The annual Waterville Bowler of the Year Tournament was held Friday, March 21 at Hoot Lanes in Waterville.
Any bowler who rolled a 220 game or a 600 series during the season had the opportunity to compete in this tournament.
Gio Lozane captured the title by defeating Joey Schnoor in the final game, winning 201 to 184.

Up and coming local youth wrestlers continue to excel.
Nearly 20 Grizzly youth wrestlers have advanced to the NYWA State Tournament, which will be held March 27 through March 30 at Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.
The Grizzly Junior High team will compete in the State Tourney after winning one of three matches at the Regional Tournament last weekend in Worthington.
They lost to St. Peter (32-16), defeated Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (33-16), and lost to Springfield (36-15).

Candidates for the WEM Superintendent position were selected by the WEM Board of Education during their Monday, March 24 regular meeting.
Five candidates were selected from a total of 11 applicants. 12 individuals initially applied, with one rescinding their application. Two others started applications but did not complete them. Two others called with interest but did not submit an application.

For way more than a decade, the Elysian Area Community Foundation (EACF) has been working to provide grants to support programs and projects that improve the quality of life and build stronger communities in the greater Elysian area.
EACF is dedicated to serving the Elysian area by providing opportunities, addressing community needs, and working toward a progressive future.

Curtis (Curt) Martin Carlson, 83, passed away peacefully at Colony Court (Foxdale) Memory Care in Waseca, MN, on March 16, 2025.  

Diane Marie Chambers, age 66, of Rochester, passed away on Friday, March 14, 2025, surrounded by her special caregivers, Cris and Dee, while at Mayo Clinic’s St. Marys Hospital in Rochester. 
Diane was born on April 8, 1958, in Mankato to Richard and MaryAnn (Miller) Chambers. She graduated from Waterville High School with the class of 1977. She held numerous jobs with long tenures, including McDonalds, Pace Dairy, Kwik Trip and most recently served as a caregiver for Visiting Angels and Elderly Network. 

Myrna Ann (Daby) Winkelman, age 92, of St. Clair, died Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Oaklawn Rehabilitation Center in Mankato. 

Everett Allen Brown, age 68, of Faribault, died on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Emeralds in Faribault.

David Kent Hruska, age 87, of Waterville, passed away surrounded by family on the morning of Monday, March 17, 2025, at Whispering Creek in Janesville.
Born on August 31, 1937, in Faribault, Minnesota, David was the son of James and Ada (Stacke) Hruska. At the age of two, he was raised by his father and Dorothy (Gartemaker) Hruska. David graduated from Waterville High School with the class of 1955 and continued his education at Mankato Technical School, earning his degree in 1957.

Kathleen H. Grose, age 73, of Bigfork, MN, passed away Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Grand Village Nursing Home, Grand Rapids, MN, surrounded by family.

The best season in the history of WEM/JWP Grizzly wrestling came to an end Saturday, Feb. 15 with a Section 2A Runner-Up finish.
The Grizzlies finished their dual meet season with a 17-8 record after advancing to the Section finals. They were defeated by Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, 40-25, in their first-ever Section Championship since the two schools combined in 2008-2009.

Hundreds fo people braved the cold weather Sunday, Feb. 16 and took part in the Silver Lakers 37th Annual Ice Fishing Contest.
This annual event included many different raffles, merchandise prizes, and of course fishing.
Tim Mohrbacher of Shakopee won the top prize of $150 in the fishing contest for his 6.3 pound northern he caught.
There was a second place tie between Mohrbacher and Tanner Ernsting of Cleveland, who each caught .25 pound pumpkinseed and crappie, respectively.

Jaden Lang of Morristown has been dancing as long as she can remember…16 years to be exact.
Now she has become a National Champion after competing last month with the Championship Minnesota State University, Mankato Pom Team in Florida.
The Nationals were held January 17 through 19 in Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of LifeEnterprise Sports Complex.
The Mavericks were among more than 20 teams competing in the Open Division of the Division 2 and Division 3 schools.

Less than a month ago, the JWP boys basketball team handed the WEM squad an 81-55 loss.
Fast forward to Friday, Feb. 14 and the Buccaneers nearly knocked off the Gopher Conference West Division Champions, losing 50- 46.
WEM held the high-scoring Bulldogs to a season low in points, with their previous low of 59 earlier in the season. JWP has scored more than 70 points in half of their games.
The Bucs offense was led by Talen Taylor, who scored 17 points. He also had nine deflections, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.

Thomas “T.J.” Joseph Robb, age 78, of Waterville, died peacefully on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at the Foxdale Senior Living Community in Waseca.
A private burial service will take place at a later date in the Cambria Cemetery in rural Cambria, Minnesota.
T.J. is survived by his wife, Janice Robb of Waterville; his two sisters; and many nieces, nephew, cousins, and friends.
He was preceded by his parents, Earl and Ardella (Mathews) Robb; his son, Thomas Lundquist; and his brothers, Ronald and Myron “Waffle” Robb.

Irene J. Lamont, age 95, of Waseca, died on Saturday, February 8, 2025.
She is survived by her two daughters and their husbands.
A private graveside service will be held at Sakatah Cemetery in Waterville at a later date.