Daisy and Ryan Ruberg purchased The Sawmill Inn located at 809 East Cedar Street in Houston, Minn., on June 25, 2024. They had been looking for a more flexible work option for Daisy after their son Rushton was born in February. Daisy had previously worked as a tax consultant in the corporate office of Ashley Furniture. The motel, which was originally built in 2005 by John and … [Read more...]
Businesses Collaborate at Houston Chamber Annual Meeting
At the January 20 Houston Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, the warm collaboration of the chamber members presented a sharp contrast to the frigid weather. Approximately 12 members braved the cold to conduct their annual meeting at JT’s Corner Bar and Grill. President Rod Torgerson called the business meeting to order. After the 2024’s annual meeting minutes were … [Read more...]
Successful Year for Harmony Businesses
A theme emerged as the Harmony Chamber of Commerce met for their annual meeting on January 21 and shared how 2024 went for each. Some businesses shared 30 second videos about their year; following that individuals spoke about their past year. Aaron Bishop of Niagara Cave reported a 30% increase in business since last year. Rich Bishop of Amish Tours agreed, commenting that … [Read more...]
New Board Chairman for Houston School
After seating new board members Steve Walters and Lisa Schultz, the Houston School Board quickly took care of the organizational part of their January 9, 2025, meeting. In a twist from most years, there were actually two nominations for board chair, Josh Norlien and Mimi Carlson. After a vote, Norlien was chosen as chairman and Carlson was then voted in as vice chair. Mark … [Read more...]
Houston Ambulance Requests New Monitors/Defibrillators
Anna Frauenkron, representing the ambulance, appeared before the Houston City Council meeting January 13 to ask to purchase two combination monitors/defibrillators for the city’s ambulance service. Anna had researched the purchase and found that the best fit for Houston Ambulance would be two LIFEPAK 35s at a total cost of $100,000. Frauenkron explained that the ambulance … [Read more...]
New Chair for Lanesboro School Board
Steve Snyder took on the position of Lanesboro School Board chairman at their January 8 organizational meeting. New school board member Lucas Bergo as well as returning members Sarah Peterson and Mark Holmen were seated to begin the meeting. The following positions were filled with no discussion and unanimous votes: Steve Snyder, chairman; Mark Holmen, vice-chair; Sarah … [Read more...]
R-P Sets 2024 Payable 2025 Levy
After the state mandated Truth in Taxation meeting held at the regular December 16 school board meeting, the R-P School Board certified a levy of $2,632,416; this is an 11.63% increase from the previous year. Toni Oian, Rushford-Peterson’s business manager, presented an informational spreadsheet regarding the district’s finances during the TNT meeting. Oian pointed out that … [Read more...]
New Signage Considered for Houston School
Timothy VanEijl, of Graphic House National Sign Firm, visited the Houston School Board meeting December 5 to share possible designs to replace the current wall sign at the school. VanEijl told the board that the 48-year-old, woman-owned company approaches design from the budget in order to create a customized sign within the budget. The company manufactures, installs and … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Schools Focus on Finances
The December 11 Lanesboro School Board brought both its Truth in Taxation meeting and the presentation of the 2023-2024 audit by Kali Lentz of Smith Schafer. Superintendent Matt Schultz began the TNT meeting with a required informational slideshow about how taxes are calculated based on a state formula and the assessed value of properties. Last year, Lanesboro School had total … [Read more...]
Houston Finds a Police Officer Trainee
Police Chief Brett Hurley brought an applicant’s name for the newly established police officer trainee position in Houston to the city council’s December 9 meeting. He recommended the hiring of Curtis Chapel for the position, commenting that Chapel was local and had already served as an intern in the police department in Houston. Chapel was approved pending the usual … [Read more...]