Harriet L. Harstad, 91, of Harmony, Minn., passed away peacefully on Tuesday October 16, 2018, at her residence at Clara House. Harriet was born in Wykoff, Minn., on August 20, 1927, to Ed and Edna Eickhoff. She graduated from Wykoff High School in 1945. On December 28, 1952, she married James T. Harstad at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Wykoff. Harriet farmed with her husband … [Read more...]
Janet E. Bautch
Janet E. Bautch, 72, of Winona, died Friday, October 5, 2018, at Mayo Health System - St. Marys Campus. Janet was born July 18, 1946, to Martin and Alpha (Haugen) Peterson in southeast Minnesota. She grew up in Lanesboro and attended Lanesboro High School. After high school, she graduated from Winona Secretarial School and worked at various bookkeeping and factory positions … [Read more...]
Carmen Bellingham
Doris Carmen Bellingham, age 87, of Preston, died October 13, 2018, at the Gundersen Harmony Care Center, Harmony, Minn. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at St Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Granger, Minn., with Pastor Mary Waudby officiating. A private burial will be at Bristol Center Cemetery, Bristol, Minn. Arrangements are with … [Read more...]
Donald Victor Ward
“Lanesboro Town Historian” Donald Victor Ward, longtime Lanesboro resident and the unofficial “town historian” passed away October 13, 2018, at his senior living home in Onalaska, Wis. He was 99 years old. He was the son of Merlin and Aleda (Blagsvedt) Ward, also longtime Lanesboro residents. Donald lived in Lanesboro on and off for 70 years. He was born in Amherst … [Read more...]
Clair Allen Gartner
Clair Allen Gartner passed away October 14, 2018, at the Chosen Valley Care Center in Chatfield. Clair was born April 30, 1930, to Joseph and Ethel (Purvis) Gartner in rural Chatfield. In 1944 the family moved to rural Preston. He graduated from Preston High School in 1948. He married Marian Danielson February 17, 1952 in Cocoa, Fla. In January 1949 he enlisted in the … [Read more...]
Garaine Widgrube
Garaine Widgrube of Preston, Minn., passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Monday afternoon, October 1, 2018, at the Meadows on Fairview Assisted Living in Wyoming, Minn. Garaine (Gary) was born on April 17, 1928, to Andrew (Andy) and Erma (Petersson) Chilson. She was a member of Christ Lutheran Church of Preston, a florist by trade and helped with the family … [Read more...]
John J. Bakke
John J. Bakke, 87, of Preston, Minn., died Friday, October 12, 2018, at Traditions of Preston, surrounded by love from family and Traditions and Heartland Hospice staff. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home Preston, is assisting the family. John Jensen Bakke was born on June 23, 1931, at Los Angeles, Calif., son of Jens A. and Mary E. … [Read more...]
County supports “Small Town and Regional Vitality Investment Act”
At their October 9 meeting, the county board passed a resolution in support of the Small Town and Regional Vitality Investment Act of 2018. Support for this act will be left on the desk for Minnesota’s next First District Congressman. EDA director Marty Walsh explained this bill (H.R. 6383) is intended to redirect block grant money. Federal block grant money would go … [Read more...]
School discipline in Minnesota: Are students victimized by state government?
A recent commentary of mine evaluated the effectiveness of certain policies, among which was race based school discipline. An article by authors Katherine Kersten and Catrin Thorman in the fall issue of Thinking Minnesota documents the issue. Anyone who cares about our children and their education should be horrified by the egregious conduct of the Minnesota Department of … [Read more...]
Men are from Mars – Women are from Venus
The relationship between men and women has been a source of exploration and controversy since the advent of Adam and Eve. As a young woman I found myself destined to be part of the action. One evening I was with friends at the Ocean Grill in Vero Beach, Fla., when a young man approached our table. “There is someone who would like to meet you. Within minutes I found myself … [Read more...]










