On June 13, 2026, Katie Ruen’s celebration of life was held in an old barn that had been built in 1910 by local farmers near Lanesboro. Why was this barn chosen for such a purpose? What did that barn mean to Katie and her family? Katie and Ed Ruen had bought the family homestead over 40 years ago. It became a private retreat for family get-togethers. They treasured it and … [Read more...]
Rushford-Peterson Board Approves Budgets
At their regular meeting June 15, the Rushford-Peterson School approved their revised 2025-2026 budget as well as their proposed 2026-2027 budget. Business Manager Toni Oian walked the board through the budgets, presenting them side-by-side for easy comparison. Total expenditure for debt services in 2026-2027 was projected at $2.6 million, down from $2.7 million in … [Read more...]
CRV Tables Fee Schedule Ordinance
The City of Rushford Village held a public hearing regarding a proposed fee schedule ordinance prior to their regular June 16 meeting in order to get public input on the ordinance. While the council spent the time discussing the ordinance, there were no citizens present to speak. City Clerk Mary Miner reminded the council that they needed to find a way so there will be no … [Read more...]
Stork Award for Rushford Ambulance Crew
The Rushford Ambulance crew had a surprise guest at their regular meeting June 15. Alex Catevenis, the executive director of Southeastern Minnesota Emergency Medical Services, came to their meeting for a special reason. Catevenis was there to acknowledge some of the crew for their participation in the delivery of a baby! Back on January 10, 2023, a call came in for a “woman in … [Read more...]
Rushford Depot Renovations Allow For Reopening
A Grand Reopening of the Rushford Depot occurred June 9. The reopening was a long time coming. After receiving a Legacy Amendment Grant totalling $254,953 to stabilize the foundation of the depot and improve the visitors’ center and the roof, work began on the depot in the fall of 2024. Soon it was discovered that the sill beams of the depot were rotting in place; they had … [Read more...]
Houston Garbage Pickup Day Changed
At the request of the council, Jay Nieson of Waste Management visited the Houston City Council’s regular meeting on June 8 to discuss changing garbage pickup day from Tuesday to Friday. Waste Management proposed the change to provide better service. Currently service for Houston is from the La Crosse office which has a staffing shortage. With the change in pickup days, Houston … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Operating Referendum Possible
At their regular June 10 board meeting, the Lanesboro School Board heard a presentation about referendums from Aaron Bushberger, a representative of Ehlers Public Finance Advisors. A discussion about placing an operating referendum on the next general election followed under the leadership of vice chair Mark Holmen. Both Steve Snyder and Sarah Peterson were absent. In his … [Read more...]
Kleppe Forest Products Now Open in Preston
The former Root River Sawmill is once again up and running in Preston under the ownership of Jenny and Jason Kleppe. Originally Jason had gotten a call asking if he was interested in purchasing some equipment; he already owned other sawmills in the area. From there it snowballed until the Kleppes were purchasing the entire mill, set up and ready to go – totally turnkey. The … [Read more...]
Houston Hires New Superintendent
The Houston School Board approved a contract with new Superintendent Angi McAndrews at their June 4 meeting. McAndrews comes with experience in school administration. For the last eight years she has worked at Rochester Schools. For six years she was a principal; the last two years she served as a director at the district level. McAndrews lives in Houston County with her … [Read more...]
Harmony Stateline Trail Officially Open
On June 6 at 10:20 a.m., six wagons full of 76 people started off from the splash pad in Harmony to Niagara Cave. The wagons took the new, recently completed Stateline Bike Trail from Harmony which also forks off to the Iowa border. Twenty workers helped with the ride as flaggers at road crossings, drivers, photographers, and lunch servers. For people who had traveled the Root … [Read more...]