This is the report for the Montgomery Fire Department (MFD) from the month of August 2026. A total of five calls were responded to in the month and a total of 61 calls through the end of August. Training in August was on water rescue and confined space rescues with Safety and Security Consultations Specialists (SADCS).
    Below are the list of the calls MFD responded to in August 2026.

    Boasting words are in the buttons for new artists for Kolacky Days Button Design Contest winners, as seen with new and first-time entrant designers the last few years.
    Button design entries for next year’s Kolacky Days festival are being accepted now through Oct. 23. Persons of any age and ability level are welcomed to submit their design.
    This year’s designs must include the words “Kolacky Days,” “93rd Annual,” July 23—25, 2027,” and “Montgomery, MN” (or Minn. or Minnesota), and optionally can include “Kolacky Capital of the World.” 

    A 911 call on Friday, Sept. 2, at MGM Apartments in Lonsdale, 321 Southeast 1st Avenue,  is a suspected suicide. 
    Lonsdale Police Chief Jason Schmitz said that a call came in at 12:09 p.m. for a welfare check by the person’s employer after they had not showed up to work the last three days.

    Montgomery Police Department were dispatched to Seneca Foods Corporation at 11:26 p.m. for a motor vehicle crash of a supposed intoxicated driver that may have struck the business’ building, according to a statement of probable cause.
    According to the statement, the officer saw a white pickup truck with an enclosed trailer driving on the railroad tracks behind the main Seneca building on the West side. It was noted that the vehicle was lunging forward and reverse trying to free it from the tracks.

    This year’s Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day celebration in Kilkenny brought in nice weather with abundant sunshine with pleasant temperatures. One of the largest marching bands in the area, perhaps the state, also made an appearance during Saturday’s 35-unit parade at the request of Andrew McGuinness, mayor of the Kilkenny Municipal District in Ireland, the Lakeville South High School Marching Cougars.

Shirley Ann (Lamont) Krenik, age 89, of Elysian, passed away peacefully at her home on September 4, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.

Monday, Aug. 31

•     Traffic stop (TS) and issued a warning for failure to maintain lane.
•     Assisted (Asst.) with a medical at Traditions.
•     TS and arrested an individual for cannabis open package, obstruct legal process, driving after revocation and no insurance.
•     Asst. with a medical on Deer Trail.

Tuesday, Sept. 1

    Meghan Bastyr has had multiple jobs over her time here on Earth, including being a mom, a heavy equipment operator, farmer, and more. She went to college to be a nurse, but that isn’t what she went straight into out of college.
    After graduating nursing school in 2008, she worked with her father Rick Renslow, who was also a late-1980’s World Wrestling Federation pro wrestler, in a landscaping business building boulder walls on lake shorelines. That ended when her father passed away in 2008.

    At first, it appeared as if Le Sueur County would need to set a considerable increase in levy rates going into next year. However, after months of work sessions, the county board of commissioners is now in good position to approve one of its lowest annual increases.
    The county had anticipated a large increase in property taxes because of changes to how the human services department is funded. The Federal government shifted the financial burden of funding the department to the state, as the state shifted much of the burden to the county level.

    Many around the area noticed the out-of-place Ferris wheel on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Next Chapter Winery between New Prague and Montgomery, especially after the lights came on at night.
    The Ferris wheel was rented by husband Jeff Nelson of the late Shonna Nelson, who passed away on Sept. 3, 2025 after a battle with cancer. It was part of “Shonna’s Yahrzeit.” A Yahrzeit, sometimes spelled jahrzeit, is a Yiddish word meaning “year time” and is a Jewish tradition that celebrates the anniversary of a loved one’s death, specifically a parent or near relative.

To the editor,

I’m supporting Marisa Ulmen for Minnesota State Senate District 22 because she understands what it takes to build and sustain a strong rural community.

Marisa knows rural Minnesota because she has lived it. She is a fifth-generation farmer from Madelia, and she understands both the challenges and opportunities facing our farm families and rural communities.

Her campaign is focused on four priorities: affordable, accessible healthcare; support for rural families and communities; a strong future for our farm families; and stronger rural towns.

The incident
    Steven Goettl, 41, of Le Center, was driving his motorcycle on his way home from work at Le Sueur, Inc. on Thursday, Aug. 27, at about 4:45 p.m. when he drove over some rocks or gravel on a curve where 356th Street turns south and changes into 305th Avenue, which is a paved road approximately two miles southeast of Le Sueur, Minn.
    Goettl lost control of the motorcycle, passed over the opposing side of the road, took out a road sign and landed next to his motorcycle in the ditch. 

John Titus, of Lonsdale, MN, died peacefully at the University of Minnesota Hospital on August 17, 2026, after a brief illness due to a sepsis infection related to his Crohn’s disease. He was surrounded by the love of his family and of his best friend Matt. The world has lost a truly one of a kind human.

William J. Pan, aka Buckshot, Mr. B, Bill, age 79, formerly of Montgomery, currently of Cold Spring, TX, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2026.  Bill was born to Annabelle (Bauer) Pan and Harry Pan of Montgomery on September 23, 1946. From here is where Bill’s story began! At a very young age, Bill would play guitar in his grandmother’s yard and sing songs; some of these songs he would make up. This may have been the start of his music career!

Titans start boys soccer season 3-0

    The Tri-City United boys soccer team started its 2026 season by allowing only two goals while posting three straight wins.
    The defending Section Champions defeated Mankato West, 1-0, Wings United (St. James/Windom/Madelia), 10-1, and Worthington, 2-1, in a rematch of the Big South Conference Championship.
    Junior Angel Ruiz Gomez scored the lone goal in the shutout of Mankato West August 29, in the 22nd minute.

    It was a clean sweep for the Tri-City United girls tennis team Tuesday, Sept. 1.
    The Titans improved to 3-3 overall with straight set wins in all seven matches. They only allowed one Eagle player to score more than three points in a set.
    At No. 1 singles junior Ellie Adams was a 7-5, 6-2 winner. Junior Reagan Steffen was a 6-2, 6-0 winner at No. 2 singles. Junior Destynee Wolff was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at No. 3 singles. At No. 4 singles, junior Lexie Berger was a 6-3, 6-0 winner.