) with a split of two games last week.
The week started with TCU losing to Belle Plaine, 88-59 Tuesday, Jan. 9. Friday, Jan. 12 the Titans defeated Sibley East, 53-41.
In the loss to the Tigers, TCU only trailed by nine at half but were outscored 49-27 in the second half.

The importance of civic leadership cannot be underestimated in its importance, need, and overall community benefit. In a town the size of Montgomery, a very low amount of your time is often necessary for such an engagement too.
Civic leaders are people that help shape communities and influence the path that they are headed on. Organizations and cities are struggling to find enough individuals to fill all of those roles.

Wood and Metal on display
City Council Member, Mayor, Kolacky Days Grand Marshal and business owner are just a few of the hats Mick McGuire has or is wearing. In 2021, he added wooden canoe builder to that list.
“I’d seen a number of these canoes and thought that it would be kind of a fun project to take on,” said McGuire.

Elvin Leigh Wehking, age 57, of rural Janesville, died in a single vehicle crash on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
    The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s dispatch center received a 911 call at 5:33 p.m. of a vehicle crash near a residence on Tetonka Lake Road in Elysian Township. Le Sueur County Sheriff’s deputies and Elysian Fire and Rescue were initially dispatched to the scene. 
    Sheriff’s deputies noted that a 2003 Ford Taurus, driven by Wehking, had left the roadway, travelled through a ditch and collided with a large tree — which caused extensive front end damage to the vehicle. 

The Tri-City United (TCU) boys basketball team outscored WEM 34- 16 over the final nine minutes of their game Thursday, Dec. 28 to pull out a 72-68 nonconference win in Waterville.
After leading 27-25 at halftime, the Bucs increased their lead to 52-38 on a rebound basket by senior Caleb Caron with 9:13 remaining.
The TCU defense held the Bucs to five field goals over the next nine minutes while their offense did much of their damage at the free throw line, scoring 14 from the charity stripe, including the final four of the game.

Many of you have likely heard of Festivus (for the rest of us), the popular holiday skit from the hit show Seinfeld. It includes the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength. Actor Jerry Stiller in the role of Frank Costanza proclaims “Festivus Miracles” and starts out dinner with the famous line, “I got a lot of problems with you people. Now, you’re going to hear about it!” It also includes a Festivus Pole, a bare pole requiring no decoration.

Montgomery VFW Post 5340 and the post’s auxiliary held their annual awards ceremony and holiday gathering on Dec. 20 at the American Legion.
The post welcomed 2023 new members Keith Barta, Steve Harper, Paul Hessing, Roy Otero, Mark Roemhildt, Joel Sticha and Kasie Vlasak. The auxiliary welcomed new member Diane Radil.
Years of service awards were presented to members celebrating milestone years of continuous membership.

The Tri-City United (TCU) girls basketball team trailed for the first 26 minutes of their Thursday, Dec. 28 game with WEM.
But once they took the lead they never relinquished it, pulling out a 62-52 nonconference win over the Buccaneers.
WEM scored the first bucket of the game, a three-pointer by senior Kylie LaFrance. They led 30-25 at halftime and extended that lead to 39-30 on back-toback baskets by junior Tianna Pope and senior Claire Bohlen with 13:38 to play in the game.

The American Legion in Montgomery has had a banner out front for a few weeks now advertising a new restaurant coming called Taco Terco. It is a partnership between the Legion and Taco Terco’s owners, Chef Daniel Garza and his wife Cara Sutton. The restaurant is set to open in the first part of January 2024.

Ruth Helen Gaul, age 88, of Montgomery, passed away on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at Central Health Care in Le Center, surrounded by her family. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 11:30 a.m., with visitation one hour prior, all at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Father Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery, MN.

On December 26, 2023, Sandra Ann (Jakes) Sticha, 71, passed away at her home in Florida.  Sandy was born September 8, 1952, in New Prague, Minnesota, to Marvin and Irene (Spoor) Jakes.
Sandy is survived by her two children; Daniel (Roni) Jakes of Florida and Jill (Katie Bastyr) Sticha of Montgomery, MN.  Sandy has four grandchildren, Cora, Jeremiah, Danielle, and Joshua and 8 (soon 9) great-grandchildren.