Due to the ongoing surge of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, Mayo Clinic Health System has temporarily suspended operations at the Belle Plaine clinic and will be temporarily suspending operations at the Mankato-Northridge, Le Sueur, Janesville and Waterville clinics as of Monday, Dec. 7.
The suspensions are necessary to reallocate staffing resources to other critical care needs in response to the COVID-19 surge. The closures are expected to last six weeks. COVID-19 testing is still taking place at the Belle Plaine Clinic.

On December 3, 2020, at 12:20 p.m., Scott County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch received a report of a body that had been located floating in the Minnesota River near Huber Park at 150 Fillmore Street North in Shakopee.
Sheriff deputies, with the assistance of personnel from the Shakopee Fire Department and Shakopee Police Department were able to recover the body.

The Elko New Market city council approved a motion at its Thursday, Nov. 19, meeting, authorizing its staff to negotiate the acquisition of property in the Woodcrest development.
City Administrator Tom Terry explained that the area under discussion is Woodcrest Lane, which is the only access to a subdivision of the Woodcrest development.

Though there have been no major or fatal accidents at the intersection that connects Highway 19, 3rd Street West and CSAH 4, the council would like to see it change in light of a project on CSAH 4 that Rice County will be completing in 2022. “That’s the worst intersection,” Lonsdale council member Steve Cherney said.

Those who shopped locally on Saturday, November 28 found numerous Small Business Saturday deals and complimentary goodies at various stores in downtown New Prague. Multiple business owners, who were unsure whether people would venture out to shop during the on-going pandemic, reported an uptick in customers and were excited to see their stores once again filled with customers.

Update
Traffic on Main St. was redirected as emergency crews dealt with an accident involing a vehicle, heading east on Main St. and a female pedestrian on Monday, Nov. 30th at approximately 11:15am.
 The female pedestrian was transported to the hospital by North Memorial Ambulance. The investigation into the accident has been turned over to the Minnesota State Patrol as Main Street is also State Highways 13/19.

New Prague KC Hall - 411 4th Ave. SW, New Prague
Mon. November 30. 2020
12:30 - 5:30 pm
New Market Town Hall - 8950 230th St. E, Lakeville
9am - 2 pm
Wed. December 2, 2020
Jordan Fire Station - 501 N. Varner St, Jordan
Thurs. December 3
1 - 5 pm
To sign up for an appointment for either locations go to:
https://www.primarybio.com/r/scottcounty

A man from Belle Plaine died in a boating accident on Saturday in Le Sueur County.
According to Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason, deputies responded to a call at 9:45 a.m. on November 28, 2020, at the Clear Lake public access in Lexington Township for a report of a capsized duck hunting boat.
Upon arrival deputies located Nicholas Jeffrey Brooks, 29, of Belle Plaine sitting on top of the overturned duck boat.
Jeffrey Ernest Brooks, 55, of Belle Plaine, was found floating in the water several yards from the overturned boat.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New Prague continued its tradition of providing Thanksgiving meals for families and individuals on Sunday, Nov. 22, but there were some changes. Due to the pandemic the church had people drive through the church’s parking lot where volunteers put the ready to make free meals in vehicles’ trunks.
“We wanted to do something this year since we couldn’t do the usual,” said Donna Galvin, Hospitality Coordinator at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

Santa chats with Teagan, center, and her brother Reed, at Cedar Brook Garden Center on Saturday, Nov. 21. The business north of New Prague had Santa visit with children on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22. Santa asked children what they wanted for Christmas, if they had been good and how Mrs. Claus was back at the North Pole making sure the elves would have the presents ready. Children kept their distance and several wore masks during their visit, which were spaced out. There were also...
To see more on this story pick up the November 26, 2020 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Effective Monday, November 30th, 2020, the Rice County Courthouse is closed due to recent surge of new cases of COVID-19 and increasing concerns for public health. 
Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea issued an Order Governing the Continuing Operations of the Minnesota Judicial Branch on November 20, 2020.  This order suspends all in-person court hearings until further notice.  Therefore, the courthouse will be closed to the public until in-person hearings resume. 

Wednesday, November 25, 2020, from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the New Market Town Hall, 8950 230th St. E. Lakevillle, MN 55024
See flyer attached to make an appointment.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen announced that Connie Lou Herbst (62) and Austin James Herbst (26), both of New Prague, were arrested in regards of the death of 63-year-old Gary Albert Herbst of Elko New Market. Gary Herbst, who was the husband and father respectively of the two, was reported as a missing person to the Elko New Market Police Department in 2014.  His remains were later found in Maple Grove Township in Barron County, WI in late 2017.