Pastor Mark Woodward still has the Mercedes Benz that his father, Mark T. Woodward, principal of Robbinsdale Junior High, bought new in 1961. Mark T. saved and saved to buy that brand new Mercedes Benz. He had grown up as a farm boy and respected good machinery. He felt the car was well designed mechanically, and liked the quality of the well-built, well-engineered car. Mark … [Read more...]
Houston to Apply for LRIP Grant for Westgate Drive
Matt Mohs of Bolton & Menk visited the Houston City Council’s regular October 14 meeting to update the council on various projects in the city. First on his update was the Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) funding opportunity. The funding cycle opened on September 16 with applications due on December 12. Construction would need to be completed during the years 2026, … [Read more...]
Holly Wieser, a Woman With Many Hats
Holly Wieser is an energetic, caring woman who wears many hats in her various occupations. At Wieser Septic, Holly runs the office, answers the phone, does the payroll and scheduling, pulls permits, helps with sewer design and is a licensed sewer installer. Wieser Septic was begun in 1963 by Leonard Wieser; in 2006, his son Jake (Holly’s husband) took over the business and … [Read more...]
Houston’s Two New Teachers
Houston Schools welcomed two new teachers to their staff this year: Angela Engebretson, speech and language pathologist, and Duane Ledin, music teacher and choir director. Angela Engebretson is the new speech and language pathologist for Houston Schools and will be working with students ranging in age from 5 to 21. Engebretson received her Bachelor’s in … [Read more...]
Lanesboro to Host Small Schools Conference
At the Lanesboro School Board meeting on October 8, the board heard details of the Small School Conference to be held at Lanesboro on October 15. Superintendent Matt Schultz shared that Jenny Severson will be the keynote speaker. Severson will focus on research based strategies and improving student engagement. There will be nine different breakout sessions during the day … [Read more...]
Driftless Dreamers, A Unique 4-H Club
The 4-H Club Driftless Dreamers is unique in that it was created for homeschool families. While other clubs form based on interests, activities or location to a certain school district, this club was established to tie 4-H into the existing homeschool peer groups. Driftless Dreamers held its first meeting in June 2023. The families of the homeschool groups already cooperated … [Read more...]
Wholestone Farms Providing Pork Raised by Your Neighbors
Wholestone Farms was founded in 2018 when CEO Luke Minion met with farmers who shared a vision to produce pork and be competitive with the commercial large pork producers. Wholestone is privately owned by 235 farm families across the Midwest. In Fillmore County, there are four farm families/owners: Smith Farms owned by Greg, Deb and Randy Smith of Rushford, Johnson’s Rolling … [Read more...]
Amazing Grace’s Accident Recovery
On Labor Day weekend 2024, Fillmore Central graduate Grace Kennedy had closed up her hair salon and headed out with her family for a ride along the Mississippi. Her family was riding motorcycles; Grace was following them in a slingshot. At an intersection, Grace’s life took a sudden turn. A man was southbound and about to make a left turn. A drunk person slammed into that man … [Read more...]
Rushford Hears Change Proposal for Building Permitting
A great share of the September 22 Rushford City Council meeting was used for a presentation by Tom Wiener and Tanner Young of Construction Management Services (CMS) on proposed changes to the city’s building permit process. CMS is shifting away from hourly and mileage based fees to a lump sum percentage fee for building inspections. Building permits will have a scalable … [Read more...]
Looney Valley Lutheran Church Celebrates 150 Years
On Sunday, September 28, Looney Valley Lutheran Church will join together to celebrate a century and a half of its existence. Using a theme of “Yesterday we remember, today we celebrate, tomorrow we await,” the church will host a coffee hour at 9:15 a.m. followed by a special church service at 10 a.m., a noon meal of meatballs and turkey and a program at 1:30 p.m. Three of … [Read more...]