At their April 28 meeting, the Rushford-Peterson School Board unanimously voted to proceed with exploring the possibility of a future building project. The staff has already had input on future needs at the school; now it’s time for the public to share their input. Superintendent Dr. Ben Bernard has already reached out on Facebook asking for people willing and interested to … [Read more...]
Houston Owl Sculpture Set for Repairs
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...]