After finishing second the last two years, the WEM/JWP girls cross country team claimed the Gopher Conference Girls Championship Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Prairie Ridge Golf Course in Janesville.
Freshman McKenzie Westphal won her second individual championship and all five Grizzly runners placed in the top 15 overall.
The Grizzlies scored 39 team points in winning. Blooming Prairie scored 50, Randolph 62, United South Central/Alden-Conger 100, and Medford 107. Hayfield, NRHEG, and Triton each had runners but did not field a complete team of five runners.

The outstanding pedal pull season for 10-year old Remy Sampson of Waterville has come to a very successful end.
Sampson competed in the National Pedal Pull Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Corn Palace at Mitchell, South Dakota. He placed second in his age group. Last year he placed 15th overall.
In order to advance, pullers need to place 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th at a State Sanctioned Pull and have a State voucher.
Remy had accomplished both of these and he and his parents Will and Alyssa Sampson headed out west for the competition. This was his second National competition.

Give me a B! Give me a U! Give me a C! Give me an S! “What’s that spell?”
If you have ever been to a WEM volleyball game during the past decade-plus, there has been a familiar person who gets the crowd fired up with this chant.
Mitch Tegmeier has been a fan favorite and a very important person within the WEM volleyball program since he graduated from the WEM approximately a decade ago.
Tegmeier, who has Down Syndrome, was recognized Monday, Oct. 21 following the Buccaneer volleyball game against Le Sueur-Henderson.

Betty Lou Hammargren died peacefully at Carondelet Village in St. Paul on October 20, 2024. She was born in Kilkenny, Minnesota, on December 17, 1926. She attended St. Canice Catholic Grade School, Montgomery High School and was a graduate of St. Catherine's University.

Rohn Duane Halvorson, age 70 of Elysian, died on the morning of Monday, October 21, 2024, at Oaklawn Rehabilitation Center in Mankato.

Betty Lou Hammargren died peacefully at Carondelet Village in St. Paul on October 20, 2024. She was born in Kilkenny, Minnesota, on December 17, 1926. She attended St. Canice Catholic Grade School, Montgomery High School and was a graduate of St. Catherine's University.

Leon A. Dahle, age 82, of Morristown, passed peacefully in the early morning hours of October 13, 2024.

Carolyn “Tulla” Bess Stordahl, 79, of Grand Forks, ND, and longtime resident of Grafton, ND, and Elysian, MN, passed away peacefully early Friday morning, October 18, 2024, at Maple View Memory Care in Grand Forks.

Minnesota’s Paid Leave Law was passed by the Minnesota legislature in 2023, and it will go fully into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. A multi-chamber of commerce event, including New Prague, Montgomery and Lonsdale, was held on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Next Chapter Winery in Lanesburg Township to discuss the changes coming forward regarding the new law.
Minnesota Director of Paid Leave Greg Norfleet presented to a capacity group of about 40 registered area business owners, sole proprietors, and employees about what that means for them.

For the third straight game the WEM football offense piled up more than 300 rushing yards.
This week’s opponent, Medford, allowed 332 first half yards and 47 points in a 54-8 win for the Bucs Thursday, Oct. 10.
WEM improved to 6-1 this season, winning their fourth straight game, while gaining a season-high 451 total yards, 424 on the ground.
Gavin Atherton gained 140 yards on nine carries and scored twice.
Talen Taylor gained 77 yards on five carries and completed 3-of-7 passes for 27 yards and a score.

Many times assistant coaches in high school go unnoticed.
They may coach the junior varsity and might have minimal contact with the varsity programs.
In the case of WEM Assistant Volleyball Coach Ken Trnka, he is a very important part of a program which has been among the best in Class A for the better part of the past decade.
The Minnesota State Coaches Association has decided that the recognition of these pivotal assistant coaches should be recognized and an award has been created for these special coaches.

Robert Lawrence Grundhoffer, age 86, of Waterville, died Monday, October 7, 2024, at Mayo Clinic Health System – Mankato.

Donald Joseph Kewatt, age 85, of Kilkenny, died on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at Central Healthcare in Le Center. 
Born on October 12, 1938, in Kilkenny Township, Le Sueur County, he was the son of Theodore and Helen (Boldt) Kewatt. Donald attended Le Center High School, graduating with the class of 1956. On November 30, 1961, he was drafted into the United States Army serving until his honorable discharge on November 29, 1963. In 1972, Donald continued his education at Ag School in Mankato until 1975. 

WEM Homecoming Coronation 2024 will be held Friday, October 4 at the high school gymnasium in Waterville.
This year the majority of the Homecoming activities will be held on Friday. The coronation is scheduled for 9 a.m. with a parade through the downtown streets set for 10 a.m.
Juniors and seniors will battle at 11 a.m. in volleyball and kickball events. Lunch will be held at 12:05 p.m. and a pepfest will follow at 12:35 p.m.

All 11 WEM volleyball players had at least one dig and eight of them had at least one kill in a sweep of United South Central Thursday, Sept. 26 in Waterville.
WEM improved to 4-2 in the Gopher Conference and 12-7 overall with a 25-19, 25-11, and 25-18 win over the Rebels.
The Bucs also had one more match last week. They were edged by Cannon Falls Tuesday, Sept. 24 24-26, 25- 22, 25-21, 19-25, and 15-2 in a nonconference match.
In the win over USC, Ashlyn Pelant and McKenna Schuster each had four ace serves and Liza Baker added two.

One of the passengers was partially ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the other car had facial lacerations. Both drivers were incapacitated until emergency services could extract them.
As the scene unfolded, the student body of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM) and Tri-City United (TCU) High Schools watched. The mock crash was held at the Le Sueur County Fairgrounds on Thursday morning.