New Prague High School’s wrestlers Lawson Eller, at 121 pounds, and Brady Westall, at 172 pounds, are still competing for state titles in Class AAA at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul today (Saturday). The two made it through to the semifinals on Friday, March 1. Also competing Saturday is Destiney Lofton in the girls division at 118 pounds. For updates check out The New Prague Times website, plus for a complete story see an upcoming story in the March 7 print edition of The Times.
The New Prague Fire Department dealt with a fire along Main Street that was more smoke. In a preliminary report around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, firefighters responded to a report of a fire at an apartment at 112 Main Street E.
Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) selects elementary (grades K-5), middle (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9–12) teachers to participate in the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher program.
Founded in 1899, the VFW supports the education of America’s youth. The VFW identifies and recognizes teachers who instill a sense of national pride in students, promote civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in their classrooms.
After years of calling for improvements, plans for a new post office in New Prague were announced Thursday, Feb. 15.
According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the new facility would either be relocated to an existing building in New Prague or the postal service will purchase land for a new facility.
In a small village in South Sudan, a plaque on a well is evidence of a New Prague girl’s willingness to help people she’s never met with the most basic of life’s necessities. Closer to home, Alaina Bishop has helped people with another of life’s most elementary needs.
John Mueller
news@newpraguetimes.com
A former school board member from another community and a previous candidate for the New Prague School Board who came up short in 2022 and two others are seeking the appointment to an open school board seat share a common belief and commitment to students and their education.
New Prague High School’s Peter Arita, left, was crowned Snoball king and Destiney Lofton was crowned queen during a Friday, Feb. 2, pep fest in the high school gym. The coronation was a highlight for the annual celebration at the high school. A dance will be held Saturday evening, Feb. 3, in the high school gym. For more see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)
Nicole Thietje, New Prague High School’s choral director, was recently named the Minnesota Music Educators Association’s High School Music Educator of the Year. Thietje will receive the award during the opening day, Thursday, Feb. 15, of the Minnesota Music Educators Association’s convention. She was also chosen by the Minnesota Music Educators Association to conduct the SopranoAlto Choir for this year's all-state program.
Judge hears testimony on plan; PUC will decide route this spring
Great River Energy’s proposed reroute of an electric power line has residents along Baseline Avenue and Highway 19 angry and frustrated the company selected a route they claim will negatively impact their homes and businesses.
New Prague High School’s one-act play troupe won the subsection championship for the fifth straight year Saturday, Jan. 27, during competition in the high school’s auditorium. New Prague won with the comedy “Middle School Dating Game” by Jennifer McVetty.
Director Allie Meyer said New Prague moves on to compete at the Section 2AA finals at Minnetonka Saturday, Feb. 3. If the New Prague troupe wins Feb. 3, it advances to the state competition Thursday and Friday, Feb. 8 and 9, at O’Shoughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
Shelby (Giesen) Hartman was disappointed when she heard Mayo Health System New Prague had decided to stop providing labor and delivery services for the community. To her, it’s sad the community hospital will no longer be a place where local moms and dads can go to deliver their newborns.
A two-vehicle crash called into Le Sueur County Sheriff’s dispatch at 5:59 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at the intersection of Le Sueur County Roads 3 and 28 ends in minor injuries.
According to the incident report from the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office, a white 2014 Chevy Silverado traveling westbound on County 28, driven by 20-year-old Addison Hartshorn of New Prague, was struck on the passenger side by a red 2017 Ford Escape, driven by 20-year-old Maxim Lee of New Prague.
With the ticking on the end of a lease the United States Postal Service holds on the New Prague Post Office, city leaders are concerned there has seemingly been no progress to address the future of an aging facility with a history of problems in a community interested in growth.
New Prague High School announced its candidates for Snoball king and queen recently.
King candidates are (from left, back row) Michael Beckius, Jordan Schmitz, Eric Berg, Landen Kratochvil, Troy Davis, Peter Arita, Jonny Connelly; (front row) Britta Lillquist, Averi Wagner, Anika Hatlevig, Tatum Zimmerman, Destiney Lofton, Anna Millard, Nellie Dalsin and Kaelyn Borwege. Missing is king candidate Joseph Friendshuh.
Dan Michel, better known as Mitch Paradise on the pro wrestling circle, has had a life-long passion for pro wrestling, and he’s spent the better part of more than 25 years doing it himself.
“Back when we only had just four or five channels, on Sunday mornings after church, we would watch wrestling. We were glued to the TV when Jerry Blackwell and The High Flyers would come on, and then Hulk Hogan came around,” Michel said.
The New Prague Fire Department says it received a call for a pole shed on fire at approximately 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Upon arrival on scene at 29394 201st Ave., approximately one mile south of Union Hill, the department said the shed was fully engulfed.