Preston woman shares memories of growing up on the railroad
Not many people remember a time when trains ran through Preston, but for life-long Preston resident Ila Mae Olstad, those memories are near and dear to her heart. “My dad worked on the railroad. He was section foreman here in Preston,” Ila Mae explained. Her parents, Art and Melda Noel, moved to Preston around 1921 and she was born 10 years later. Ila Mae’s father had a year-round job working for the Dubuque Line of […]
The dancing Scarlet
It is springtime in Bluff County and the birds are starting to return, including the bright red Scarlet Tanager from their winter home in South America. Southeast Minnesota is also home to Scarlet Nelson, a petite 1½-year-old girl with wavey auburn colored hair. She is overjoyed that the birds are returning as she loves to watch them fly around outside the family’s home as if they are putting on a private dance recital just for […]
Urbaniak era ending at Mabel-Canton
Later this spring, the Mabel-Canton baseball team’s season will come to an end. And with it, the career of Karl Urbaniak will end, after decades of coaching student-athletes and teaching in the classroom. When asked to reflect on his career, Karl shared details on the twisting path that eventually led him to Mabel-Canton. He recalled, “I graduated from high school in 1970. I’m from northwestern Minnesota, about 20-some miles from Canada, and about 14 miles […]
New Caledonia police officer, Storm Davis
The Caledonia City Council met in regular session Monday, April 11, from 6-8:09 p.m. at city hall. Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder led the council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members in attendance included Robert “Bob” Klug, Amanda Ninneman, Mayor Schroeder, David Fitzpatrick, and Brad Rykhus. Members approved the minutes from the March 28 regular city council meeting and three other items on the consent agenda – payment of $242,691.98 to Wapasha Construction […]
Hatlevig Valley, shared home and hearts
Jessica Hatlevig Bell and Elisa Hatlevig have just opened up their Airbnb near Peterson. “We needed to open our house and our hearts to others,” Elissa commented. They have decided to share their family treasure with the public to honor their parents, Ronald and Jacqueline Hatlevig. The home is built on the family farm, which was originally established in 1894 by Ron’s grandfather. Ron himself was raised in a house on the property at a […]
