Bernice Orabelle Bjergum was born April 1, 1920, to Theodore and Olga Flatten Johnson at their home near what is now Wold Strawberry Farm, rural Houston County. Bernice was baptized May 30, 1920, by Rev. C.L. Hocking at the United Methodist Church of Mabel and confirmed in the same church in 1932. Bernice worked at the Welch dairy farm near Mabel, Minn., and at Mansfield … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2018
Athlete of the Week – Belle Berg
Native son, Michael Himlie, talks about trauma and beauty in occupied Palestine
Nobody ever said it was easy raising a family, paying bills, or dealing with daily life, especially when it can be capricious and unpredictable. But imagine for a moment sending your children to school knowing they would have to pass through checkpoints, sometimes being body searched, sometimes being detained, sometimes being pushed around by armed guards. Imagine knowing your … [Read more...]
Fillmore County solid waste administrator settling into his new job
“I wanted something more than a straight desk job,” Solid Waste Administrator Drew Hatzenbihler said. “I wanted to be active outside too.” He found what he was looking for in his position of Solid Waste Administrator at the Fillmore County Resource Recovery Center. Hatzenbihler began his new job at the center in the summer of 2017. At that time, the position was merged with … [Read more...]
Creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem
At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we know that growth comes from within. In all of our programming we aim to lift up the communities in our region by providing them with resources and a framework for success, but it is the people within our partner communities who ultimately create the future they want to see. As we seek to increase our involvement in small … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…And then there was one
I have a challenge for you. The goal is to not skip a single name. Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, … [Read more...]
One Moment, Please… We won three awards, but..
I’m proud to share that our team at the Fillmore County Journal won three awards at the 151st annual Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention held at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloominton, Minn., on Thursday, January 25, and Friday, January 26. Historically, our newspaper staff has never found enough time to submit entries for the MNA Better Newspaper Contest, but this … [Read more...]
Government this week
Monday, February 5 • City of Houston Planning Commission, City Hall, 5:30 p.m. • Lanesboro City Council, City Hall, 5:30 p.m. • Preston City Council, City Hall, 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 6 • Fillmore County Commissioners, Courthouse, 9 a.m. • Ostrander City Council, Community Center, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 7 • Mabel City Council, City Hall, 7 p.m. • Fountain City … [Read more...]
GasBuddy Q&A: Why are gas prices high if U.S. oil production is near record high?
With gasoline prices surging, consumers are voicing frustration with gasoline prices, especially as the United States has just eclipsed a milestone, producing 10 million barrels per day of oil, the highest level since 1970 and very close to an all-time record. So what’s going on? GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick DeHaan weighs in: Question: Why are oil prices so … [Read more...]
Local families benefit from Grace Place in Rushford
It all started when Carla Burton felt a burden to help a young single mother with nowhere to go. She knew she had to do something for her and others like her, and so Grace Place was born. It began with a shelter in Winona over 25 years ago. The shelter has since been closed, but Grace Place lives on, providing mentoring, early childhood programs, and help to families across … [Read more...]