The Sakatah Cemetery Association is continuing to work on upgrading and improving veteran gravestones which have deteriorated over the years.

Many of these veterans no longer have family members who can attend to repairs of these stones. Stars have been purchased by the Cemetery Board to ensure that every veteran has one on his/ her grave year around and not just for Memorial Day weekend. The veterans’ service was year round, and the Board felt this honor should be maintained year round.

The candidates for Miss Elysian, Junior Miss Elysian, and Princess of the Lakes have been getting ready for their respective competitions which are scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 at 7 p.m. at the Elysian Fire Hall.

For the fifth time, a Junior Miss will be selected. This portion of the pageant is for local girls who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.

Two young women are looking for the title of Miss Elysian 2026. They are Isabella Cage, daughter of Elliott and Lisa Cage and Liviana Lee, daughter of Jacob and Leslie Lee.

Halfway through their league season, the Waterville Indians amateur baseball team remains on top of the 13-60 League with a 5-1 record after a 2-0 shutout of Janesville Sunday, June 21. 

The Indians are tied for first with Minnesota Lake, a team they defeated two weeks ago.

The win Sunday included another impressive pitching performance by Dallas McBroom.

McBroom pitched eight scoreless innings and among the 24 outs he recorded, 17 of them were by strikeouts.

Sam Stier shut the door in the ninth inning, picking up his first save of the season.

Three WEM baseball players were honored last week by Gopher Conference baseball coaches.

Seniors Jacob Androli, Andrew Krenik, and Noah Lanham received post-season awards. Lanham received the Sportsmanship Award. Androli was named to the All-Gopher First Team. Krenik was named to the Honorable Mention All-Gopher Team. Androli was named for the second straight season.

The top 25 players were named to the All-Conference Team. Each team has one player named to the Honorable Mention Team. Each team had one player selected to receive the Sportsmanship Award.

Life is a Gift. That Gift is comprised of a body endowed with an immortal soul made to the image and likeness of God’s Spirit of Love. That Spirit must eventually return to its source. Pat’s spirit has been called to return June 21, 2026. While her spirit has entered a new life, its share of God’s Love remains as a legacy to dwell among her family, friends, colleagues, and all other beneficiaries to use as synergy for their own respective share of God’s Love. 

After a pair of early season losses, the Waterville Indians have started to dominate opponents, improving to 4-1 in the 13-60 League after a 2-1 week.

The Indians won their 4th straight game after a 6-3 win over Minnesota Lake Wednesday, June 10 and a 9-4 win over the Lake Crystal Nine Friday, June 12 in the Waterville Chamber of Commerce game.

Unfortunately the win streak ended Sunday, June 14 at Waseca, with the Braves handing Waterville their first league loss, 9-6.

In the win over Minnesota Lake, Dallas McBroom pitched a gem,

WEM junior Alix Velzke has been named the Most Valuable Player on the 2026 WEM Softball Team.

Those were not the only honors the outstanding player received this spring. She was also named WEM’s Best Offensive Player, was an All-Gopher Conference First team selection, and made the All-Section 1A Team.

Eight-year-old Mariella Masso is already one of the top wrestlers in the nation.

Now she has become one of the top weight lifters after winning a number of titles last weekend in Chicago at the USA Power Lifting (USAPL) Nationals.

As a 6-year-old, Masso was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the girls 6U, 60 pound weight division by the World of Wrestling. She also was named to the 1st Team Girls World All Star Team.

Two years later the daughter of Mark and Shey Masso of Waterville is a record-setting lifter.

A handful of individuals attended the Cannon River Fish Project update during a meeting in May at the Waterville Event Center.

The meeting discussed the scope of the plan dealing with the Gorman Lake Dam and Schmidtke's Dam in Morristown.

There was a timeline set out and discussion was also held on the possible impacts of the project, which is scheduled to be completed sometime during the 2026 calendar year - most likely in the winter months.

Here is some information about the project and updates:

Joan “Jody” Marie Gregor, age 94, of Waterville, died on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Field Crest Care Center in Hayfield.  

Sharon Elizabeth (Schramm) Kelm of Waterville, age 79, passed away at her home on June 13, 2026.

Sharon was born on April 22, 1947, in Northfield, Minnesota, to Rueben Schramm and Emma (Keso) Schramm. She attended Kilkenny Grade School and graduated from Montgomery High School in 1965.

Donald “Don” Lawrence Kelm, age 87, of Waterville, passed away while working in his beloved woodshop on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

    Le Sueur County took a step to pump the brakes on data centers being built in the county. At the Board of Commissioners meeting on May 26, the county unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on data center construction.
    The moratorium covers unincorporated areas of Le Sueur County. Cities within the county can still make their own decisions.
    “If a city wants to have a data center, we don’t have any control over that at all,” Commissioner David Preisler said. “If they want to, they’re not affected by this ordinance. They’ve got their own planning and zoning.”

A number of WEM softball players have moved their way into the local record books following a successful 2026 spring season.

Senior/graduate Robyn Schwichtenberg, junior Alix Velzke, sophomore Brooklyn Novak, and eighth grader Kalyn Novak are now each included in the school records in either individual season or career season statistics.

Outstanding weather, great events, huge crowds highlight weekend festival

Thousands of bullheads (12,000+) were served, the rain and clouds stayed away for most of the weekend, the temperatures were warm but not bad, queens were crowned, the food stands were outstanding, and fun was had by all.

The 2026 Waterville Bullhead Days Celebration held June 5 through June 7, which is in its 61st-year.

One of the highlight events of the weekend was the Friday night crowning of Miss Waterville and Junior Miss Waterville.

The first two wins of the season for the Waterville Indians amateur baseball team were important ones with both being played against 13-60 League opponents.

The Indians celebrated Waterville Bullhead Days Saturday with a 11-5 win over Blue Earth. The following day they traveled to Albert Lea and shutout the newest team in the league by a score of 3-0.

Nolan Grose and Ben Boran each had three hits and a home run. Josh Cook and Dalton Grose added two hits each.