The Elysian City Council adopted their 2027 proposed budget and payable 2026 tax levy during their Monday, Sept. 18 meeting.
Based on preliminary numbers, the levy will increase by $81,574, or an 8.4 percent increase from a year ago. The previous year the levy increased 4.6 percent or approximately $59,000.
The total preliminary level amount payable for 2027 is $1,049,286. Last year the preliminary levy was $967,712.
The annual Homecoming Celebration at WEM Schools starts Monday, September 28 with the crowning of the 2026 king and queen.
Four candidates for queen and king were selected by their classmates.
Queen candidates
Nevaeh Geyer, daughter of Jeff and Janet Geyer.
Meghan Krystosek, daughter of Simon and Kathy Krystosek.
Kyeria Morris, daughter of Nick and Kristalyn Morris
Alix Velzke, daughter of Bruce and Kristin Velzke.
King candidates
Reed Sammon, son of Nick and Amanda Sammon.
The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau recognized 68 Minnesota farms as 2026 Century Farms. Qualifying farms have been in continuous family ownership for at least 100 years and are 50 acres or more.
Century Farm families receive a commemorative sign, as well as a certificate signed by Minnesota State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau presidents and Governor Tim Walz.
Since the program began in 1976, more than 11,000 Minnesota farms have been recognized as Century Farms.
Signage on the Adolph Dehn mural, which was erected last year on the east side of the WEM Elementary School, has now been added.
Donovan Schwichtenberg said in 2025 leaders in Waterville chose to recognize one of their favorite sons, Adolf Dehn. He was a high school graduate of Waterville and he had become a famous artist. They chose to recognize him by selecting one of his paintings and creating a giant mural of that picture.
As juniors, Blake Bohlen and Quinn Gare advanced to the Minnesota Junior B.A.S.S State Tournament. They finished in the middle of the pack of the more than 80 teams who advanced.
This past weekend the duo, now seniors, again competed in the State Tournament but this time the fish were biting much better and they placed 6th overall among 79 teams entered.
This year’s event was held on Leech Lake near Walker, MN and the youth fished on Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, with the final results being determined at 4 p.m. Sunday.
This year’s Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day celebration in Kilkenny brought in nice weather with abundant sunshine with pleasant temperatures. One of the largest marching bands in the area, perhaps the state, also made an appearance during Saturday’s 35-unit parade at the request of Andrew McGuinness, mayor of the Kilkenny Municipal District in Ireland, the Lakeville South High School Marching Cougars.
At first, it appeared as if Le Sueur County would need to set a considerable increase in levy rates going into next year. However, after months of work sessions, the county board of commissioners is now in good position to approve one of its lowest annual increases.
The county had anticipated a large increase in property taxes because of changes to how the human services department is funded. The Federal government shifted the financial burden of funding the department to the state, as the state shifted much of the burden to the county level.
One of the longest tenured repair shop in the state of Minnesota is located in downtown Morristown.
At last count, there are less than five garages in the state that have lasted a century. Nordmeier Bros. in Morristown is one of those iconic businesses that has persevered for 100 years. And this business may also be the oldest family-owned automotive garage in the state.
In less than a week students and staff will be returning to Waterville for the first days of the WEM School Year 2026-2027.
For the first time in more than 35 years all students will be attending classes in one building. The Waterville building will now house all of the district students.
Teachers will report Monday, August 31 and work through Thursday, Sept. 3. The majority of that first day teachers will be completing moving into their classrooms. Staff training will be held the following day.
The Postal Service is in the middle of extensive modernization efforts nationwide which includes upgrading its aging delivery fleet of more than 230,000 vehicles - one of the world’s largest.
The Waterville Post Office received their new vehicle the first week in August. This truck will replace their 1989 Grumman LLV
Are you or farmers you work with looking for ways to reduce input costs while maintaining yield and improving resilience?
The University of Minnesota Extension and Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) are holding a free event — Strip Till Expo — to learn about strip tillage.
St. Paul, Minn — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and partners in the Minnesota Farm Suicide Prevention Campaign are offering free mental health and suicide-prevention trainings in communities across Minnesota this fall. The workshops will teach people who live and work in agricultural communities how to recognize when someone may be struggling and help connect them with support.
Mild weather gave the Le Sueur Free County Fair time to shine last week. The 169th annual fair was held Thursday through Sunday.
The fair had a 1950s car theme, which was apparent in the style and the many competitions held throughout the week — from kids pedal pull to the truck and tractor pull. Young and old had a contest they could participate in, and many spectators came out to cheer them on.
Of course, there was a car show, where actual 1950s cars could display their beauty. In all, 120 cars participated in the show.
This year is the 34th year of Ahlman's Shooter's Round Up, one of the nation's top events for outdoor and gun enthusiasts.
This year's two-day event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 on the Ahlman's Gun Shop site north of Morristown.
The Round-Up is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. There is an admission fee for this event, which is billed as the Greatest Shooting Show on Earth.
The Round Up started in 1992 as S & W Days then gun manufacturers Colt and Browning joined in and others weren’t far behind.
Kilkenny Fire Department’s annual fundraising ATV/UTV ride held on Saturday, Aug. 8, drew in larger numbers than last year. The run brought in 329 riders and 158 ATV/UTV’s. In comparison to last year, that is up from 200 riders and 94 vehicles.
The 2026 route started as usual at Little Irish Park in Kilkenny for registration, which began at 10 a.m. Riders left Kilkenny at noon and went to Elysian, then to The Bait Bucket in Cleveland, and to Lakefront Bar & Grill on Clear Lake in Lexington, before returning back to Kilkenny at the Toy Box Saloon.
