Francis “Fritz” Lambrecht, age 82, of rural Henderson, passed away on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Ridgeview Sibley Medical Center in Arlington. Memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 9, at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church in Belle Plaine. Fr. Chris Shoffner will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the Mass at church on Friday morning. Military Rites will immediately follow the service in front of the church, followed by a luncheon in the church social hall. Interment will be at a later date.

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 needs improvements for its post office building. The current owners of the building have a lease with the United States Postal Service that runs through February of 2025.
That’s the easy part.

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.

New Prague’s swimmers have reason to enjoy growing confidence as the schedule turns the final leg of the regular season.
The Trojans earned their first-ever dual meet win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s Thursday, Jan. 25. With two meets left before a 20-day layoff before the section meet Feb. 21-22 in Lakeville, coach Dakota Becerra said the team’s hard work and talent are coming together to pay dividends.

With two regular-season games left to play before the section playoffs commence, the New Prague High School girls’ ice hockey team is working to build as much momentum and confidence as possible before the section playoffs open.
At 3-18-2 overall, the Trojans expect to play a top-seeded team in the section playoffs. Their aim is to enter the section playoffs playing at the top of their game regardless of their opponent.

After splitting its first two games, the New Prague floor hockey team has enjoyed surge, overwhelming opponents with plenty of offensive and solid defensive play as well.
The Trojans have scored 29 goals in three games. The most recent, a 13-goal effort against Owatonna, is a sign the Trojans’ offense is rounding into form. The win improved the Trojans’ record to 3-1.
New Prague played Chaska/Chanhassen/Shakopee/ Prior Lake co-operative team Tuesday, Jan. 30, after The New Prague Times went to press. Today,Thursday, Feb. 1, New Prague will host South Suburban at 4:30 p.m.

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)

One of social media’s beautiful features is that it quickly reminds you of whatyou were doing a year ago.
My posts from last January feature disgruntled sel-fies of me standing in mydriveway with salt and a pitiful electric snowblower that I thought would be enough. It was not.
By the end of last winter, there was a solid two feet of snow in my yard. The ice walls that formed from shoveling my driveway were so formative, that I began reading George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series to seek a suitable comparison
in literature.

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.

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.

New Prague High School’s wrestlers split a triangular in Jordan, Friday, Jan. 26. The Trojans beat Glencoe-Silver Lake, 58-9, and then lost to Scott West, 40-14.
On Saturday, Jan. 27, New Prague was on the road for a 16-team individual tournament in Orono. The Trojans tied for third in the competitive tourney.
Triangular

Monday was a hard night on the hardwood for the New Prague Trojans.
On a night where Katie Boulanger was honored for eclipsing 1,000 points in scoring, Chanhassen topped NP, 77-52.
New Prague Trojans will host Bloomington Jefferson Thursday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
The NPHS boys fell to the Storm, 63-62, Monday in Chanhassen.
The New Prague Trojans will be at Bloomington Jefferson Thursday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.

Marion E. Hadac, age 95, of New Prague, died peacefully, with her family at her side on Monday, January 29, 2024, at Mala Strana Health and Rehabilitation Center. Marion was born on November 26, 1928, in Webster Township, to Robert and Helen (Hruska) Havlicek. She attended New Prague Schools and married George R. Hadac on October 14, 1947, in New Prague.

At the young age of 60, our beloved Clarida "Lida" Carlos Pascual peacefully entered God’s kingdom on January 15, 2023, in Rochester, Minnesota, after valiantly battling numerous health issues.  She was a warrior throughout life and fought until the very end. She will be dearly missed and always remembered.