More than seven years ago, a group of veterans gathered together at the Preston Servicemen’s Club in Preston to consider the possibility of a veterans home being built in Preston. At that time just one home was being considered in Minnesota. Last spring, veterans Don Gildner, Ron Scheevel, Don Brockway and Cliff Sackett met once again to share the work they did to make the new … [Read more...]
Houston School – Organized and Audited
The Houston School Board began their regular January 4 meeting with their organizational meeting to start off the new year. Little changed - Rushford State Bank was named the official depository; the district legal counsel also remained the same. Wire transfer authorization was given to Superintendent Mary Morem and Director of Finance Gwen Rostad. Once again Mimi Carlson was … [Read more...]
Houston Considers Stop Signs Request
At their regular January 8 council meeting, the Houston City Council discussed a citizen request to add stop signs at the intersections of Chase and Spruce and Chase and Maple. Jeri Virock, who has lived on Chase Street for 17 years, said she personally has witnessed two accidents at the intersections. According to Virock, some drivers “blow right through,” paying little … [Read more...]
Holidays With the Hidden Heroes
Thursday, December 21, many people in southeast Minnesota were wondering exactly what was going on as caravans of emergency vehicles with lights blazing went through the small towns of Hokah, Brownsville, La Crescent, Dakota, Nodine, Wilson, Money Creek, Rushford, Newburg, Mabel, Spring Grove, Eitzen, Caledonia, and Houston. In La Crescent, 18 or 19 vehicles came around the … [Read more...]
R-P’s Truth in Taxation Hearing
The yearly Truth in Taxation hearing was held at the beginning of the regular Rushford-Peterson board meeting December 18. Using the MREA template, Business Manager Toni Oian presented the proposed taxes that will be collected in 2023-2024 and used to finance the school for the 2024-2025 school year. The state continues to lag behind inflation in its funding. Funding will … [Read more...]
Trout City Brewing Reopens Under New Ownership
Operating a brewery is a brand new challenge for new owners Christa and Aaron Magnuson. The Magnusons took over Trout City Brewing in Preston, Minn., on September 18 and reopened it November 4. When the couple purchased the business, the former owners had already closed the brewery and were packing up to leave Preston. Christa left her old job in insurance behind and took … [Read more...]
Lanesboro School Sets Levy
At the Truth in Taxation hearing during the December 13 Lanesboro School Board meeting, Superintendent Matt Schultz presented tax and budget information to the public. This year the total proposed property taxes went up 2.59% to $1,101,792. The year before had seen a total of $1,074,012 which had been down 91%. Schultz pointed out that seasonal recreational property such as a … [Read more...]
Old R-P School on the Market Again
Entrepreneurs have not missed their chance – the old Rushford-Peterson School is once again available to purchase for $225,000. When the new R-P School was built in 2017, the old building consisting of the original 1906 building as well as additions completed in 1936, 1958 and 1968 was offered for sale in 2019. At that time three entities ultimately submitted bids for the old … [Read more...]
Truth in Taxation at Houston Schools
On December 7, the Houston School Board held their mandatory Truth in Taxation meeting as well as their regular board meeting. Director of Finance Gwen Rostad presented a slideshow of information before opening the floor for questions. Rostad pointed out that there are no voter approved levies in place at this time for Houston. This is unusual—most schools have levies in the … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Welcomes Walbridge as New Administrator
Mitchell Walbridge, new city administrator of Lanesboro, Minn., is a familiar face in the city. Walbridge attended Lanesboro High School, graduating in 2012. While in college, Walbridge worked as the assistant editor at the Fillmore County Journal. His focus in college was social science with an emphasis in political science. Although he received his teaching certification, he … [Read more...]