Ruth Evelyn (Chapel) Boyum, 87, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2020 at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. Ruth was born to Lloyd Sr. and Lula (Ray) Vix on April 25, 1933 in Hokah, Minn. She grew up and lived the majority of her life in the Houston area where she graduated from Houston High School. She had four children with her first husband Richard Chapel. She … [Read more...]
Harriet Miller
Harriet O. Miller, 83, of Houston, Minn., passed away peacefully with family by her side on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at her home. Harriet was born on August 26, 1937, in Winona to Odin and Selina (Hundorf) Johnsgaard. She married John Seekamp and together had five children. They later divorced. Harriet lived and worked on the buffalo farm until 1972, then moved to the house … [Read more...]
Welcoming Houston’s new teachers
By Wanda Hanson Gary Shields comes to Houston High School with 20 years of teaching experience, including teaching physics at Winona State University. Shields, a resident of Winona, Minn., has a wife, Melissa, and two sons who are in tenth and seventh grade. His family enjoys Caribbean cruises in the winter and camping road trips in the summer. They particularly enjoy national … [Read more...]
Houston moves forward on community center financing
By Wanda Hanson The Houston City Council focused on the financing of the community center renovations at their October 13 meeting. Mike Bubany of David Drown Associates, Inc. walked the council through the process. After a public hearing on the bonding at which no one spoke or asked any questions, Bubany explained that the city needed to identify enough parcels that the … [Read more...]
Audrey Joanne Hegland
Audrey Joanne Hegland left us for her eternal home Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wis., after a brief illness. She was born August 6, 1942, to John and Ardell (Lemke) Hegland, in La Crosse. She spent her childhood on the family farm in rural Houston, Minn. Audrey was a graduate of Houston High School and Winona Secretarial School. … [Read more...]
Houston Elementary awarded National Blue Ribbon School Award
By Wanda Hanson On October 1, 2020, The Houston School Board heard from a humble principal Rick Bartz that Houston Elementary had been notified that it had been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. Only eight schools were selected for the award in Minnesota. The award is for “exemplary work in closing achievement gaps.” Normally the award would include a trip to … [Read more...]
Soccer (9/28 & 10/01)
(B) Cotter/Hope 1, Cal/SG/Hou 4 (Austin Meyer scored two goals and assisted with a free kick on a Dominick Konkel goal, which put the Warriors up 3-1 with 9:36 to play. Sam Flatin assisted both Meyer goals, the first midway through the first half and the final score with only two minutes remaining. Just two minutes after Meyer scored the ice-breaker, Lyle Myhre made it 2-0, a … [Read more...]
Eight Minnesota schools receive National Blue Ribbon School Honors
September 24, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today recognized eight Minnesota schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. “Congratulations to this year’s National Blue Ribbon School awardees,” said Secretary DeVos. “It’s a … [Read more...]
Larry N. Eaton
Larry N. Eaton, age 79, of Sumter, S.C., and previously Houston, Minn., passed away September 18, 2020. He was born June 8, 1941, to Henry and June Eaton, the oldest of seven children. He was a 1959 graduate of Houston High School. He married Carolyn Hargrove on March 8, 1964. They had four children and later divorced. Larry worked for his dad in the plastering/stuccoing … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Many walked from Winona into Iowa through Spring Grove and Houston
First of a two-part series Hundreds of years before paved roadways, there was an extraordinary prehistoric trail near present-day Spring Grove and Houston. Before statehood, Spring Grove Township named one early road Indian Trail Road, which is now part of Houston County Highway 8 where it meets Highway 44. “While most Indian trails were only narrow footpaths through the … [Read more...]