Minnesota legislators passed a new school bus safety law by a 133-0 vote in the house and 67-0 in the senate in March to close some safety loopholes. It was the first bill of this legislative session to pass. 
    Stopping for school busses allowed for some gray area in the wording that drivers shall stop when busses are “… displaying extended stop signal arm and flashing red lights.” This left the door open for people faced with a fine to argue that the arm was not extended or not fully yet when they passed.

    Tri-City United High School’s speech team had a good showing at the Section 1A speech finals in Byron last Friday. Four of the six section finalists will be moving onto the state speech tournament on April 25 at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park.

    A doubleheader sweep of Worthington Saturday, April 11 helped the Tri-City United (TCU) softball team finish the opening week of the season with a 3-2 record.
    The Titans defeated Worthington 13-3 in six innings and 25-5 in five innings. They also opened the season with an 11-1, six inning win over Blooming Prairie March 30.
    In between the wins, the Titans were defeated by St. Peter, 11-8, April 7 and 8-1 by Belle Plaine April 9.

    Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), which serves much of our readership area, held its annual meeting at Jordan High School on Tuesday, April 7, where over 200 members gathered.
    A total of 20 $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors were given out or a total of $30,000. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have a parent or legal guardian who are MVEC members, be enrolled to attend an accredited post-secondary institution as a full-time student, and have at minimum GPA of 2.0. 

    The Tri-City United (TCU) baseball team showcased its strong potential and grit this week, moving to 4-2 on the season with back-to-back victories over Waseca and Sibley East. Behind a masterful one-hit shutout and a power surge that included a key home run, the Titans' depth was on full display as the pitching staff kept opposing bats at bay while the offense may have found its stride.

    Thespians depicting roles of various fairytales were thrown into the pit this past weekend in Tri-City United High School’s spring play, “Dragon’s Lair.”
    Four “Dragons,” representative of  the Sharks on the popular television show “Shark Tank,” decided the fate of various fairytale characters and their ideas and products related to make them money. Those who didn’t make the cut were thrown into a pit with the Dragon.

    Montgomery American Legion Post #79 and its Auxiliary celebrated the Legion’s annual birthday party at the American Bar & Grill (formerly American Legion) on Saturday, March 28. 

    Adalyn Budin, 9, was chosen to continue her reign as the Montgomery American Legion Auxiliary Unit #79 Poppy Princess at the unit’s meeting Wednesday, April 8. She is the daughter of Mike and Angie Budin of Montgomery.
    Poppy Princesses are American Legion Auxiliary junior members between the ages of 6-12 who have a relative that is a current member or was a former member. Adalyn Budin was made eligible to be a junior member through her late grandfather Donald Budin.

Ronald “Chubby” Prchal, 75, of Brownsburg, Indiana, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. Born on October 2, 1950, in Faribault, Minnesota, to Stanley and Lucille (Heberle) Prchal, Chubby lived a life defined by grit, humor, and an unwavering devotion to the people he loved.

    Tri-City United High School was again host to the Section 2A North Visual Arts Festival. Schools within the subsection presented about 120 pieces of art in total, up from about 90 last year, according to TCU High School Art Teacher Tony Barnack.
    The Titan students, 15 in total, displayed the maximum allowed per school of 18 pieces, which included drawings, paintings, sculptures, crafts, digital photography, and ceramics.

Virginia I. Hickey, 84 of Springfield, IL, passed away at 9:44 a.m., Saturday, March 14, 2026, at The Arch of Sangamon Valley. She was born July 22, 1941, in Madison, WI, the daughter of the late Gordon and Jean Neff. She married John F. Hickey on January 28, 1961, and he survives.

Fr. George Jerome Grafsky, age 81, of Montgomery, Minnesota, died on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Cura Healthcare Center in Le Sueur.

Fr. George was born on March 10, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the only child of George and Rosemary (Hayne) Grafsky. He was raised in West St. Paul, where his Catholic faith took root at a young age and would remain the guiding foundation for his entire life. From childhood through his final days, his devotion to God and service to others shaped everything he did.

    The Lonsdale Ambassadors held their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Jaycee Park in Lonsdale this past Saturday. Snow showers, sometimes mixed with sleet and graupel, happened throughout the event. 
    Despite the less-than-ideal weather, about 250 people showed up. A soggy softball infield kept people avoiding that area as much as possible while egg hunting, and most wore hats, gloves and mittens in the cold weather. 

    Montgomery Community Foundation (MCF) transitioned the care of the third annual event, Montgomery State of the Community, to the care of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce (MCC) while still providing funding support. 
    Along with the change in oversight came a change of day and format. MCC Executive Director Caitlin Huiras moved the event to a weekday at lunchtime and included lunch this year as a part of the deal in attempts to attract more of the community than what the previous two years brought on a Saturday morning.

    TCU Schools held their first of four open houses on Wednesday, April 1, at TCU Montgomery PreK-8 School regarding the upcoming special election on May 12 for a $39.99 million bond. 

Montgomery Streets
    Most of the streets in the area between the railroad tracks and Le Sueur County 3/5th Street, and north of Le Sueur County 56/Oak Avenue and south of Boulevard Avenue will receive partial surface milling and a full overlay of pavement this summer.