Temperatures dropped below -25 over the weekend. Derek Westby of Elysian decided to see exactly how cold it was and the results are in. It was cold enough to freeze your pants.

Per Governor Walz today, effective Saturday, February 13 at noon, further steps to reopen Minnesota’s economy safely, are listed below.
·        Increasing the “not to exceed” capacity in restaurants to 250, while leaving the maximum capacity at 50 percent
·        Increasing indoor entertainment “not to exceed” capacity to 250, while leaving the maximum capacity at 25 percent
·        Increasing private events and celebrations “not to exceed” capacity to 50, while leaving the maximum capacity at 25

It is that time of year when scammers come out in full force. Unfortunately for a couple of Le Sueur County residents, they were duped into sending money to someone they didn’t know.
Le Sueur County Assistant Attorney Jason...
To read more on this story, pick up the February 11, 2021 print editions of the LifeEnterprise and Montgomery Messenger.

A new tradition will be started this month at WEM High School.
National FFA Week has been celebrated in the past. Now there will be additional activities during this special week.
The FFA festivities will now be expanded with a new tradition, Snow Week.
According to WEM Principal Dr. Jennifer Wilson, Snow Week will feature BUCS...
To see more on this story, pick up the February 11, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Minnesota families who have owned their farms for 100 years or more are invited to apply for the 2021 Century Farm Program. Produced by the Minnesota State Fair in conjunction with the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, the Century Farm Program was created to promote agriculture and honor historic family farms in the state. More than 10,500 Minnesota farms have been honored since the program began in 1976.

BEVCOMM receives funds for Rice and Waseca County
While the critical importance of reliable, high-speed broadband access has become even more obvious during the pandemic, there are still unserved and underserved areas of the state. To help close that gap, on Jan. 28, the state...
To read more on this story, pick up the February 4, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Editor Wade Young, Staff Writer Lisa Ingebrand, and Graphic Designer Jennifer Leff, who work for Suel Printing Company, were honored for their work during the 2021 Minnesota Newspaper Association's (MNA) Annual Convention on January 28.
Young, from the Montgomery Messenger, won in the...
To see more on this story, pick up the February 4, 2021 print editions of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger and LifeEnterprise.

Eileen Mediger of Waterville (pictured at right) eagerly rolled up her sleeve so Michelle Steiger, a pharmacy manager for Corner Drug in Le Sueur, could give her the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on January 26 at Traditions of Waterville. Mediger, who serves as her mother’s essential caregiver, was one of 85 individuals vaccinated at the facility on Tuesday. “This was really nice of Traditions. They include two family members as part of a resident’s essential caregivers. Because of this I was eligible for the vaccine, and I’m so very grateful,” Mediger stated.

The Le Sueur/Rice County Drug Task Force released their work within Le Sueur County last week during the Elysian City Council meeting.
Le Sueur County Chief Deputy Nick Greenig presented the work completed by the drug task force and broke...
To see more on this story, pick up the January 28, 2021 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger and LifeEnterprise.

A man faces murder and arson charges after a fire on Sunday morning.
According to Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason, on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021, at approximately 7:15 a.m. the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a structure fire at 37722 Hunting Preserve Lane in Le Center.
Investigation into the incident revealed the deceased body of an adult male believed to be Bruce Alan Traxler, 64, who lived at the address.
Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Hardy Robert Wills-Traxler, 25, of Le Center.

At 12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, some Minnesotans eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to sign up for appointments at one of the state’s nine community vaccination pilot clinics through a new website and call center launched today by the State of Minnesota. The clinics will initially serve adults age 65 and older, as well as prekindergarten through grade 12 educators, staff, and child care workers.
Because this is a limited pilot program, vaccine...
To read more on this story, pick up the January 21, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Bill proposes increased penalties for attempted murder of law enforcement officers
 
A bill to strengthen state criminal penalties against individuals who are convicted of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, judge, prosecutor, or correctional officer was introduced at the state capital on January 14.
Waseca County Attorney Rachel Androli, a former member of the Waterville City Council and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School Board, was among those to speak at a press...
 

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown second grade teacher Mark Meyer greeted his students with a masked smile and pumps of hand sanitizer, Monday morning, January 11. The day marked the young Buccaneers’ first day back in the classroom after weeks of virtual learning and winter break. “It’s great to have them back,” Meyer stated. Many students echoed his sentiment, saying they were happy to be with their friends again, while a couple young boys grumbled about missing being able to sleep in.

New Prague American Legion Post 45 will host a Blood Drive for Memorial Blood Centers from 12-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The Blood Drive will be held inside the Club Room at the American Legion, 300 Lexington Ave. S in New Prague. To sign up, go to www.mbc.org/searchdrives and enter sponsor code 4900 or call 1-888-448-3253 or contact Alicia at 612-283-7150. To save time, people can complete a health history questionnaire online on the day of their donation at mbc.org/donate.

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a variety of free online peer support groups for adults and young adults living with a mental illness, their families, friends, spouses/partners, as well as parents of children and teens. Led by trained peer facilitators, the support groups help individuals and families learn coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences.

Help meet the critical need and you may win Super Bowl tickets
Give blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive January 20 and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl LIV!
The blood drive will be held at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church at 305 Park Avenue NE, Elysian, from noon until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20. To schedule your appointment visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.