The June 3 Lanesboro City Council Meeting was delayed a bit while City Administrator Mitchell Walbridge and Deputy Clerk Darla Taylor worked on Zoom audio technical issues. Councilwoman Kathryn Wade made good use of the down time as she solicited blood donors from the council and attending public for the blood drive on June 11 at city hall. Wade noted there were still … [Read more...]
Owl City Cycles Wheels into Houston
Aptly named, Owl City Cycles opened its doors May 3 in Houston, Minn., the home of the International Owl Center. Derek and Brittany Wallace opened the new bicycle shop at 111 East Cedar Street and proudly proclaim that it is the only bike shop in Houston County! The Wallaces chose Houston for the location of the shop for a couple reasons. They have family in Houston and … [Read more...]
Four Positions Up for Election at R-P
At the May 20 R-P School Board meeting, it was shared that four school board positions will be up for election this fall. These positions are currently held by Ken Sawle, Matt Helgemoe, Amy Woxland and Chris Grindland. Any residents interested in running for the board will need to file between July 30 and 5 p.m. August 13. Laura Hahn was appointed as assistant clerk for the … [Read more...]
Feasibility Report Approved for Houston’s Spruce Street
On May 13, the Houston City Council heard a presentation of the feasibility report on the 2025 Spruce Street utility and street improvements from project manager Derek Olinger of Bolton & Menk. The project will be completed in cooperation with the county since the street is also CSAH 13. Some portions of the street will just need to be resurfaced while the mid-section of … [Read more...]
Houston Signs Six-Year Contract with Morem
At the May 2 regular Houston School Board meeting, the board reviewed and voted on the proposed six-year contract with Superintendent Mary Morem. Josh Norlien and Nickki Johnson voted against the contract, while Mimi Carlson, Arlin Peterson, Richard Erdmann and Mark Swenson voted in favor of the contract. Marissa Grams was absent. The contract was for $150,000 each year … [Read more...]
Lanesboro School Board Discusses Policy 404
Once again, policy 404 which deals with Employment Background Checks was on the agenda at the May 8 meeting of the Lanesboro School District. This was the third reading of the policy which had been tabled at a previous meeting. Superintendent Matt Schultz had done exhaustive research and prepared a rough draft of procedures that could be implemented to follow the legal … [Read more...]
Mental Health in Local Schools
Across the nation, there has been a growing concern in schools about student and staff mental health. Six of our area schools shared how they are approaching the challenge of mental health needs – Chatfield, Lanesboro, Caledonia, Houston, Kingsland and Rushford-Peterson. At Chatfield, state money was used for additional staff to help with mental health issues. The high … [Read more...]
R-P Students to Compete at State
The April 15 meeting of the Rushford-Peterson School Board began with the introduction and congratulations of the students who will compete at the state level in speech and FFA. Kennedy Diepenbrock will be competing three times on April 19 in speech with her drama selection, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” The top three competitors at the section competitions moved on to state. The … [Read more...]
R-P Recycles Nearly a Ton of Plastic Bags
Last May, Rushford-Peterson’s Go Green Club collaborated with the Rushford Lions to establish a plastic bag recycling program with the goal of getting plastic bags out of landfills. Plastics take over 1,000 years to disintegrate. R-P’s Go Green advisor Jacob Kramer had learned of a program called NexTrex sponsored by Trex designed to recycle plastic bags. One of the pillars … [Read more...]
Lanesboro School Policy Regarding Background Checks
Friday, April 5, found many people heading to the Lanesboro School for a special school board meeting to review School Board Policy 404 which deals with employment background checks. Chairwoman Christine Troendle noted that the special meeting was being held because of “recent concerns and discussions from the public.” Superintendent Matt Schultz had researched the topic … [Read more...]