At the regular Houston City Council meeting April 14, the council learned that the owl sculpture currently on display in the city park in Houston, Minn., is in need of repair. The chainsaw sculpture was originally completed on a tree stump in the park. Time has been the enemy of the sculpture; the bottom of the sculpture has been compromised by weather and aging. Karla … [Read more...]
Show and Shine Coming to Preston
Get ready to enjoy Show and Shine at Preston Trout Days Car Show on Saturday, May 17! Trout Days festivities have featured a car show for 35 years according to the current show organizers, Justin Jones and Craig Bond. Originally, the show was an actual judged car show when it first began; now it is a Show and Shine. How is a Show and Shine different from a judged show? There … [Read more...]
New IT Company for Houston Schools
At their April 3 meeting, the Houston School Board signed a new contract for IT services with CMConsultants, LLC. According to Superintendent Mary Morem, the school will save about $12,000 “right off the top” and there will be more savings on devices through the company. The annual agreement will cost $102,000 and can be reviewed and evaluated by the board after the first … [Read more...]
Daycare Concerns From Lanesboro Resident
Lexi Burt, a Lanesboro alum and mother of two children enrolled in the Lanesboro School daycare, addressed the Lanesboro School Board at their regular meeting April 9 with her concerns about the school’s daycare program. Her concerns included the fact that both the director and assistant director had submitted their resignations; she asked about the support from the … [Read more...]
CRV Amends Two Ordinances
On a blustery April Fool’s evening, the city of Rushford Village held two public hearings as well as their regular council meeting. The hearings were required in order to amend Collection Ordinance #2 and Mowing Ordinance #7. Ordinance #2 now includes the service of mowing private property consistent with Mowing Ordinance #7. References to Minnesota Statute 436.15 to … [Read more...]
Random Acts of Kindness at R-P
At the regular Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting on March 17, Kelly Smith, R-P school social worker, and Lindsey Olson, elementary counselor, shared the curriculum they are using with the elementary students this year. Random Acts of Kindness is MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) program. Tier one includes all of the students schoolwide. Tier two is more targeted; … [Read more...]
Houston Receives a “Clean” Audit
Andrew Forliti of CPA firm Smith Schafer appeared before the Houston City Council at their March 10 regular meeting to present an audit recap of the financials for Houston for 2024. Smith Schafer issued a “clean” opinion on the December 31, 2024, financial statements which means the financials are free from “material misstatement.” Forliti met previously with city employees … [Read more...]
R-P Valley Chamber of Commerce Meeting Full of Updates
President Jerad Brown called the annual meeting of the Rushford-Peterson Chamber of Commerce to order on March 6 at the American Legion. After reviewing the minutes of the previous annual meeting, Brown updated the members on the financial status of the Chamber. Distributing a detailed spreadsheet, Brown declared the chamber “very healthy” with “solid balances.” An anonymous … [Read more...]
Houston Robotics Presents at School Board Meeting
The Houston Robotics program came from a humble beginning in 2014 with a storage space in a closet in the shop classroom. At the Houston School Board meeting March 6, Coach Bob Carlson and students William Carlson and John Lee demonstrated their most recent robot to the board. The robotics team had just recently returned from a three-day regional tournament held in Duluth. … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Board Hears HVED Update
Deb Marcotte, executive director of HVED, attended the Lanesboro School Board regular meeting March 12 to update the board on the progress on the remodel of the former Winona Mall into a centralized location for HVED services. HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District) provides special education services to area schools. Marcotte informed the board that she is putting a … [Read more...]
Chuck’s Feed & Grain – Same Name; New Owners
Chuck’s Feed & Grain has new owners — Terry Barth and Eric Nierstheimer. The duo have been doing extensive work at the former mill located at 427 Mill Street in Peterson since purchasing the business from Mike Eidenschink in March 2023. The milling equipment has been removed, the back of the building has been cleared out and is ready to be remodeled this spring and summer … [Read more...]
Hooked on Fly Fishing!
Josh Norlien has fished since he was a kid, but he “really got hooked on fly fishing” quite recently. Now he wants to share his passion with his friends and neighbors; the Norlien family will be opening their new shop, Money Creek Outfitters, in Houston with a grand opening March 15 – the same day as Owl City Cycles will be opening for the spring season. Norlien wants to make … [Read more...]
E-bikes Soar in Popularity
In late summer and fall last year it quickly became obvious that e-bikes were becoming more and more popular. Rushford saw swarms of e-bikes parked on the city streets; riders were strolling the streets and enjoying meals in the local restaurants. While the Root River Trail often sees an increase of bikers during the peak fall season, this was different – lots of the bikes were … [Read more...]
Police Body Worn Cameras Hearing Set for Rushford
The Rushford City Council set March 24 at 6:30 p.m. as the hearing date on the intent to purchase body worn cameras for the Rushford Police Department. According to Minnesota Statute, the police must allow public comment before purchasing such equipment. Copies of the proposed policy are available on the city website or at city hall. Written comments must be received by … [Read more...]
R-P Looks to Future Needs
At the Rushford-Peterson School Board regular meeting on February 26, the board approved a proposal to allow ATSR to come into the school to see what people see as future needs for the school. ATSR Planners/Architects/Engineers is a company that does 98% of its work with schools. It has worked with R-P since 2011 and designed the current school. The board approved Phase 1 … [Read more...]