Local authors Mason and Nicole Howard have been busy writing books the past year featuring the interactions of two friends aptly named Sweet Strawberry and Salty Peanut. Sweet Strawberry is a sweet character while Salty Peanut is a grouchy, salty character. The mother and son duo came up with the idea of writing a book last winter, wrote it in the spring and self-published it … [Read more...]
New Public Works Director for Houston
At their regular city council meeting December 8, the Houston City Council appointed Josh Hongerholt to replace Randy Thesing as the Public Works City Maintenance Superintendent. Thesing served in the position for nearly 24 years and will be retiring January 2, 2026. Hongerholt will receive 5% over the next wage band within the department. After a six month probationary … [Read more...]
Truth in Taxation, Audit & Teachers’ Contract at Lanesboro
At the Lanesboro School Board meeting December 10, the board listened to the Truth in Taxation presentation by Superintendent Matt Schultz, the 2024-2025 audit presented by Kali Lentz of Smith Schafer and details of the negotiated teachers’ agreement from Steve Storhoff. By the end of the meeting, the board had a good understanding of Lanesboro School’s current finances. No … [Read more...]
Full House at the Houston School Board Meeting
The December 4 Houston School Board meeting brought an audience that filled the room; more chairs had to be brought in even. Usually such a full house means that perhaps a public concern has arisen. With a Truth-in-Taxation meeting to be held the same night, one might think there were a lot of disgruntled taxpayers, but neither scenario was the case. Sixteen members of The … [Read more...]
Cara McCoy, Harmony’s New Library Director
Cara McCoy took over as the Harmony Public Library’s director in September; on November 24, the library held a meet and greet for their new librarian. Cara, who has been a librarian for six or seven years, grew up in Waukon and attended Iowa State, earning a degree in history. After graduation, Cara worked at a Living History Farm and at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in … [Read more...]
Former Farmers Win Coop Site Redevelopment Meeting
On December 3, over 40 city of Rushford citizens came to the R-P Forum Room to hear an update on the progress thus far on redeveloping the former Farmers Win Coop site in downtown Rushford and share their opinions about its future development. Kristin Prososki from TAB (Technical Assistance to Brownfields) led the meeting and began by reviewing what has happened so far. The … [Read more...]
Seed & Stone at Thirty9Main
There’s a new unique store gracing Main Street in Harmony. Seed & Stone opened for business in August 2025 in the history-filled limestone building located at Thirty9Main. While the store is new, the actual building was built in 1907. The building first was home to the First National Bank. At that time, Harmony had a total of three banks. The Great Depression hit the … [Read more...]
Rushford- Peterson Voters Will Decide Building Question
At the November 17 Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting, the board approved in a 5 to 1 vote to call for a vote on the proposed building referendum. The decision followed a lengthy discussion by the board with each member explaining their thinking before voting. Chris Grindland shared his research on future enrollment and population projections in Fillmore County. “Based … [Read more...]
Peterson to Apply for Rural Capacity Program
Mayor Chris Stenzel began the November 12 Peterson City Council meeting by commending the community for once again rising to the occasion when a fire recently took place at a city residence. He thanked the Rushford Fire Department for their quick response and actions to save the structure and nearby homes. Stenzel also thanked the public works team, Jeff Rein and Chris … [Read more...]
Life Saving Award for Houston Ambulance
There was a happy, full house for the November Houston City Council meeting on November 10 as the Houston Ambulance was recognized for their lifesaving efforts on September 29. Little Lilah Christiansen had suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest at her home. According to Chad Kuhlman who works for the Southeast Minnesota EMS, such cardiac arrests are one of the leading … [Read more...]