Charlotte F. Braniff, 83, of Houston, Minn., died Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at Northcrest Care Center in Waterloo, Iowa. Charlotte Florence Happel was born on December 17, 1938, in La Crosse, Wis., to Wesley and Stella (Evans) Happel. Charlotte was raised on South Ridge in rural Houston, Minn., on the family farm. She graduated from Houston High School and from Winona State … [Read more...]
Wayne K. Bestor
Wayne K. Bestor, 90, of Houston, Minn., died on Friday, October 14, 2022, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis. Wayne Kay Bestor was born on Sunday, December 13, 1931, in Bristol Township of Fillmore County, Minn. He was raised on the family farm near Granger, Minn. He was a 1950 graduate of Harmony High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean … [Read more...]
Opportunities for Houston Schools
Amy Guenther, a 20-year educator working with Access Point, attended the Houston School Board meeting October 6 to present a student opportunity. Access Point helps connect high school students beginning their senior year with jobs that will begin at $50,000 to $60,000 a year. Working with community colleges, Access Point trains students for jobs that have already been set … [Read more...]
A night of bids and purchases at Houston City Council
The Houston City Council approved participation in a program to purchase a John Deere skid steer with broom and a zero-turn commercial lawn mower for $41,735.93 at their October 11 meeting. This program is similar to the program in force for the city maintenance truck. After the initial purchase, the skid steer will be traded in for a replacement each year; if the program is … [Read more...]
New teachers at Houston
This year, Houston Public Schools welcomed six new teachers to their staff. Here is a little introduction to each of them. Lisa Skifton Lisa is the new special education teacher at Houston High School. Lisa grew up in South St. Paul, Minn. She has a plethora of teaching experience including teaching elementary special education in Winona (1995) and at Houston … [Read more...]
Houston County Township Officers Association holds 61st annual meeting
The Houston County Township Officers Association held its 61st annual meeting and fellowship dinner on Wednesday, September 14, at the Four Seasons Community Center, Caledonia. Over 70 township officers and their guests from the 17 townships, all five Houston County Department Heads, Houston County Commissioners, State Representative Greg Davids, State Senator Jeremy Miller, … [Read more...]
Museum proposed for Houston’s old community center
Shelly Jerviss appeared before the Houston City Council at the September 12 meeting to ask permission to explore the possibility of creating a museum in the old community center. Representing Jim Skree and herself, Jerviss explained the museum would be a non-profit run on grants and donations. It would collect the history of the city, accept items for display, and only hold … [Read more...]
Edwin C. Boldt
Edwin C. Boldt, 81, of Houston, Minn., died on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis. Edwin was born on December 19, 1940, in La Crosse, Wis. His parents were Raymond and Jean (Arnett) Boldt. Edwin was united in marriage with Nancy Laschenski on September 10, 1966. He served in the U.S. National Guard. Edwin worked for Allis Chalmers, … [Read more...]
Thomas A. Knutson
Thomas A. Knutson, 73, of Houston, Minn., died on August 30, 2022, at his home, surrounded by family. Tom was born on June 29, 1949, in Caledonia, Minn., to Ted and Adele (Johnson) Knutson. Tom married the love of his life, Melanie Fitting on May 2, 2004. Tom worked in the auto body business for 40 years. He owned and operated Tom’s Body Shop for 20 years. Tom was on the … [Read more...]
Doreen A. Auger
Doreen A. Auger, 76, of Houston, Minn., died on Monday, August 29, 2022, at her home with her family at her side. Doreen Anne Svendsen was born on April 5, 1946, in St. Paul, Minn., to Wallace and Marian (Gappa) Svendsen. She was raised in St. Paul and was a graduate of Archbishop Murray High School in St. Paul. She attended the University of Minnesota for three years. On … [Read more...]