Gordon Prochaska, age 71, passed away at his residence in Florence, Arizona, on Saturday, January 7, from complications of contracting COVID-19.
Off-duty Montgomery Police Chief Nathan Hintz, Sergeant Pete Bulger, and Officer Mike Longbehn escorted Officer Gordon Prochaska’s body home to Montgomery from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Jan. 17.

Laurie Ann Goettl, age 56, of New Prague, died peacefully in her sleep with her husband at her side on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at her home.  Laurie was born on April 8, 1966 in Minneapolis to Gordon Wells “Gordie” and Gerd Synove (Ekeberg) Olson.  She graduated from Jefferson High School and then her natural adventurous spirit took her to San Diego State University to complete her degree in Graphic Art Design.  After college, she returned to her roots in Minnesota, was playing on a softball team one day, when a teammate’s boyfriend brought a handsome friend along with him to the game.  Fa

Gregory Dias, age 62, of New Prague, Minnesota, passed away Monday, January 16, 2023, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota. Memorial Service will be Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 1:00 P.M. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winthrop.

Richard "Dick" Bradshaw, former Le Sueur County Surveyor Richard (Dick) Bradshaw died Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Praha Village in New Prague, MN. Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 4 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. with Memorial Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11 a.m., all held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Le Center.

Heather Ann Kolarik, age 45 of St. Cloud, passed away unexpectedly at her home on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023.
Heather was born on October 20, 1977 to Leonard and the late Kathy Turek. She grew up in New Prague and was a 1996 graduate of New Prague High School. Heather went on to study at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, where she earned an associate’s degree in the area of graphic design. While attending school at St. Cloud, Heather worked at Target, where she met Larry Kolarik.

The Trojans’ varsity jazz team competes at New Prague High School’s invitational Saturday, Jan. 21. The Trojans’ varsity jazz team and varsity high kick team both won the invite. For more see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)

The Elko New Market City Council honored former police officer Steve Hotaling and welcomed new officer Derrick Irwin to the police department during the council’s Thursday, Jan. 12, meeting.
More than 30 people attended, with several family members and friends of Hotaling and Irwin, plus members of the Elko New Market Police Department.
Steve Hotaling
Elko New Market Police Chief Brady Juell and Acting Mayor Amanda Novak honored former officer Hotaling, who served with the department from May of 2019, until November of 2022, when he left for another department.

Despite their best efforts, the New Prague High School girls’ ice hockey team has found offense in short supply. With tough competition on the horizon, scoring more goals will keep the team in a better position.
The Trojans have scored 10 goals in their last seven games. In the past week, the three goals in three games haven’t been enough against solid competition.

New Prague High School seniors Savannah Smith and Sophia Metzdorff are the winners of the MARS (Mastering Academics and Real-World Skills) Business version of Shark Tank. The two had some tough competition, but perhaps the duo’s two toughest opponents was the weather and schedules, as the two-day event stretched out more than two weeks.

Kenneth L. Krocak, age 64, of New Prague, died unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. 
Ken was born on April 22, 1958 in St. Paul to Lloyd F. and Nancy (Holub) Krocak.  He grew up in Roseville and Prior Lake, graduating from Prior Lake High School.  He married Katherine Lynch, and though the marriage would dissolve, the couple raised their three children.  Ken had many jobs throughout his life, including working for a flooring business and most currently as a computer technician.

Reorganizational meetings of city councils, county boards, school boards and the like are usually matters of routine business indicating how the elected body will go about conducting its business during the year to come. The New Prague School Board took up the task Monday, Jan. 9, and all proceeded swimmingly. Until …
The board took up what to do with its public forum – citizens’ opportunity to address the board at the beginning of meetings – at its organizational meeting.

Jean Mader, age 81, of Montgomery, passed away on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at her home in New Prague. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 25 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery with a memorial service with Fr. George Grafsky, officiating. Interment will be held in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery in the spring.

Gordon “Gordy” Prochaska, age 71, of Montgomery/ Florence, AZ., passed away on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at his home in AZ. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 27 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 28 at 11 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with visitation from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. at the church with Father George Grafsky officiating. Interment will be held in St. Scholastica Cemetery in Heidelberg at a later date.

The Elko New Market City Council will hold a special meeting tonight (Thursday) at 5 p.m.
The council will consider a request from the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) for a 30-day extension on the possible need for an EAW (Environmental Assessment Worksheet) regarding the proposal from Niagara Bottling for a water bottling plant in the city’s industrial park.
For more see the Jan. 26 print edition of The New Prague Times.

As they begin their search to replace retiring Superintendent Tim Dittberner, New Prague School Board members want to know what qualities people believe the district’s next district leader ought to possess. The district has published an online survey it hopes residents and community members will complete by Wednesday, Jan. 25. The results of the survey will help create a profile the district’s consultant, South Central Services Cooperative, can use when reviewing applicants for the job. The superintendent profile will be presented at a special school board meeting Jan. 30.

Carol (McCollum) Deutsch, age 71, of Belle Plaine, MN, passed away on December 16, 2022.
A Christian Funeral will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Jordan at 11:00AM on January 21st with Pastor Jeremy Glowicki presiding. Visitation prior to services from 10:00 – 11:00 AM.
Following the Christian Funeral, Carol will be laid to rest at Spirit Hill Cemetery, Jordan, MN.