Nikki Olson of rural Bratsberg just launched her new business, Three Little Birds Travel Agency, on November 14, 2025. The name, Three Little Birds Travel Agency, came from her three children. Nikki felt that the fact that birds fly and travel tied in well with her company. She also enjoyed the song “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley, feeling the song’s lines “don’t worry about … [Read more...]
Houston Legion Serving the Community Since 1920
The American Legion Post 423 was organized in 1920, almost 106 years ago. Since that time the Legion has given so much to the community of Houston. In 1987 legal gambling began at the Legion; originally physical pull tabs were sold. In recent years, the addition of e-tabs greatly increased the gambling income at the Legion. Proceeds from the gambling that are shared with … [Read more...]
Lucky in Love The VanMinsel Wedding
Jon (Lucky) and Mary Jo VanMinsel got married July 26, 2025, one of the hottest days of the whole year, but they still declared the day perfect! This was the second wedding for both Lucky and Mary Jo; they wanted a venue where they could relax and enjoy the day. When they checked out Bluff Country Retreat in rural Whalan, they knew they had found it, a beautiful setting for … [Read more...]
Uniquely Personal Wedding: Rustic Western Meets Norwegian
Jaclyn Tweeten-Eberth and Ryan Eberth planned a wedding that totally suited them. Jaclyn grew up in Spring Grove, a community with a strong Norwegian influence; Ryan grew up in Baseohr, Kans., near Kansas City. The couple had met on an online dating site; they shared an interest in cattle and had both shown cattle growing up. Soon they were going to cattle shows … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Arts Hosts High School Exhibition
On a dark, snowy evening in January, Lanesboro Arts presented a sparkly contrast to the night. The well-lit gallery was humming with people of all ages strolling around to check out a wide variety of art created by high school students from area schools. January 10 was the opening reception for the annual high school art exhibition. Art work from over 40 high school … [Read more...]
City of Houston Project Updates
Matt Mohs of Bolton & Menk attended the January 12 Houston City Council meeting to update the council on upcoming projects in the city. Mohs informed the council that an “awesome application” had been submitted for LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) grant. A total of 233 applications were submitted for a total requested funding of $277,393,000. The total available … [Read more...]
Students Honored as Hurricane Heroes
At the January 8 Houston School Board meeting, four high school students were recognized as Hurricane Heroes. Seniors Grayden Beckman and Avery Evenson are the AAA nominees; in order to qualify for the honor, the students needed to have a 3.0 or higher grade point average and be involved in both athletics and fine arts. AAA which stands for Academics, Arts and Athletics is an … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Public Input on Semester Tests
Once again, the Lanesboro School Board heard concerns from the citizens about semester tests at the school at their regular board meeting January 14. Ollie Lepper addressed the board to share her opinion about the school’s semester test policy. Lepper commented that she felt the policy goes against the idea of staying home when you are sick. She gave the personal example of … [Read more...]
Houston Seeks Disaster Funding
At the August 11 regular meeting of the Houston City Council, the council authorized City Administrator Michelle Quinn to work with representatives from the state and county to seek state disaster public assistance for the tree damage that occurred in the July 29 storm. Quinn expects the damage to easily exceed the $4,000 minimum. Not only did Houston have significant tree … [Read more...]
Houston Will Apply for Design Team Grant
Marilyn Frauenkron Bayer addressed the Houston City Council at their regular meeting September 8 to request their support of a grant application for a visit by the Minnesota Design Team once again. Houston has benefited from such visits twice before. In October 1995, Houston hosted a design team for the first time. In April 2006, Houston was one of the first communities in the … [Read more...]