Steven Lee Roemhildt, age 54 of Mankato died on Sunday, March 14, 2021 in Le Sueur County.
Born on January 23, 1967 in Mankato, Minnesota, he was the son of Aaron and Dorothy (Wendt) Roemhildt. Steven graduated from Waterville-Elysian High School in 1985. He was employed with Gear & Broach in Waterville and later Kato Engineering in Mankato. He was currently employed with Winegars Inc. in Waseca. He loved playing darts, hunting and fishing, and gardening. Steven was a member of the Silver Lakers Sportsmans Club.

They don’t work silently.
There’s lots of chatter and laughter.
But, their hands remain busy—tying quilts, stuffing pillows, and sewing “comfort kits.”
Each kit includes a soft quilt, a small pillow, and a stuffed animal and will be given to members of law enforcement who will give the kits to kids experiencing a time of crisis.
Since fall, the ladies have made around...
To see more on this story, pick up the March 11, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Locally restored WWII high-speed artillery tractor rolls on
A piece of military history extensively restored by a local family has a new home on the east coast.
Janesville residents Murray Carlson and his son, Brad Carlson, spent a decade working on a M4 High Speed Tractor, a unique World War II military vehicle built by Allis-Chalmers in...
To see more on this story, pick up the March 11, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

The WEM boys basketball team evened its Gopher Conference record Monday, March 8 after downing Blooming Prairie, 63-40.
The Bucs have won three straight conference games and are now...
To see more on this story, pick up the March 11, 2021 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.

Daylight saving time has returned, prompting many to celebrate with an eye toward warmer temps and the change of seasons. As if on cue, this is a great time as well to celebrate newspapers and the sunshine they deliver to all of our lives and communities.
Reminding citizens and public officials about the public’s right of access to government information is the focus of “Sunshine Week: It’s Your Right to Know,” March 14-20. At its foundation, Sunshine Week underscores preserving the free flow of information for an open, effective and accountable government.

A free Community Easter Egg Hunt will be held at The Village in Waterville on Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m. Donations to the local food shelf will be collected.
There will be a few games for kids, and the Easter Bunny will be attending!
Anyone who has small animals—chicks, bunnies, goat kids, sheep, puppies, kittens, etc.—is welcome to bring them to the event.
This event will be held rain or shine.
Contact Betty Deno at 507-362-8807 for more information.

ROGER WILLIAM KEWATT, age 93, of Waterville, formerly of Kilkenny died peacefully on Friday evening, March 5, 2021 at Traditions in Waterville.

Bucs run win streak to four straight
The WEM girls basketball team won its fourth straight game last week, defeating Maple River 71-39 Friday, Feb. 26.
This was one of two Gopher Conference wins for the Bucs. They also picked up a 66-24 win over United South Central Tuesday, Feb. 23.
The Bucs are 8-1 in the conference and 10-2 overall. The upcoming week features three of the biggest games of the season, which winds down the second week in March.

The Le Sueur County Historical Society has remained busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The society recently finished repairs of the old Cleveland Methodist Church, which currently houses many of the society’s artifacts.
In late fall, the large, overgrown lilac hedge on the building’s west side was removed to give better visibility to the building’s exterior in an attempt to deter people from breaking in. According to LCHS, several breaches have occurred at the church in recent years, but none of the artifacts appear to have been taken or damaged.

For 38 years, the WE Share Food Shelf in Elysian has provided food to those in need in the Waterville and Elysian area.
While the year-long COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the need for food assistance, the local food shelf’s numbers have remained steady.
“The need has definitely gone up, but we are serving about the same number of families—between 40 and 50—we did at this time last year,” stated food shelf coordinator Pat Nusbaum.
This conundrum is explained by a change of clients.

An Elysian man has been charged with a felony after he fled a police officer in a motor vehicle.
Bryan William Fries, 37, of Elysian faces a felony charge in Le Sueur County Court for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. Four misdemeanor charges, all tied to the same incident, have also been filed against Fries for having violated a domestic abuse no-contact order, domestic assault, possession of more than 1.4 grams of marijuana in a vehicle, and having an open bottle of alcohol in a vehicle. The charges were filed February 16.

The record-setting high school basketball career of WEM senior Brielle Bartelt will be coming to an end in April.
The Class A State Tournament is scheduled for the second weekend in April.
Bartelt would love to have her team advance, as they did last year, only to have the tourney end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the Bucs do advance, this wouldn’t be the final high school game for Bartelt, who has signed to play at Iowa Lakes Community College in the fall.

A modest two game winning streak came to an end Friday, Feb. 19 for the WEM boys basketball team.
Hayfield knocked off the Bucs for the second time this season, downing WEM 76- 53 in Hayfield.
The Bucs had their best shooting night of the season, but turnovers and steals proved to be their demise.
WEM shot 54 percent from the field and 61 percent (17-of-28) from inside the three-point arc.
Hayfield, the second place team in the Gopher Conference, forced 21 WEM turnovers and had 13 steals. WEM forced only 10 turnovers and had five steals.

The WEM/JWP wrestling team was without a number of wrestlers Thursday, Feb. 18 due to Covid protocol.
The Grizzlies dropped a pair of duals, including a Gopher Conference matchup with Westfield.
In the opening dual, the Grizzlies were defeated by the Razorbacks, 63-12.
In the second dual, St. Clair/Mankato Loyola edged WEM/JWP, 39-27.
Westfield recorded seven pins, received three forfeits, and won one match by a decision.

The 2021 FFA/Snow Week Royalty were crowned Friday, Feb. 19 in Waterville. The Queen was Lindsay Condon and the King was Kolin Rients. Princesses were Paige Atherton, Jessica Hilpipre, and Lindy Caldwell. Princes were Kyle Schmitz, Gavin Krantz, and Ahmad Alladin.
Feb. 22 through 26 WEM students will feature a ton of activities and dress up days.

A respected Czech Country supper club has become the latest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, announcing its permanent closure on Thursday.
The Lakeside Supper Club, located on Lake Pepin on Highway 13/21 between Montgomery and New Prague, has been closed since the initial COVID-19 "stay at home" order in March last year, and will not be re-opening.
In a Facebook post to its patrons, owner George Kukacka and Catering Manager, Jayne Hirdler, made the decision with “heavy hearts and profound sadness” not to re-open.