Nicollet County Ledger September 1, 2022

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Nicollet County 4-Hers Earn Honors at State Fair

By Ruth Klossner cowladyruth@gmail.com (507) 240-0048 Nicollet County 4-Hers made a great showing during 4-H Livestock Weekend at the 2022 Minnesota State Fair.

Exhibitors showing livestock were at the fair Wednesday through Sunday, August 24-28. Nonlivestock exhibitors will have their projects judged this week.

Ten county 4-Hers earned champion honors or purple ribbons with livestock exhibits—with half of those honors coming in the hog show.

Carter Rodning showed the champion middleweight barrow which went on to be the grand champion market barrow. By topping the show, his crossbred barrow qualified to be sold in the annual MLBA 4-H Purple Ribbon Auction. The pig sold for a swine auction record price of $19,450, on the bid of Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health and K & Millwrights.

Aiden Rodning had the reserve champion heavyweight market barrow, a crossbred.

Three additional county 4-Hers exhibited purple ribbon hogs. They were Makayla Moline, fourth purple registered Duroc market barrow;

Aidan Bastian, third purple crossbred market barrow; and Mackenzie Moline, third purple market gilt.

Katelyn Soost was the champion market gilt showman in her age division; her gilt received a blue ribbon in its class.

Tarik Gavranovic piled up the honors in the dairy show, exhibiting the reserve champion registered Jersey, after placing first in the twoyear-old class; taking sixth place in showmanship in his age division; and finishing 24th in the Dairy Showcase.

Alexia Wentworth exhibited the champion total merit grade Holstein heifer, a summer yearling;

it received a blue ribbon in its class.

Jared Beranek exhibited the second purple pure breed dairy steer.

In the sheep show, Megan Soost earned a purple ribbon with her black face market lamb.

Additional placings for Nicollet County livestock exhibitors follow.

Beef. Carter and Jacksen Wills, both fourth in their pure breed dairy steer classes; Ridley and Zaeda Wills, both fifth in their pure breed dairy steer classes.

Dairy. Dominic Stoecker, Jersey winter/fall calf, blue; Karlijn Spangenberg, grade Holstein fall calf, red; Elijah Yost, grade Holstein

summer yearling, blue; Lydia Yost, grade Holstein summer yearling, red; Addy Jaeger, grade Holstein winter/fall yearling, red.

Goat. Allee Johnson, meat market wether, blue; Kassidi Gomez, meat breeding doe kid, red.

Poultry. Kaleb Schwartz, breeding pen of ducks, blue; poultry senior BBQ contest, second place.

Sheep. Masen Grussendorf, commercial black face February ewe lamb, red; Kyla Yost, commercial white and speckle black face February ewe lamp, red; Shannon Soost, black face market lamb, red.

Science of Animal Production.

Jaylin Yost, Journey of Wool tri-fold board, blue.

Unfortunately, not all 4-H champions and purple ribbon winners were photographed; photos are included of those who were.

In addition to awards won in the show ring, a total of 53 scholarships, valued at $118,000, were awarded to outstanding 4-Hers at the start of the MLBA/4-H Livestock Auction. Two of the recipients are from Nicollet County.

Makayla Moline was awarded a $4,000 scholarship sponsored by BoehringerIngelheim, and Noah Klaseus received a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by Michael Dove and Gary Koch.

Carter Rodning, second from left, took grand champion honors in the Aiden Rodning, third from left, exhibited the reserve champion heavy- After earning a blue ribbon in the grade fall calf class, Alexia Weckworth’ heifer was named champion total merit grade Holstein heifer. market hog show. His hog sold in the MLBA Market Livestock Auction. weight barrow

Corn & Hog Roast Yields Big Awards for Lafayette

By Robert Lawson Publisher (612) 460-5851 Sandy Burger, City Clerk for the City of Lafayette, Minnesota shared memories from this past Corn & Hog Roast in Lafayette, where representatives from St. Gregory awarded the City a $7,500 donation for the Mini Park band stand ramp & steel siding project.

“Besides the wonderful donations to the entire community from the St Gregory’ board, the Lions

Hog & Corn roast was a success, even though it rained for a bit. The fire relief dance went on after the rain passed,” Burger said.

The project will be started and hopefully completed this fall. This project was initiated with band members volunteering to build the new ramp.

“The mini park committee members and Lafayette band leaders Pegeen Rozeske and Joe Hoffmann worked together to make this happen,” Burger explained.

Mark Schuelke, a mini park committee member representing Legion

Post #300 presented on a display board information for the veterans and civilian memorial pavers. The paver project and flagpole are projects the American Legion initiated.

The paver project is being done in coordination with the Legion, Landon Uhde for his Eagle Scout project and Evolve Landscaping, LLC. The city’s ambulance also received a $5,000 donation and several other donations were awarded at the event.

MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 6

Tarik Gavranovic with his reserve champion Jersey cow. Tarik also fin- Kaleb Schwartz placed second ished sixth in his division of the dairy showmanship contest and placed in the senior poultry barbecue 24th in the dairy showcase. contest.

Missing Patient from St. Peter State Hospital Considered Dangerous Found

SAINT PETER – A man went missing last week from the state hospital known as Saint Peter Regional Treatment Center, but was later located and apprehended by law enforcement, according to local news reports including KTOE in Mankato.

The missing man was a patient who was considered to be mentally ill and potentially a dangerous individual, according to the reports. Jess Nikolas Rowland was apprehended and taken into custody by the Mankato Department of Public Safety. The agency placed the man into the care of the Minnesota Department of Human Services so he could be transported back to the state hospital in Saint Peter safely, according to the reports.

The two agencies worked togeth-

er to locate Rowland, 31, who is a court committed patient at the state hospital in Saint Peter. Rowland was reportedly supervised with a group that traveled into the Mankato community from the treatment center.

Rowland was last seen at the River Hills Mall around 2 p.m. last Friday, August 26, according to reports.

Update: Another Patient Convicted on Threats at State Hospital According to the St. Peter Herald newspaper, a different patient who was committed as mentally ill and dangerous within the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center was convicted of terrorizing staff members with violent threats.

Michael John Paul, 36, pleaded guilty to the charges. He was reportedly convicted of a felony count of Nicollet County Ledger P.O. Box 212, Lafayette MN 56054 Office: 766 Main Avenue

threats of violence stemming from an incident on May 3. There were other charges in the case, which included 4 other threats of violence but those charges were dismissed in court, according to the report.

Paul’s conviction rendered a sentence of 110 days in Nicollet County Jail as well as 5 years supervised probation, set to start May 3. He also received a 5-year stay of execution in the sentence over the term of the 35-month sentence for time served at St. Cloud Correctional Facility.

A previous conviction for violent threats against two staff took place in April 2021. The criminal complaint indicated Paul used letters placed into envelopes and gave them to the victims. Inside the letters were threats to sodomize and hurt the staff, reportedly.

119th Year • Number 27 ©2022 Nicollet County Ledger

Photo Submitted by Winthrop News. A happy group posed for a picture after the donations from St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church was distributed. Front row, left to right” Marti Uhde, Neal Hoffmann, JoAnn Gieseke, Sandie Peterson, Jens Jensen, Pam Morrison, Patti Hayes. Back row: Mark Schuelke, Landon Uhde, Larry Mages, Cheri LeBrun, Bruce Platz, Nick Klingner and Mark Dick. Photo by Doug Hanson Phone: 507-246-6248 • Fax: 507-228-8779 Website: http://nicolletcountyledger.com/ Email: info@nicolletcountyledger.com

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

Nicollet County Ledger

EWS FROM ARCHIVES Local AD From the Past NN ews from theTHE Archives

1919 — Lafayette Ledger

C ourtland C opy Mary Bruns Happy Labor Day to everyone.

This is our last summertime national holiday. This summer has gone by so fast. If you go to Minnesota State Fair, enjoy your day. There are so many different things and activities there that you will have a great time doing whatever you want to do and see as much as you can. If you are home, have a great time grilling out and eating all the good stuff that goes with it.

The Courtland Fire Department had many entries for the kiddie parade. The parents and children had some great ideas for their entries. The kids all had a great time and were so excited to be in the parade. They were able to go down Highway 14 in town this year.

This is probably the only time that will happen. Many people were at the water fights and the dances. It was a great day, and everyone had lots of fun. happy 125th anniversary firefighters.

Immanuel Lutheran School of rural Courtland will start its school year Tuesday, August 30. Many other schools will be starting at the same time, and some have already started. The rest will start after Labor Day. Drivers, be on the lookout for the school buses. Watch for the children as they cross the streets as they are excited to be going back

to school and may not watch for traffic. We need to keep them all safe.

Please stay off you cell phone while you drive, so you can concentrate on your driving.

The Lafayette Area Lions Club hosted their Hog and Corn Roast on Saturday with a bean bag tournament, entertainment, and a street dance in addition to the meal.

Lafayette has many good events for everyone to enjoy. This just shows that small towns do have a lot of fun.

The Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club of New Ulm celebrated it 75th year with its annual Hillclimb on Sunday.

New Ulm will celebrate Hermannfest on September 10.

There will be many fun things going on during the day and evening.

This week’s birthday wishes go to Dillon Meyer, Dale Zimmerman, Patty Sperl, Leon Luepke, Jaclyn Britz, Rachel Bode, Andy Berg, Jodi Runck, Doreen Britz, Alexander Kimes, Luke Thompson, Marian Rengstorf, and Jace Eastman.

Anniversary wishes go to Mr. and Mrs. Todd Juntunen, Mr. and Mrs. Al Poehler, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Spilman, Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Flitter, Mr. and Mrs. Jason Schmitz, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Tatro, and special wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Neal Gleason and Mr. and Mrs. Bob Schultz. Best wishes to all.

Focus on AG 2022 Crop Yield Expectations are Quite Variable

By Kent Thiesse

Farm Management Analyst and Senior Vice President, MinnStar Bank kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com

August is typically the month of the year when we get the first producer survey yield estimates from USDA, as well as yield projections from major private forms. This yield data is gathered in a number of formats from producer surveys to crop tours to satellite technology.

There is not necessarily a method that has proven more accurate than any other, as all methods have some strengths as well as some limitations. The one consistency being echoed by most crop experts is that the 2022 crop yields are likely to be highly variable and are very difficult to predict, especially in drought impacted areas of Western Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Most of the crop information in these estimates was based on crop conditions in early-to-mid August, so any major changes in conditions after that timeframe could alter final State or national yield numbers.

The statewide and national corn and soybean yield estimates in the USDA Crop Report that was released on August 12, 2022, were based on crop conditions as of August 1. The USDA report was based on a survey of over 15,000 crop producers from across the United States that was conducted by the National Ag Statistics Service (NASS). The next USDA Crop Report will be released on September 12 and will be based on crop conditions as of September 1. This report will include actual field survey data in the yield and production estimates.

Two of the main private firms that release crop yield and production estimates during August use different technology to arrive at their projections. The “Pro Farmer Crop Tour” is quite well established and has been around for several decades. Pro Farmer Tour gathers “in-person” field yield data from the primary corn and soybean production areas in seven States during the third or fourth week of August, which is then adjusted for crop maturity and historical differences

between tour data and final yield numbers. Yield adjustments are also made in made in States that have unique conditions in certain areas of a State, such as drought conditions in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, irrigation in Nebraska, geographical differences in States like Minnesota.

For the past five years, DTN has partnered with the Gro Intelligence (GroIntel) firm to conduct a “digital yield tour” of the primary corn and soybean production areas in the United States. DTN derived their yield estimates from GroIntel, utilizing satellite imagery taken during the second week of August, which is then adjusted based on actual rainfall amounts and temperature data, as well as for the drought index. The GroIntel national and State yield data will continue to be updated into September.

Nationally, corn yield estimates were Pro Farmer at 168.1 bushels per acre and DTN GroIntel at 167.2 bushels per acre, compared to the NASS yield estimate in the August 12 USDA Crop Report of 175.4 bushel per acre. All of the 2022 corn yield projections would fall short of last year’s record average U.S. corn yield of 177 bushels per acre. With the Pro Farmer and DTN GroIntel 2022 corn yield estimates being considerably lower than the 2021 national average corn yield. The 2022 national corn yield projections compare to other recent final average U.S. corn yields on 172 bushels per acre in 2020, 167.4 bushels per acre in 2019, 176.4 bushels per acre in 2018, and 176.6 bushels per acre in 2017.

The national yield differences between the USDA corn yield estimate (175.4 bu./acre) and the “Pro Farmer” projection (168.1 bu./acre) may not seem significant; however, that could potentially represent a large difference in the final total 2022 U.S. corn production level, which could impact grain market prices in the coming months. The current difference between the corn yield estimates by USDA and “Pro Farmer” is 7.3 bushels per acre.

See FOCUS ON AG, Page 5

LAFAYETTE LEDGER 100 Years Ago – August 26, 1922 Such unusual interest is being shown in the Minnesota State Fair, September 2-9, that every attendance record ever established by the world’s greatest exposition is expected to be broken. Good crops, a wonderful hard-surfaced highway system, an unprecedented round trip railroad rate of a fare and a third for fair week, and crowded departments on every side, will make a new record possible, in the opinion of fair officials.

Dedication of Lafayette’s fine new public school, which is to take place Sunday afternoon, is expected to attract a record crowd. Donations of sandwiches or cake will be gratefully accepted by the committee in charge of serving refreshments at the dedication of the new school.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grussendorf left for Minneapolis to make ready to ship their household goods to Lafayette. They will make their home on a farm in Lafayette township.

A program and ice cream social were held at the local Lutheran church Tuesday, under auspices of the Luther League. The program was given by the Luther League of the Winthrop Swedish Lutheran church. Refreshments were served in the church park.

Isenberg and Swanson sold a Dodge roadster to Henry Otto of Gaylord.

Sam Abrahamson has this week been seriously ill. At this writing, he is somewhat improved.

George Lund left for an indefinite stay in Minneapolis.

75 Years Ago – August 29, 1947 Mr. and Mrs. V.F. Quist and Mrs. Carl Arnold and son Corby attended the silver wedding celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Abrahamson in New Sweden Sunday.

The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Benedict Stadick was baptized at the Church of St. Gregory by Father Leo Krzmarzick Friday, August 15.

The name given was Benedict Leo. The Young America Eagle, which was established in August 1904, will discontinue publication with this week. Editor Charles Mayer gives as the reason rising costs of operations and inability to maintain the standards of the publication on the income derived.

Mr. and Mrs. Hilding G. Swenson went to New Ulm, Sunday evening, where they joined a group of relatives at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Saffert in observance of their 25th wedding anniversary. The affair was a surprise, arranged by their children.

The honored couple received many gifts and a late lunch was served.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl E. Johnson, and Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Johnson and son Harvey, are spending this week in northern Minnesota.

In honor of the sixth birthday anniversary of Marjorie Malmberg, 20 youngsters and their mothers were entertained at her parental home in Bernadotte Saturday.

Mr. and Mrs. Maurits Johnson and son Curtis (Swede) returned to their home in Mankato last week, after a three weeks’ trip to California, and other western points.

50 Years Ago – August 31, 1972 Cheryl Huelskamp, 19, of rural Lafayette was crowned 1973 Nicollet County Pork Queen at the Nicollet County Fair. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Huelskamp of rural Lafayette.

Cheryl is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota.

Miss Charmayne Cornell of St. Paul and Mr. and Mrs. Elroy Gieseke and family joined with the

Nicollet County

Arno Bergstrom family to help celebrate the birthdays Saturday of twins, Mrs. Steve Poncin and Arno Bergstrom, Jr. Mrs. Verna Foster and Mrs. Helen Larson of Bernadotte returned Saturday from a week’s trip to Colorado. They visited with Allen Foster at Colorado Springs and with Mr. and Mrs. Ed Olson and Harvey Clements at Denver.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Johnson and LuMar Johnson, Tammy, Scott, and Steven, spent Sunday at the State Fair.

C.F. Maidl spent five days last week on a bus tour to Wyoming and Montana. He was one of ten on the tour from Minnesota. They visited the refinery at Laurel, Montana and toured the oil fields of Wyoming.

The group also visited the Pierre Dam, the Governor’s Mansion, Devils Tower, Custer’s Battlefield, Mt. Rushmore, Rapid City and Wall Drug.

Friends and relatives helped Mrs. Emily Youngblom celebrate her birthday Monday.

Mrs. Roy O. Johnson and Mrs. Henning Johnson attended the State Fair Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Thorston of Springfield and Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Krohn of Nicollet spent Tuesday evening at the Kurt Wellnitz home.

NICOLLET LEADER 115 Years Ago – August 31, 1907 Mr. and Mrs. F.C. Krohn are the happy parents of an 8 lb. boy since Tuesday, the 27th.

The country will soon be scoured by enthusiastic hunters from the cities, with $10 dogs and $50 guns, who shoot away $3 worth of ammunition, wear out $5 worth of clothes, and spend $2 worth of time to get 30 cents worth of game.

Some Mankato hunters are right in line with the above when they come to Nicollet.

Nicollet is to have another hall.

The Lampert Lumber Co., that owns the former Burg brick block, is now perfecting plans whereby the whole upper floor will be put into a hall. A stage and scenery will be part of the plan, and as it is a sure thing, we may be sure that we will have a fine hall in the near future.

Traveling men that come to Nicollet remark that we have a very pretty town, and by the number of traveling men that come here regularly, we know that we must have a business town. But this is not the only indication. Everything is on the move and the boom. Many things attest the prosperity of our town. With her trade, her churches, her schools, and her cultured population, we have a first class town in which to live.

Carl Netzke had the misfortune to lose a valuable horse on Wednesday.

The St. Peter Stone Sidewalk Co. is again laying walks in this village. All contracts will soon be completed.

Herman H. Wels will hold an auction sale of personal property at the Wels farm about three miles southeast of Nicollet August 30.

The sale will begin at one o’clock sharp and free lunch will be served at noon. T.M. Waterbury will cry the sale, and Ed. C. Johannes will clerk.

This section was visited by a soaking rain Sunday night, and it continued for several hours. The rain may have helped some of the corn and pastures a trifle, but it was about a month late to do any great amount of good to the crops in general. Most of our people were gone to some distant point by auto on pleasure bent but, although the way home was long and slippery, they appreciated the moisture.

85 Years Ago – August 27, 1937 Hundreds of people from Nicollet and community attended the 75th Indian massacre anniversary and homecoming celebration and Brown county fair at New Ulm last week. A crowd of more than 125,000 people jammed the streets during the celebration. According to reports, everything went off in tip-top shape and the committee in charge is to be congratulated. The huge parade was pronounced by everybody as “the greatest seen in a long, long time.”

When this season’s operations come to a close, the State Division of Game and Fish will have stocked approximately 12,000 artificially incubated pheasants, the largest number on record in Minnesota, according to Frank Blair, superintendent of propagation. The previous high was in 1935, the first year of artificial incubation, when more than 5,000 young pheasants were released. The birds were raised at the state game farm at Madelia.

Mrs. Herbert Bode of Nicollet township narrowly escaped critical injuries when she was run over by a tractor plow. The accident happened when she was attempting to put in the clutch and attach the plow to the tractor. Her foot slipped and she fell to the ground in front of the rear tractor wheel. After the fall, the tractor started and ran over her, dragging the plow with it. She was found unconscious on the ground by her husband sometime later.

Physicians say she is resting easily, having suffered no serious injuries.

LAFAYETTE NICOLLET LEDGER 25 Years Ago – August 28, 1997 The Sheriff’s Department responded to a burglary at the InLaws Restaurant in Nicollet Sunday, August 24. Entry was gained through a back door. Taken was a large amount of cash, some alcohol, and other miscellaneous items.

Two members of the Nicollet

100 Years Ago – August 26, 1922 The auction sale of F.L. Oslund was attended by one of the largest crowds that ever attended a similar event in this section. It is said to have been one of the most successful also. The Oslund family has taken possession of its residence in the village. The Dahms farm vacated by Mr. Oslund has been rented to Erich Muenchow.

Mrs. Albert Enter and brother Paul Hopp left on a motor trip to Baldwin, North Dakota to visit the F. H. Schroeder family. On their return trip, they will be accompanied by Carl Hopp and daughter Miss Ida, who have been visiting at Baldwin for a month.

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danceline competed in the Universal Dance Association Camp, August 3-6 at St. Thomas University in St. Paul. Erin Gleason and Camron Tiesler were awarded a number of ribbons on evaluation day for their superb showmanship and presentation of their dances, plus they received the “Spirit Stick” which is an award for above average spirit.

The Senior Citizens had their August meeting at the Courtland Rec. Hall. Hosts and hostesses were Orval and Helen Fiemeyer, Alma Voges, and Evelyn Ulrich. Door prizes went to Eugene Forbrook, Helen Fiemeyer, and Doris Fitzner.

They all enjoyed playing cards.

Orlyn and Marilyn Martens celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary August 17 at St. Paul’s Lutheran School. About 300 people attended. Orlyn and Marilyn were married September 19, 1952.

Special congratulations to them.

Ensign Dana M. Muchow completed Naval Flight Officer Primary School August 21, at VT-10 Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. He will continue flight school while stationed at Randell Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Denny and Marcy Muchow of Lafayette, grandson of Marvin Hacker of Lafayette and Dorothy Muchow of Winthrop.

10 Years Ago – August 30, 2012 Many people from this area went to the Pioneer Power show at LeSueur. Entries could be brought in on Thursday and the show went through Sunday afternoon. It was very interesting and there were demonstrations going on using all the old methods of threshing, baling, and saw milling. There were all kinds of tractors and old time machinery and all kinds of antiques to see. You could spend more than one day there to see everything.

There is something there for everyone.

Work on County Road 25 is moving along. It’s been hard for the people living on this road while it’s being worked on, but it will be very nice once it is all finished. It’s hard to get from point A to point B but guess that’s a part of road construction.

Lloyd and Sue Hoffmann have family visiting from England. They have been to Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, and now are staying with the Hoffmanns and visiting family.

They also plan to visit the Mall of America, water park, New Ulm, and surrounding areas.

Whitney Wills of Nicollet has been accepted for admission for the 2012-2013 academic year at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Whitney, daughter of Doug and Tammy Wills, graduated from Nicollet Public High School, and participated in National Honor Society, student council, softball, basketball, volleyball and PSEO.

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

Page 3

Nicollet County Ledger

Church Schedules Fields of Grace Parish (ELCA)

Bernadotte, First Lutheran in Lafayette and Swan Lake Lutheran Churches www.fieldsofgracemn.com (507) 766-3471 Sun., Sept. 4: 9:30 a.m., Worship, SL. Immanuel Lutheran

Rural Courtland www.immanuelcourtland.com Rev. Wayne Bernau Thurs., Sept. 1: 8:45 a.m. Confirmation.

Fri., Sept. 2: No School.

Sat., Sept. 3: 6:30 p.m. Evening Worship with communion.

Sun., Sept. 4: 9:30 a.m. Worship with communion.

Tues., Sept. 6: 8:45 a.m. Confirmation; 7 p.m. Elders.

Wed., Sept. 7: 8:45 a.m. Chapel; 6 p.m. Confirmation.

Thurs., Sept. 8: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Pastors winkel at Gaylord.

Live Stream our services on You- Rev. Micah Plocher Tube each week!

581-2618 Thurs., Sept. 1: 1:30 p.m. Ladies Zion Lutheran (WELS) Guild; 5 p.m. Trinity Food Stand; 7 Brighton Township p.m. Board of Education.

Pastor Dave Linn Sun., Sept. 4: 9 a.m. Worship; 10:30 (715) 360-4131 a.m. Fellowship Hour.

Sun., Sept. 4: 8:30 a.m. Worship.

Mon., Sept. 5: 6 p.m. Worship; 7 Wed., Sept. 7: 7 p.m. Bible Study at p.m. Bible Study Courtland, “Finding Good News.” Tues., Sept. 6: 7 p.m. Elders.

Thurs., Sept. 8: 2:30 p.m. Ladies Aid. Wed., Sept. 7: 4 p.m. Catechism.

Live stream the 9 a.m. Sunday serCourtland Lutheran (WELS) vice at trinity.nicollet.org.

Pastor Dave Linn (715) 360-4131 Zion Ev. Lutheran Church Sun., Sept. 4: 10 a.m. Worship with (WELS) communion.

Winthrop Wed., Sept. 7: 7 p.m. Bible Study, (507) 647-5582 “Finding Good News.”

Rev. Paul Meitner Thurs., Sept. 8: 6:30 p.m. Martha (507) 647-5544 Circle.

Sat., Sept. 3: 10 a.m. Bayside ­Manor Service, Gaylord.

Trinity Lutheran (WELS) Sun., Sept. 4: 8:30 a.m. Em-Well; Nicollet Church 10 a.m. Worship.

(507) 232-3938 Tues., Sept. 6: PLS & MVL First

Day of School.

Wed., Sept. 7: 8:30 a.m. PLS Catechism; 10 a.m. Lodge Bible ­ Study; 6 p.m. Public School Catechism; 7 p.m. Ladies Guild.

Thurs., Sept. 8: 10 a.m. Reading w/ Rev’s at PLS. Services held in person and live streamed on Facebook. All recorded services are also on our YouTube channel.

Norwegian Grove Lutheran

Rev. Kyle J. Madson (507) 246-5312 Fri., Sept. 2: 10:30 a.m. Pastor t­eaches at Bethany Lutheran ­College.

Sat., Sept. 3: Pastor’s Family Day. Sun., Sept. 4: 10:30 a.m. Worship with communion.

Tues., Sept. 6: 6:30 p.m. Council Meeting.

Wed., Sept. 7: 10:30 a.m. Pastor teaches at Bethany Lutheran ­College;

4 p.m. Youth Choir; 5 p.m. Catechism. Clear Lake Baptist Rural Gibbon Rev. Ramon Flores Neighbors In Christ Sunday: 10:30 a.m. Worship Lutheran Parish (ELCA) Augustana in Gibbon (834-6108) St. John’s (647-2165) and First Judson Bethany Lutheran (ELCA) ­Lutheran (647-5750) in Winthrop Sunday: 9:30 a.m. Worship service; Rev. Erik Karlson Sun., Sept. 4: SJB – 8:30 a.m. Wor- 10:30 a.m. Sunday School ship; Apostolic Christian FLC – 10 a.m. Worship.

Mon., Sept. 5: ALC – 7 p.m. Coun- Winthrop Sunday: 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. cil Meeting.

Wed., Sept. 7: ALC – 1:30 p.m.

Church of St. Paul WELCA Meeting.

For more information, see www. Nicollet, Father Craig Timmerman Sun., Sept. 4: 7:30 a.m. Confession; neighborsinchristmn.org.

8 a.m. Mass.

Wed., Sept. 7: 7:30 a.m. Confession; Scandian Grove Lutheran 8 a.m. Mass.

Norseland Pastor Matthew Garavalia St. George Catholic (507) 246-5195 Church Sun., Sept. 4: 9:30 a.m. Worship.

Scandian is on KNUJ “A New Day” Monsignor Douglas Grams Sunday: 8:30 a.m. Mass radio Sundays at 10:05 a.m.

Obituaries Eileen June (Bieraugel) Hansen passed away peacefully with family at her side on June 7, 2022 in San Jose, California. Eileen’s fabulous personality and fidelity to her religious work ethic will truly be missed.

Eileen was born to Edwin and Marcella (Lindquist) Bierraugel on the family farm near Lafayette, Minnesota. As a child of the depression, she was able to grow up with a superb work ethic as an active farm kid doing her job, participating in 4-H and playing in the Lafayette

— Eileen June (Bieraugel) Hansen, 90 —

Band. She attended Consolidated School District 43 from first through eighth grade. She lived at home caring for her younger siblings and working for a neighbor’s family who needed assistance due to medical issues. Later, Eileen moved to New Ulm where she worked as a waitress and in retail.

In 1953, Eileen and two of her friends loaded up and drove to the west coast. While working as a waitress in Long Beach, she met her future husband, Robert Hansen who was serving in the U.S. Navy as a

sailor on a ship known as a destroyer. Later, when Bob returned from a Western Pacific deployment, he won the Anchor Pool, and bought a Cadillac for Eileen.

They got married August 13, 1955 after Bob was discharged.

They moved to Park Forest, Illinois, then to Highland, Indiana.

After a number of years in the Chicago area, the Hansen family packed up and moved to the southern San

Ask a Trooper

Francisco Bay area. That is where Eileen would spend the rest of her years being a homemaker, the busy mother of 3 children, as the manager of a store in a linen factory and owning/operating a catering company.

When her husband retired, they decided to move to Hawaii, but after a year, they discovered that it was too far away from the family. They moved back and settled in a retire-

applied to bicycles.” This includes stop signs, stop lights, yield signs, etc.

Does a bicyclist have to dismount and walk their bike through a crosswalk? No, a bicyclist using a crosswalk does not have to dismount to cross the intersection, but in some cases this may be the safest option.

A person lawfully operating a bicycle on a sidewalk, across a roadway or shoulder while using a crosswalk, has all of the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances. That includes

for the vehicle to stop.

You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober. Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths.

If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota send your questions to Sgt. Troy Christianson – Minnesota State Patrol at 2900 48th Street NW, Rochester MN 55901-5848. (Or reach him at, Troy.Christianson@ state.mn.us)

Tree Care After the Storm

By Gary Wyatt, Extension Forestry need a chainsaw or ladder to do the Natural Resources forest stewardship pruning, or if there are any downed webpage. They can assist with timber Educator Homeowners may have experienced tree damage due to the recent severe storms. Extension has web resources that may be helpful in managing tree damage on your property.

Pruning, wound repair, and staking are all common practices after a storm. Make sure you use the proper technique for treating stormdamaged trees. Most importantly, be safe! Hire a professional if you

and potentially energized lines in the area of the tree.

Pruning oaks now could put them at high risk for oak wilt disease. If any oak trees are damaged and need to be pruned, cover the wound immediately with paint or shellac.

This prevents beetles from spreading the disease from infected trees.

If your woods sustained damage, you can find a professional forester on the Minnesota Department of

92, brother Gene (Marge) and sisterin-law Joleen. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Greg, her sister Nancy and her husband Clarence Hacker, plus her brother-in-law Johnny Kokesch. She is survived by several nieces and nephews plus in-laws.

A celebration of Eileen’s life was held on July 1, 2022 aty Redemption Church in San Jose, California, and it was attended by her brother Gene, her sister Delores and daughter Becky, who attended from out of state.

Publishers Column

By Sgt. Troy Christianson of the provisions of this chapter which by not entering a crosswalk if a vehicle By Rob Lawson, Publisher Minnesota State Patrol their nature cannot reasonably be is approaching and it is impossible 612-460-5851 Question: Does a bicyclist have to obey the same traffic laws as a motorist?

Answer: Thank you for the question. Sharing the road is always an important topic.

Yes, Minnesota Statute 169.222 states: “Every person operating a bicycle shall have all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle by this chapter, except in respect to those provisions in this chapter relating expressly to bicycles and in respect to those

ment community in San Jose.

It was there that Eileen became deeply involved in her religion and took on her duty with her church with a passion. For 10 years, she greeted members with her warm and genuine smile. It was noted by some that they wanted only to be greeted

by Eileen!!!

Eileen is survived by her husband Robert, son Mike, daughter June and youngest son Tom. Eileen had 7 grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Delores Kokesch age

sales or connect you with consulting foresters or other professionals for help. The Minnesota Forestry Association’s Call Before You Cut program can also put you in touch with a professional forester to find out if harvesting timber is right for you.

Lastly, it’s important to take care of yourself. Damage to your home or landscape can be hard. Learn how to manage stress and grief caused by big storms, tree loss and climate change.

Gratitude & Appreciation

This week as we send our children off to school, I want to take the time to thank everyone in the community helping us shape this newspaper and its operations across Nicollet County, the area we call home. The transition between owners, as some of you may know, hasn’t been the smoothest it could have been, but our efforts show a much improved community newspaper.

Our focus first was on the news that matters to the residents of this community because without that as the primary focus, the business of the paper would be nonexistent.

Advertisers only advertise when there is a respect for our brand and reverence for our journalism, which drives the subscriptions and newsstand distribution to readers. We aren’t perfect and we don’t pretend to be. We make mistakes and hopefully address them at every turn that we can. We have jumped the first set of hurdles in our way and it is now time to deal with the administrative and business side of the publishing endeavor and each day I am hungrier and more eager to make this work, not just for me and my colleagues, but for the whole county of Nicollet.

Just as we are unique individuals that contribute to our community of humans, we must recognize the value that each unique community brings to the county and what news shapes the local culture and values there. This is our pledge of coverage.

I would like to personally thank all of our new and current subscribers for entrusting us with this responsibility of community communications and our team of contributors from across the County: Ruth Klossner, I sometimes refer to her as Ruthless Ruth because we all need someone like her in our lives to strike balance with honesty and integrity; Michael Lemmer, I have come to know as a compassionate and thoughtful individual; Karen Fluegee, I can count on for reliable coverage in the Nicollet area and who is a joy to communicate with; Simon & Sons Limited Pvtd., our Layout Typesetting team who provides essential services on such short notice while learning new tricks of our trade on the fly. I would like to thank the local officials and candidates for office for hopefully giving us the benefit of the doubt.

I would also like to thank the local non-profit organizations and businesses that make everything go in these communities, from providing

essential or wanted products/services to events and charities for those less fortunate. There wouldn’t be a newspaper without you! And thanks to all the characters in our communities that uniquely contribute to our local history, culture and news.

And lastly, to the guy that was running this newspaper before South Central News & Media entered the picture, well some things are better left unsaid.

Please know that I am working hard to build your trust and I hope I don’t let you down. I do realize we are behind on some tasks and there is an ongoing issue with our mailing list that is being investigated.

Please be patient as we work to resolve the problem. We are catching up on our billing and invoicing as well. We are also aware of some issues regarding our digital subscriptions. We will be sending out emails to our digital subscribers letting you all know what has changed and how to continue receiving our digital products. Thank you all for your continued support. P.S. WE ARE HIRING! SEEKING PARTTIME ADMIN RECEPTION with PROOF R EA DI NG ABILITY. EMAIL INFO@ NICOLLETCOUNTYLEDGER. COM OR CALL 507-246-6248.

Gov Walz, Lt Gov Flanagan Unveil MN Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights State to Promote Inclusive Outdoor Spaces, Recreational Experiences, and Opportunities for Environmental Education ST. PAUL, MN – Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today unveiled the Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights during an event on the Department of Natural Resources grounds at the Minnesota State Fair. In a show of statewide support for this bill of rights, the Governor was joined by the commissioners of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Health, Education, Agriculture, Transportation, Management and Budget, Commerce, Labor and Industry, Pollution Control Agency, and the executive director of Minnesota’s Children’s Cabinet. The bill of rights affirms Minnesota’s commitment to creating equitable outdoor recreation experiences and opportunities to discover the natural environment for children and youth no matter where they live, learn, or play.

“Our state is famous for our great outdoors – from beautiful city lakes to incredible Greater Minnesota lands – and as a teacher I know firsthand that being outside means healthier students with stronger academic performance,” said Governor Walz. “I’m proud of Minnesota’s public and private partners for coming together to commit to make opportunities for all Minnesota kids

to enjoy our incredible outdoors and the benefits that come with it.”

“We know that kids today spend less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago, and this is especially true for children of color, who face more barriers to equitable, safe, and accessible outdoor experiences,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan.

“The Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights is a call to action to all organizations to create opportunities for all kids to learn from their natural environment and make lifelong memories with family and friends.”

The bill of rights calls for the state to promote access to outdoor spaces, clean air and water, connections to the outdoors, and opportunities for environmental education, as well as to engage in shared stewardship of public lands. It lists 15 rights that all Minnesota children have—from swimming, camping, hiking, hunting and fishing, to exploring and playing outdoors in safe, welcoming and culturally affirming spaces.

The Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights is being led through the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet, an interagency partnership charged with placing children at the center of government and ensuring that Minnesota is the best state for each and every child to grow up. The

Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen encouraged the Children’s Cabinet to create a Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights to address the need for children to spend more time outdoors and demonstrate the importance of growing future stewards of public lands. Minnesota is the 16th state to enact a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

“Children who love the outdoors today become adults who care about conserving the outdoors for the future,” said Commissioner Strommen. “So lifting barriers to getting kids outside not only is critical for their health, it’s also critical for the health of Minnesota’s environment and natural resources.”

“The YMCA of the North is committed to the Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights that ensures all children and families have safe access to learn, grow and thrive from outdoor experiences,” said Glen Gunderson, YMCA of the North. “For over 166 years, the Y has engaged thousands of youth in educational and enriching outdoor adventures and we are proud of the state’s leadership and joining with other organizations in furthering these opportunities!”

“Time spent outdoors strengthens individuals and communities. The benefits of nature should be enjoyed

equitably for people of all backgrounds, abilities and ages,” said Erika Rivers, Executive Director of Wilderness Inquiry. “The Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights demonstrates a strong leadership commitment to ensuring that all Minnesota youth experience these benefits and grow into the next generation of environmental stewards.”

“Exposure to nature is scientifically associated with a host of mental and physical health benefits,” said Dr. Molly Sajady, a physician in Children’s Minnesota’s Development Pediatrics program.

“When you consider the benefits, the message is clear – when we create opportunities for our kids to get outside in nature, we’re also giving them the opportunity to thrive.”

“As the kid experts, we know that 80% of a child’s health happens outside of the walls of our hospitals and clinics. The majority of a child’s health happens where they live, learn and play,” said Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota. “That’s why it’s important kids have easy access to outdoor spaces around their neighborhoods and their schools.”

“Our Great Outdoors and four unique seasons are the things that define life in Minnesota, but not

every child or person living here has the same access to enjoy all our state has to offer. That’s why we support the Governor and his agencies in creating the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights,” said Paul Austin, Executive Director of Conservation Minnesota. “We must create a future where a person’s zip code does not negatively impact their health and well-being and where all children of every ability, ethnicity, and geographic region have safe opportunities to benefit from and explore the wonders of nature.”

“It is exciting to see state agencies and community organizations stepping up and working in partnership

to create opportunities to connect children and youth with the outdoors,” said Erin Bailey, Executive Director of the Children’s Cabinet.

“This is an important effort to prioritize child well-being and more equitable access to our beautiful communities across the state.”

The Children’s Cabinet has created a pledge that cities, counties, and organizations can take to show a commitment to supporting the Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights through programming and services. The pledge and more information about the Minnesota Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights can be found here.

Page 4

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Nicollet County Ledger

Nicollet Public School Welcomes New Teachers

By Karen Fluegge (507) 469-9155

Nicollet Public School has welcomed five new teachers since the first of the year. Two came this past February and three new ones have just joined the staff.

The community welcome them and appreciate their work with the students. Here is some information so that you can get to know them a little better.

support from the staff and teachers here at NPS, they are all great to work with. As a new teacher in the field, I felt a bit nervous coming into the position, but with all the positive support from NPS, it has been nothing but a positive experience. I am beyond excited for the new school year!” Beckius said.

Hannah described her teaching style as fun and engaging.

“I enjoy seeing the students having fun while they are learning, while also finding lifelong relevance in their learning. I find it very important for students to connect their learning in the classroom to their experiences outside of school.”

Being originally from Nicollet, she spent her childhood years here. Her parents continue to live in Nicollet, while her brother is pursuing his college degree at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota.

“I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, playing with my two dogs, and camping with my fiancé,” said Beckius.

Hannah Beckius Hannah Beckius is returning to the school that she attended from pre-K through graduation.

She started teaching at NPS in February of 2022.

Beckius will teach K-4 STEM, sixth grade science, and five grade math, science, and social studies. While in college, she student taught at North Elementary in St. Peter for the fourth grade class.

After graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in elementary education, she was a long-term sub at St. Anne’s School in Le Sueur for a month, before starting her teaching career at NPS. “I am very excited to be back home teaching at NPS. The community here is very supportive, which is one thing that really drew me to coming back. Not many communities can say they have such a supportive environment to be around. I have received a lot of

Nicollet County and the surrounding area and would like to make the Nicollet Ag Department and the FFA strong here at Nicollet.

My goal within the ag department and FFA is to continue to grow the FFA and to offer classes for students to be successful in the future and to prepare them for college.”

He added, “I have abundant experience with life skills. I received my teaching degree from the University of Minnesota late in life. I have been teaching for five years. My first teaching experience was at Central Public Schools, Norwood Young America. My style of teaching varies in the agriculture classroom. I do a lot of Differentiated Instruction (learning stations), cooperative learning (group work), inquirybased learning to dig deeper into the subject to make students think, class field trips, and a lot of handson ­learning.”

Pat grew up about ten miles west of St. Peter. His family farm had registered Holsteins. Today, he lives there with his family.

His wife Amy works at Gustavus and is the director of community outreach. Their oldest son Luke is 24 and they also have twins, Jacob and Grace, 22.

I want to get to know my students and understand how they learn the best. I like to have a routine in my classroom, and I make myself available for whenever my students might need me,” she added.

Katelyn comes to Nicollet after working at KinderCare in Chanhassen for the past 11 years.

She started her career there as a preschool teacher and was promoted to assistant director. She taught phonics to three to fiveyear old children and mentored other teachers.

Scharpe graduated from Sibley East High School in Arlington.

She continued her education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in middle school mathematics. She earned her master’s degree in Special Education Specific Learning Disabilities from Concordia State University in St. Paul.

Katelyn grew up in Arlington and continues to live there. She has three brothers and two sisters. They grew up on the family’s 12-acre hobby farm, raising Angus beef cattle.

“We were all actively involved in 4-H and FFA. I continue to run the family farm with my older brother and his family,” she said.

In her leisure time, Scharpe enjoys baking, crocheting, and working on the farm. Oh, and the Minnesota Twins!

said Theis.

This will be her seventh year of teaching. Previously, she taught first grade at New Ulm Cathedral for one year and then at Sibley East Elementary in Gaylord. There she taught fifth grade for one year and second grade for four years.

Courtney graduated from GFW High School in Winthrop. She continued her studies at Winona State University, majoring in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood education.

Theis had lived in Winthrop with her parents and two younger sisters. However, currently she resides in St. Peter with her husband Connor and their son Liam.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends but also enjoys crafting and traveling.

“My teaching style is developing a fun, family atmosphere where all my students feel included. My classroom is filled with many opportunities to be recognized for positive characteristics and students are given the opportunity to have choice in their learning. I want my students to feel comfortable when entering the classroom and that they have a space to call their own,” Theis said.

She added, “Joining Nicollet Public School is like returning home for me. Nicollet is a small town with a big family feel and I am excited to join a community that wholeheartedly supports the district.”

We were all actively involved in 4-H and FFA.

Pat Pehrson Pat Pehrson will teach a variety of classes at Nicollet Public School. They are eighth grade Ag Science/Industrial Technology, Conservation/Natural Resources, ninth and tenth grade Intro to Agriculture, Food Science and Natural Resources, Food Chemistry and seventh grade Study Skills, Woodworking, Building Construction and Ag Mechanics. Pehrson will also be the FFA advisor.

Pehrson said, “I am very excited to come to NPS. I grew up in

after the previous teacher resigned from the position. She will continue teaching fourth grade.

“I was nervous to start teaching in February, but the faculty and staff were all so helpful and kind.

The students and parents have been very welcoming as well. It made it easier to start in the middle of the year. Now I am looking forward to getting to know my students and their families,” Vidrio said.

Vidrio’s previous experience included teaching in both public and private schools. She taught third and fourth grades most of her career. She has taught in Tacoma, Washington’s public school district, in a private school in Washington, in Madison, Wisconsin, and most recently seventh and eighth grades at Prairie Winds Middle School in Mankato.

Sarah was born and raised in Mankato and graduated from Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in rural New Ulm. She graduated with an elementary education degree from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato.

Vidrio said her two-year old son keeps her very busy, but she also enjoys reading books and doing puzzles.

Katelyn Scharpe Katelyn Scharpe will teach fifth and sixth grade language arts at Nicollet Public School.

Courtney Theis “I am excited to join NPS. I am looking forward to meeting the Courtney Theis is Nicollet students and their families and Public School’s new first grade Sarah Vidrio getting to know the community,” teacher. she said.

“I am pleased to be joining the Sarah Vidrio started teaching “My teaching style is to treat everyone with respect and equally. amazing Nicollet staff this year,” fourth grade at NPS in February,

-Katelyn Scharpe

You Might be Over-Fertilizing Your Garden

By Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension edu- it can also negatively impact plant and gardens.

Fertilizers, composts, and other cator, local foods and vegetable crops growth.

Two maps of Minnesota with soil additives can also be expensive Reviewed by Christy Marsden, Chip county lines drawn.

The left map and they take time to apply, so cutSmall, and Carl Rosen Do we over-fertilize our gardens?

An analysis of soil tests completed at the University of Minnesota soil lab between 1988 and 2021 revealed that many Minnesota lawns and gardens have much more phosphorus than they need. The median statewide soil phosphorus reading was 68 ppm (Bray) for lawns and gardens, compared to only 26 ppm (Bray) in farm fields (Bray is one method to extract phosphorus in soils with a pH of 7.4 or less. Some Minnesota soil tests may report phosphorus levels using the Olson extraction method if the soil pH is more than 7.4).

A reading of 20 ppm is considered sufficient for growing vegetables, and more than sufficient for lawns. In general, using too much phosphorus is a problem for water quality, and over-fertilizing is expensive. At high enough rates,

is titled Lawn and Garden, and counties are shaded by median phosphorus reading for the county.

The right map is titled Farm and Field with the same content. In general, the Farm and Field map is lighter, indicating less phosphorus.

ting back can save time and money.

Does it matter?

Over-fertilizing lawns and gardens matters for a variety of reasons. When there is excess phosphorus in the environment, it can leach into lakes and rivers, causing toxic algal blooms. A 2019 study by Gaston Small and colleagues at the University of St. Thomas found that in the Capitol Region Watershed (Twin Cities), urban gardens make up only 0.1% of the land area, yet they contribute up to 19% of the phosphorus inputs to urban soils.

The average phosphorus reading in their study was 80 ppm (Bray), just over the statewide median for lawns

What can we do about it?

Take a soil test from your lawn or garden every few years. Download a form and find instructions from the soil testing lab site.

If your soil phosphorus levels are above 25 (Bray test) or 18 (Olsen test), do not use a phosphorus-containing fertilizer for a few years, until your levels drop to a point where your soil test recommends more phosphorus. Keep in mind that compost often contains phosphorus, especially if it contains manure.

If you have enough phosphorus in your garden but still need nitrogen or potassium, consider options like feather meal or blood meal (nitrogen), and potassium sulfate or langbeinite (potassium). These products will not contribute excess phosphorus.

If you add a thick layer of com-

meet were Christian Fells, seventh at 14:22; Aidan Moeller, 20th at 15:27; and Luke Engel, 23rd at 15:43.

Engel and teammate Michael Condon are Nicollet’s contributions to the 2022 boys’ team.

“Luke opened the season with a strong race, placing 23rd of 99 finishers. His effort helped us place fourth in the ten team field,” coach Doug Burns said. “Luke will be counted on to be one of our five scorers throughout the season.

Michael was our ninth finisher, but he beat over half the varsity field. Michael was very competitive today. We had good depth in this meet.”

Top KR finisher in the girls’ varsity 4000 meter run was Katelin Flack, 13th at 17:58.

Marshall won both the boys’ and girls’ meets. Other teams taking part were Fairmont, Mt. Lake Area, JCC, St. Peter, St. James, WEM/JWP, HLO/Fulda, and BEA.

Median soil phosphorus reading (Bray) by county for Lawn and ­Garden vs. Farm and Field. Graphs by Maggie Reiter, data from UMN Soil T ­ esting Lab for every soil test record, 1988-2021; 137,845 tests. post to your garden each year, consider your compost as a source of nutrients. Usually, compost has low nutrient concentrations, but when used in large volumes, or when

using manure-based composts, the nutrient contributions can add up.

Consider using cover crops in your garden. They can provide nitrogen and they build your soil

health without adding extra phosphorus to your soil.

Learn more about soil health for gardeners and visit UMN Extension Yard and Garden YouTube channel.

By MnDOT

start Mon., Aug. 29, the schedule is being reevaluated and it’s possible that the project could get underway in mid-September.

More information will be available soon.

Project summary The box culvert under Hwy 19, just east of Winthrop, is being replaced to improve drainage and enhance safety along the ­corridor.

Knight Raiders Compete at Fairmont Meet Bridge Replacement Project Delayed

By Ruth Klossner cowladyruth@gmail.com (507) 240-0048 School hasn’t started yet, but the Knight Raider cross country runners were on the go, taking part in the Early Bird Meet at Fairmont Friday, August 26.

The KR boys placed fourth of ten teams and the girls seventh of ten.

Top LCWM/Nicollet finishers in the 4000 meter boys’ varsity

Classifieds: $8 for first 20 words; each extra word 30¢, per week.

Third week always free. Ads as low as $5.33 per week!

Just call the Nicollet County Ledger at 507-246-6248.

The Highway 19 Winthrop bridge replacement project start date is delayed due to utility relocation issues. Originally planned to

Deer Lottery App Deadline Sept 8

By Barbara Keller, DNR Big Game for the deer permit area or special hunts also need to apply for permits Program Leader, 651-259-5198. hunt area they declare. that are issued through a lottery. That The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 8. Hunters who purchase their license on or before this date are automatically entered into the lottery

Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer

application deadline is also Sept. 8.

More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the DNR website (mndnr. gov/Hunting/Deer) and in the 2022 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, which is available in print wherever DNR licenses are sold.

The Nicollet County Ledger is THE place to turn to find out what’s going on in the community, and it’s where you learn about decisions that affect you. It’s the place to catch up with people you know.

It’s a forum for sharing your opinions on issues important to you, and it’s where to find out what your neighbors think. Subscribe to the Ledger at 507-246-6248 or nicolletcountyledger.com.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Page 5

Nicollet County Ledger

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Focus on AG: 2022 Crop Yield Expectations are Quite Variable

Based on the USDA estimate of 81.8 million harvested acres of corn in the U.S. in 2022, that yield difference represents over 603 million bushels of corn. The 2022-23 U.S. corn ending stocks are currently estimated at just under 1.4 billion bushels, so a production decline of that level would potentially reduce corn carryout by 43 percent.

Generally, the state-by-state average corn yield estimates released by USDA in the August 12 Crop Report were higher than the yield projections released from the other crop tours and surveys. For example, USDA estimated Iowa’s 2022 crop yield at 205 bushels per acre, compared to yield estimates of 198 bushels per acre by Pro Farmer and 180 by DTN GroIntel.

The private company corn yield

projections for Nebraska and South Dakota were also much lower than the USDA yield projections that were based on crop conditions in early August, as compared to later in the month when drought conditions had intensified in some areas.

Corn yield projections for the current growing season were much more consistent in States such as Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

NASS estimated the 2022 U.S. national average soybean yield at 51.9 bushels per acre in the August 12 USDA Crop Report. This compares to national soybean yield estimates of 51.7 bushels per acre by Pro Farmer and 48.9 bushels per acre

by DTN GroIntel. The USDA 2022 yield estimate would potentially tie the record national average soybean

yield of 51.9 bushels per acre in 2016. Other recent national soybean average yields were 51.4 bushels per acre in 2021, 50.5 bushels per acre in 2020, 47.4 bushels per acre in 2019, 51.6 bushels per acre in 2018, and 49.1 bushels per acre in 2017.

Overall, the various state-by-state soybean yield projections appeared to be a bit more consistent than the corn estimates were. Once again, the drought conditions that have developed in the Western Corn Belt late in the 2022 growing season may have a large impact on final yields in some States.

Based on the August 22nd USDA Crop Progress Report, 55 percent of the corn crop in the U.S. rated “goodto-excellent”, which compares to a “good-to-excellent” rating of 60 percent at this point in 2021. The higher

crop ratings for corn dropped by two percent from the crop report issued a week earlier on August 15. The highest statewide “good-to-excellent” ratings were Wisconsin at 77 percent, Illinois at 70 percent, North Dakota at 68 percent, Minnesota at 67 percent, and Iowa at 66 percent.

The lowest “good-to-excellent” corn ratings were in Nebraska at 42 percent and South Dakota at 48 percent.

Nebraska had 32 percent of the corn acres listed as “poor-to-very poor”, with Ohio at 23 percent and South Dakota at 22 percent in the lower categories.

The weekly USDA crop ratings on August 22 listed 57 percent of the U.S. soybean crop as “good-toexcellent”, which was down from 58 percent a week earlier on August 15. A year ago, 56 percent of the

U.S. soybean crop was rated “goodto-excellent” in late August. The Midwest States with the greatest percent of soybean acreage in the higher categories were very similar to corn, with Wisconsin leading the way at 78 percent, followed by Illinois at 68 percent, Minnesota at 67 percent, and Iowa at 62 percent.

The soybean “good-to-excellent” ratings in other States included Ohio at 59 percent and North Dakota at 57 percent, with South Dakota and Indiana both at 55 percent. The lowest “good-to-excellent” rating in the Midwest was Nebraska at 46 percent, which also showed 22 percent in the “poor and “very poor” categories.

Many crop advisors point out that the 2022 national and statewide average corn and soybean yields

are very hard to predict, due to the wide variability in crop conditions across the region. Many of the portions of the western Corn Belt have been hard-hit by worsening drought conditions during late July and August, which could impact final statewide corn and soybean yield results. Other areas of the Midwest have started to receive more frequent rainfall events during August, which could help boost final yield results. Corn and soybeans in portions of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin were planted much later than normal this past Spring, so any type of widespread early frost event during the first three weeks of September could potentially impact final 2022 corn and soybean yield results in those States.

Harvest Your Garden Produce Safely • Wash with care: Some products donate, that’s why it’s important to

By Robin Trott, Douglas County local genic bacteria from animal feces materials in it that could leach into die off before it will be planted in the spring. like greens, melons, cucumbers, take safety precautions when donateducator; and Annalisa Hultberg, may spread harmful organisms in the plastic. your garden.

• Don’t harvest when you are zucchini, peppers, eggplant, and ing produce.

Extension educator, food safety Minnesota gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their vegetable gardening labor. As you harvest food for your own family, your neighbors, or for your wider community, it is important to make sure that food is safe from microorganisms that can make people sick.

Microorganisms are a natural part of the environment and most are beneficial or neutral for human and plant health. But pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites found in the feces of humans and animals, like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria, can spread to fresh produce and cause serious illness if eaten. It only takes a very small amount of E.coli to make many people seriously ill.

Fecal contamination of produce can be a problem whether you use organic or conventional gardening methods. Contaminated water, tools, animals and soil with patho-

The good thing is that basic food safety practices like hand washing and cleaning equipment go a long way in preventing foodborne illness from spreading via your garden produce. Follow these food safety practices to keep your harvest, family and friends safe this fall.

Before and during harvest • Wash your hands before you harvest, every time, using soap and water. The water does not need to be hot.

• Hand sanitizer is not a replacement for handwashing. Make sure there is a handwashing stand in the garden. See these plans for building a low-cost portable stand.

• Harvest into clean containers, like totes dedicated to harvesting, that are free from visible soil.

• Don’t use an old bag or other non-food-grade packaging.

• Don’t use a container that had treated seeds, chemicals or other

sick. If you have symptoms of illness like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, or those associated with COVID-19, do not harvest or touch produce for others.

• Look for signs of animals like scat, fur and nibbled produce, and do not harvest the produce that is close to these signs, or that has visible animal feces on it. Remember, you cannot fully wash off contamination, so don’t harvest anything that might be contaminated.

• If you use compost from animal sources (composted manure), use it with care, as it can contain high levels of pathogenic bacteria.

If you are using compost from a fully treated source like a bagged product from a store, it is generally low risk and safe to use. Manure from animals that is not fully treated, like from a barn that has been cleaned out, should be applied in the fall after harvest so that there is time for pathogenic microbes to

After harvest Storage temperature • Keep produce cool during storage and transport.

• Different produce should be kept at different temperatures.

Washing • Not all produce needs to be washed when harvested.

• The washing process can actually reduce the storage life of some produce. Water can spread contamination if it is left on the outside of the produce, or from sinks or buckets used for washing.

• Make sure the water you are using for washing is drinking water.

• Consumers should always wash fresh produce before eating, regardless of whether it’s already been washed in the garden or on the farm.

• Do not wash: Berries, herbs, storage onions, tomatoes and some other storage crops are generally not washed until ready to eat.

green beans might also not need to be washed outside, depending on how they were grown, recent rainfall, etc.

• Generally wash: Most root vegetables will need to be washed before going into the kitchen to remove sand and soil.

• Use a clean washing tank or container, clean water and clean hands when washing.

• Use a clean bucket or spray table outside to spray or dunk the produce to remove soil.

• Avoid bringing the produce into your home kitchen before using, as there is more potential for cross-contamination.

Donating produce If you are lucky enough to have a surplus of produce this fall, you might think about donating it to a food shelf, church or other hungerrelief organization. We have no way to know who will eat the food we

Packaging • Whatever you will be putting your fruits and vegetables in to transport them, make sure that it will not contaminate your produce.

• Use new, single-use or clean boxes or bags whenever possible.

Store them indoors in a secure location away from pests and other contaminants.

• If you reuse boxes, make sure they are in good shape, or consider using a plastic liner to reduce the potential for contamination.

Transport • Transport the produce in a clean vehicle that does not have garbage, chemicals or pet hair in it that could be a source of contamination.

• Temperature is very important for product quality and food safety.

Keep the produce as cool as possible from your farm to the final destination

Housing Crunch in Nicollet County

By Rob Lawson Publisher 612-460-5851 info@nicolletcountyledger.com According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), there is a shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes for America’s 10.8 million or more very low-income families.

There is currently no state or county where a renter working full-time at minimum wage can afford a twobedroom apartment, according to

their research. The situation for affordable housing remains grim at the moment, even in Nicollet County.

Michelle Connor is the Executive Director of Saint Peter Affordable Housing and she said there hasn’t been vacancies in years.

“I definitely have fielded more calls since the pandemic,” Connor said.

Connor’s organization provides low income housing.

An online search at ApartmentFinder.com, an aggregator of rentals listed available online,

yielded only 38 available units in the entire county. There were 5 listings in Saint Peter, 2 in Nicollet and 7 in North Mankato. Those figures include listings with multiple units available.

Organizations like South Central Minnesota Multi County HRA helps find affordable housing in Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Watonwan and Waseca counties through programs like Section 8. Their programs include Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), Family Self Sufficiency (FSS), HCV Ownership and Rental Assistance Program (RAP).

JFK holds Tie Dye Camp

The Nicollet JFK Dancers— boys and girls—held a Tie Dye Camp at the Nicollet American Legion Tuesday, August 23. The camp included hip hop dance,

coloring, tie dye butterflies and scrunchie, tattoos, and many memories and laughs. JFK director Brooke Mielke coached the camp.

In Los Angeles, California alone, it is estimated by some that there are around 60,000 or more individuals living on the streets homeless. Some are fleeing areas like Oakland and San Francisco to areas of Minnesota like Duluth. Chicago transplants have been moving here for years. Now many are leaving the Twin Cities and trying to make South Central Minnesota their home, but as demand has gone up so have prices. Availability has become scarce.

In Lafayette, a community of around 200 people, the situation is

tight too.

City Clerk Sandy Burger said both national and local factors play a role in the market there to some extent.

“We are landlocked as far as lots available,” she explained. “There are a few lots here and there but people are hanging on to them right now, so nothing for sale in town.

Other than that, it’s rural farm land.

Lafayette is kind of a bedroom community.”

Developers everywhere are hesitant, too.

“I have not been contacted by

anyone,” Burger said. “Houses that go up on the market go in a short time.”

Burger said people have moved from the Twin Cities to Lafayette in recent years and even from California and Pennsylvania. Saint Peter was one of the hottest markets recently according to real estate professionals like Zac Murra in Mankato, who operates American Way Realty and Zac Murra Rentals.

There are few, if any, available homes for sale in Lafayette, especially those that qualify for stringent FHA standards.

Courtland Youth Places in Dairy Showmanship

North Kato Lookout Drive Study Open House Ends

Brown County, placed seventh in his

By Ruth Klossner cowladyruth@gmail.com; (507) 240-0048 age group in dairy showmanship at

the Minnesota State Fair. Schroeder The Nicollet JFK season begins Alex Schroeder of Courtland, a exhibited a registered Holstein fall Monday, September 12. Classes member of the Milford 4-H Club in calf in the show. are held at the Nicollet Legion. For more information go to justforkix. com/danceclasses/nicollet-mn/.

NORTH MANKATO – Monday was the last day of public opinion for the Lookout Drive corridor study in North Mankato.

Early in August, a virtual open house was held to provide more public information concerning the corridor study in North Mankato.

Members of the community were welcome to submit their opinion about the study to officials about a variety of potential improvements to Lookout Drive.

The study looks at data mainly between 512th Street to Lee Boulevard where the bottom of Lookout Hill is. The goal is to analyze and assess any problems as well as determine if there are any alternative ways to improve transportation of all types in the corridor.

The virtual open house was held

by Mankato/North Mankato Area Planning Organization (MAPO), the local urban development group in the twin municipality area.

Alex Schroeder

YOUR AD HERE!

Run your ad statewide for $279. Call the Ledger at 507-246-6248.

Page 6

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Public Notices CITY OF LAFAYETTE The City of Lafayette is accepting sealed bids for the following: 2001 Chevy 2500 HD pickup truck.

Crew Cab Miles: approximately 173,115 Accessories included: 8 ft 2-inch Boss Power V Snow Plow Serial # BC030298 Truck will be sold as is, no warranties or guarantees.

Minimum bid of $9,000.00 is required.

Bids should be delivered in a

Nicollet County Ledger

Submit legal notices by noon Monday for that week’s newspaper.

The exception is weeks with a holiday, which moves the deadline to Sunday at 5 p.m. Call 507-246-6248 with any questions or email to info@nicolletcountyledger.com

sealed envelope clearly Marked to: City of Lafayette Chevy Truck—Attn: Public Works 791 Main Ave. Lafayette, MN 56054 Bids will be accepted until 12:00 PM, noon, on September 12, 2022.

All bids will be tabulated and presented to the City Council that night at the regular City Council meeting starting at 7:00 PM held at 791 Main Ave. Lafayette, MN 56054 The Lafayette City Council reserves the right to accept or deny

all or any bids.

Ordinance Amending the Zoning Code If you have comments, questions, concerns or objections, you are CITY OF LAFAYETTE requested to be present at the hearCOUNTY OF NICOLLET ing to make a statement.

STATE OF MINNESOTA Dated this 16th day of August, NOTICE OF PUBLIC 2022 HEARING SIGNED BY: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN Sandy Burger that a public hearing will be held before the City Council on the Lafayette City Clerk/Treasurer 12th day of September, 2022 in the Council Chambers at 791 Main Avenue at 7:00 pm to receive public CITY OF LAFAYETTE input on Ordinance 139 - An Interim COUNTY OF NICOLLET

STATE OF MINNESOTA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The Lafayette City Council, serving as the Board of Adjustments and Appeals, has called for a Public Hearing set for Monday, September 12, 2022 at 7:00 PM to be held in the Council Chambers at 791 Main Avenue, Lafayette, MN 56054.

The purpose of this hearing is for the consideration of a zone change submitted by Heimat Properties, LLC for the property at 351 6th

Street, Lafayette for the re-zoning of this property from Residential to Commercial; this notification is required by City Code 151.149.

If you have any comments, questions, concerns or objections, you are requested to either submit them in writing to the city clerk prior to the hearing or to be present at the hearing to make a statement.

Dated this 16th day of August, 2022 SIGNED BY: Sandy Burger Lafayette City Clerk/Treasurer

Lady Raiders volleyball team has limited experience

By Ruth Klossner cowladyruth@gmail.com (507) 240-0048

With 11 seniors—but only four returning letterwinners—it may take the Nicollet Raiders some time to put things together. Last year’s team graduated nine seniors who had the bulk of the playing time, so only four or five players are back with some varsity experience.

The team has 31 ninth through 12th graders, so coaches Sue Boddy, Lauryn Franta, and Melissa Larson have a lot of players to evaluate and

assign to A-, B-, and C-squads.

It’s Boddy’s third year as head coach but—still feeling the fallout from two years of Covid regulations—she noted, “It will feel like we are starting anew and learning everything all over again. My biggest takeaway from my past two years has been that we never know what the future holds or how things are going to lay out.”

She added, “I know that we have a very passionate and competitive group of girls coming into this year. With 11 seniors, I love to see these numbers in our small school

because it shows me that these girls are enjoying the sport, the program, and have all been learning and gaining something from the volleyball program.”

Senior Brooklyn Bode is the team’s top returner, giving the team a strong experienced middle.

Fellow seniors and letterwinners Ambria Hoffman and Jasmine Wilking provide some experience in the back row. Sophomore Leah Bode also lettered last year. Senior Shannon Soost and sophomore Savannah Klockziem have some varsity experience.

The team has just four juniors,

but brings in a very athletic group of nine sophomores.

With a week of practice and a scrimmage behind them, Raiders coaches found that serving will likely be the team’s strength.

“We are showing strong aggressive and consistent serves in practices and scrimmages,” Boddy said.

An area that needs work is setting, as the team graduated a very experienced server last year.

“Those are big shoes to fill, but I believe there are talented players that will step up and fill them,” Boddy said Although there are always tough

teams in the Valley Conference, Boddy is shooting for the Raiders to be in the top half of the conference.

As for the section, the coah said said, “We hope to make it through the first round of section play this year.”

She added, “This year’s goal is to enjoy this time with the team, have fun, and play as well as we can. We would like to end the season with a .500 record.”

Franta will coach the B-squad and Larson the C-squad. Both are back from last year.

The Raiders will play a

15-game schedule, along with two tournaments, starting Monday, August 29 and ending Monday, October 17—with section playoffs to follow.

B- and C-squad games will be played in conjunction with varsity games.

A full slate of junior high games is also scheduled, with the junior high often playing opposite the A/B/C games. (Junior high on the road when varsity games are home and vice versa.)

Junior high coaches are Sara Gieseke and Kari Rodman. Rodman is new to the program.

The 2022 Raider volleyball team has a big group of seniors—eleven. Front, from left: Ellie Matter, Emma Katelyn Soost set the ball during the first day of practice, last week Monday. In the background are Ali Drill, Morgan Arndt, Ambria Hoffman, and Jasmine Wilking. Back: Brooklyn Bode, Tiana Sand, Shannon Bruns, Morgan Arndt, and Olivia Lanz.

Soost, Olivia Lanz, Brynn Grommersch, and Theresa Rosin.

Allison Laven served at practice Monday, August 15. Also pictured: Sophia Johnson, Rylee Jennissen, and Checking out the master plan. Volleyball coaches Sara Gieseke, Lauryn Franta, and Sue Bode looked over Tiana Sand. the practice plans that Boddy and assistant coach Melissa Larson (not pictured) prepared.

CONTINUED FROM 1 – Corn & Hog Roast Yields Big Awards for Lafayette

Photos Submitted by Winthrop News. Fishing for corn! The Lafayette Lions prepared the corn in two round Miscommunication led the Lions to do some scrambling on Saturday. Brad DeBoer checks the temperature of cast iron pots. Jim Langhoff uses a fishing net to lift out a serving of ready corn as Norm Langhoff and Scott the boneless pork chops on his grill. The Lions had three grills and also filled the grill at Dave’s Place of Lafayette Portner watch. Photos by Doug Hanson to get started. Soon the Nicollet Sibley Pork Producers arrived and within an hour, cooking was back to normal.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Nicollet County Ledger

Page 7

Classified Ads & Professional Listings DEADLINE: MONDAY NOON BEFORE EACH THURSDAY’S NEWSPAPER (EXCEPT FOR ISSUES THAT FALL DURING A WEEK WITH A HOLIDAY)

Call: 507-246-6248 or send an email to info@nicolletcountyledger.com / Fax: 507-228-8779 / Drop off at: 766 Main Ave., Lafayette

Page 8

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Nicollet County Ledger

NPS Welcomes New Principal

By Karen Fluegge (507) 469-9155

Nicollet Public School welcomed Robin Courrier as its new principal last month. She was called and offered the interim position about August 10 after NPS’ former principal decided to take a position in New Ulm. Luckily for Nicollet, Courrier had been in retirement from the Mankato School District for about a year when she received the call and agreed to start almost immediately. She comes to Nicollet with a solid background of education, plus years of experience in teaching and administration.

Courrier graduated from Deer River High School in Deer River, Minnesota. She continued her education at Itasca Community ­ College in Grand Rapids before attending Minnesota State University, Mankato. She earned

her bachelor’s degree in elementary and early childhood education, a master’s degree in special education, and a specialist’s degree for K-12 administration, all from MSU, Mankato.

She was in teaching and administration for about 37 years, 32 with the Mankato Public School system.

Courrier began her teaching career at Deer River by teaching second grade. Over the years, she taught at a number of schools. She taught first grade for four years at Lake Crystal Elementary; first, second, and third grades at Roosevelt Elementary School in Mankato; art, music and sixth grade math at Bridges Community School in North Mankato; and third grade at Eagle Lake Elementary School.

She also served as assistant to the principal at Franklin Elementary School and Garfield Elementary School, both Mankato

Public Schools.

During Courrier’s time at Bridges Community School, she was the lead teacher and later its principal.

“Being the lead teacher was being an acting principal, because they did not have a principal until I was given that position. Bridges has a very collaborative environment for decision making. They have a great partnership between parents and the staff. Actually, that is what intrigues me about Nicollet—I know the dedication this community has to this school.

That was probably the most important reason I was interested in coming here,” Courrier said.

Courrier also has had a strong association in the local and state unions. She was president of the Mankato teachers’ association for about 15 years, and a member of the Education Minnesota Governing Board. In addition, she

served for six years as an elected board member with the National Education Association (NEA).

“My main goal here is to learn the system and build on what the community has started by making it a great learning experience for preschool through 12th grade.

I have been busy meeting people and learning how things work here,” Courrier added.

She said that the part of her career that she is most proud of is all about the students.

“They have made my job fun and challenging. I am proud of every one of them.”

Robin is also proud of her husband, Chad, who is the sports editor for the Mankato Free Press. They have two daughters. Maddison is an MSU, Mankato graduate and currently works with Blue Earth County. Her husband, Bart, just graduated from Marine basic training in July. They live in Kasota.

The Courrier’s second daughter, Jenna, is 21 and is working on her bachelors of nursing degree at Rasmussen University in Mankato.

Courrier was born in Orange County, California, and moved to Minnesota with her parent and three older sisters when she was 14 years old. It was quite the adventure for an eighth grader at the time.

Everyone soon liked it here and all still are residents of Minnesota.

Robin said that, when she does get some leisure time, she likes to spend it reading, taking care of their new puppy, and traveling.

She also enjoys working at the Minnesota State Fair on weekends in the Alphabet Forest.

Courrier concluded that she is happy to be invited back and out NPS Principal Robin Courrier of retirement as she loves to learn.

“I want to thank the district for inviting me and giving me this and getting to know the students. opportunity. I am looking for- Hopefully, they will be patient ward to the first day of school while I learn their names,” she said.

Lady Raiders drop three straight in season opener

By Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048

For the most part, Friday eveIt was one of those nights when nothing seemed to go right—and the Raiders couldn’t get a break.

Numerous lift calls, along with rotation problems and missed plays piled up to result in a three-game loss for the Nicollet girls at Cedar Mountain Monday.

It definitely looked like a seasonopening game for the Raiders— while the Cougars played well.

“It’s not how you want to start a season,” coach Sue Boddy said.

“We know what we need to work on and some changes that need to be made.”

B-squad The Raider B-squad girls held the lead through about half of the first set at Cedar Mountain Monday, but things took a turn at that point.

After being ahead 12-9, the game slipped away for the Raiders. Cedar Mountain then took control of the

game, getting the 25-20 win, and dominated the second game.

Raider coach Lauryn Franta commented, however, “I wasn’t disappointed in how we played. I think both the girls and I learned a lot about what we need to work on.

None of these girls have played all together at once on a court, so that takes some adjusting and getting used to.”

She continued, “We need to work on communication and transitioning because that’s what really hurt us tonight. We did a good job of being aggressive and we had some nice serves. It will be good to have a week and a half of practice to better ourselves before the next game.”

Cedar Mountain Match: 20-25, 12-25. Team leaders.

Attacks/Kills: Cason Forbrook 9/4.

Digs: Allison Laven 3, Kamryn Truebenbach 3. Sets: Truebenbach 9, Emmie Hardel 6. Serves: Hardel 4 aces, Truebenbach 2 aces, Ali Bruns 1 ace. Serve Receive/Passing: Savannah Klockziem.

C-squad The Nicollet C-squad lost 1-2 at Cedar Mountain Monday night.

“We learned a lot from that first game,” coach Melissa Larson said.

“We did some things well and there are things we need to work on.”

Cedar Mountain Match: 13-25, 25-22, 5-15. Team leaders. Kills: Marilyn Pena, Sophia Johnson.

Serves: Kamryn Truebenbach 4/5, 2 aces; Kendra Flitter 5/6, 1 ace; Brooke Stoll 7/9, 1 ace. Passing: Stoll.

Cedar Mt. 3, Nicollet 0 12-25, 10-25, 9-25

Cedar Mountain Match stats Attacks/Kills: Shannon Soost 6/6; Brooklyn Bode 3/3 Digs: Ambria Hoffman 3 Set/Assists: Mia Lambrecht 10 Serve points/aces: Bode 5/3; Emma Drill 6/1; Jasmine Wilking 4/1 Blocks: Leah Bode 1 Serve Receive/Passing: Soost

Mia Lambrecht followed the ball after hitting it against Cedar Mountain Monday night. Lambrecht Shannon Soost led the Raiders with six attacks and led the Raiders with 10 set/assists. six kills against Cedar Mountain.

Raiders Defeat WWG on Last Second Touchdown

We struggled defensively early on. know we need to work on and get 2022 Raider Raider Football Football Offensively we made some big plays addressed during practice this week, 7:00 p.m. p.m. games games 7:00 Thurs., Sept.

Sept. 1—at 1—at Cedar CedarMountain Mountain Thurs., to keep ourselves in the game.” but it is always nice to start a season Fri., Sept.

Sept. 9—host 9—host Sl. Sl.Eye EyeSt. St.Mary’s Mary’s(Parents’ (Parents’Night) Night) Fri., Fri., Sept.

Sept. 16—host 16—host GHEC-Truman GHEC-Truman(Homecoming) (Homecoming) Fri., For the most part, Friday eveHe added, “There are things we off with a win.”

Fri., Sept.

Sept. 23—host 23—host Madelia Madelia Fri., ning’s grid contest was a back and Fri., Sept.

Sept. 30—open 30—open week week Fri., Fri., Oct. Oct. 7—host 7—host Lanesboro Lanesboro Fri., forth affair—with Nicollet and Thurs., Thurs., Oct. Oct. 13—at 13—at Renville RenvilleCo. Co.West West(Danube) (Danube) Wed., Oct. Oct. 19—host 19—hostMountain MountainLake LakeArea Area NICOLLET 40, WWG 38 Westbrook-Walnut Grove trading G A M E S TATG S A M E S TAT SWed., N ICOLLET 40, WWG 38 Oct. Oct. 25, 25, Oct. Oct. 29 29 & &Nov. Nov.4—Section 4—SectionGames Games touchdowns—but the Raiders scored 26 Nicollet Total Yardage: 412 FRIDAY, AUGUST 26FRIDAY, AUGUSTNicollet Total Yardage: 412 the big touchdown when it mattered.

Rushing: 209 yards Down 34-38 in the final minutes, Rushing: 209 yards Carries Yards TDS Carries Yards TDS Nicollet High High School School Football Roster Roster Nicollet dug deep to come out with Nick Slater 18 139 2 Football G A M E S C O R I N G Nick Slater 18 139 2 Seniors Seniors G A M40, E S C O R38 ING G A M E S TAT S Conner MartensAustyn Kramer, 5 Austin 52 Northquest, the win.

NICOLLET WWG Conner Martens 5 52 Austin Northquest, Jonathon Jonathon Petersen, Petersen, Justin Justin Rist, Rist, Justin Slater Justin Slater 6 & Dominic 23 Stoecker Dominic Stoecker Raider coach Cory Jans WWG. Qtr (11:24)—34-ydJustin pass TD. Slater 6 23 FRIDAY , A(11:24)—34-yd UGUSTWWG. 26 1st 1st Qtr pass TD. Juniors Juniors Nicollet Total Yardage: 412 2-play, 57-yd drive. 2-pt PAT good.

Passing: 203 yards Gavin explained, “We forced a punt with Gavin Bode, Bode, Jake Jake Engel, Engel, Logan Logan Epper, Epper, Trenton Trenton Havemeier, Havemeier,Conner Conner 2-play, 57-yd drive. 2-pt PAT good.

Passing: 203 yards Martens & Northquest Passes Yards TDS Martens & Brecken Brecken Northquest 0-8 Rushing: 209 yards Passes Yards TDS 2:25 left on the clock to give our0-8 Nick Slater 15/30 203 Sophomores 2 Nic. 1st Qtr (10:42)—Conner Martens, Sophomores Carries Yards TDS Nick Slater 15/30 203 2 Hunter Martens, Hunter Erickson, Erickson, Riley Riley Rosin, Rosin, Nick Nick Slater Slater & & Isaac IsaacSlater Slater selves a chance to win. When we Nic. 1st Qtr (10:42)—Conner 55-yd pass TD from Nick NickSlater; Slater218 Receiving 139 2 55-yd pass TD from Nick Slater; 2Freshmen G A M E S C O R I N G Freshmen Receiving Catches Yards TDS drove the ball down to the 27-yard play, 55-yd drive. 2-ptConner good. Martens 8-8 5 52 Keegan Hulke, AJ Kramer, Talan Osborne, Henry Oscarson, Colton Keegan Hulke, AJ Kramer, Talan Osborne, Henry Oscarson, Colton Catches Yards TDS play, 55-yd drive. 2-pt good.

8-8 Roberts, Conner MartensRengstorf, 9 Dawson 154 2 Rosin, Rengstorf, Dawson Roberts, Dietrich Dietrich Rosin, Carter Carter Wills Wills &&Jacksen Jacksen WWG. 1st Qtr (4:04)—4-yd run TD. 15Justin Slater line, WWG took a timeout withWWG. 1st Qtr Conner Martens6 923 154 2 Wills WWG. 1st(11:24)—34-yd Qtr (4:04)—4-ydpass run TD. 15Wills Justin Slater 3 27 play, 64-yd drive. 2-pt PATJustin good.857-yd drive.

2-pt PAT good.

3 27 Passing: 203Slater yards 0:02 on the clock after we ran a 2-play, play, 64-yd drive.

2-pt PAT good.8Eighth Graders Graders Colton Rengstorf 2 14 Eighth 16 Riley Riley Becker, Becker, Ray Ray Busch, Busch, Henry Henry Carleton, Carleton, Landyn Landyn Erickson, Erickson,Jordan Jordan Passes 2Yards 14 TDS Colton Rengstorf 0-8 16 play out of bounds. We talked durGoettlicher, Gavin Bode 1 Blake 8 Henry Goettlicher, Blake Hawker, Hawker, Henry Kennedy, Kennedy, Carson Carson Kettner, Kettner, Matt Matt Nic. 1st Qtr (3:49)—Martens, 70-yd KO NickGavin Slater Bode 15/30 1203 8 2 Nic. Nic. 1st Qtr Martens, Klingerman, Max Kuttner, Logan Lanz & Bo Maas 1st(10:42)—Conner Qtr (3:49)—Martens, 70-yd KO Klingerman, Max Kuttner, Logan Lanz & Bo Maas return2-TD. 2-pt PAT failed.

14-16 ing the timeout about what we were 55-ydreturn passTD. TD 2-pt fromPAT Nickfailed.

Slater; 14-16 Defense Seventh Graders Receiving Graders WWG. 2rd Qtr (7:21)—35-yd run TD. Defense going to do. The play broke down play, Tackles Cole Sacks Seventh Int/FR Forbrook, Catches Yards TDS 55-yd 2-pt good.

Aidan WWG. 2rd drive.

Qtr (7:21)—35-yd run8-8 TD. Aidan Bruns, Bruns, Cole Dallmann, Dallmann, Kade Kade Forbrook,Jordan JordanLaven Laven&&Landyn Landyn Tackles Sacks Int/FR 1-play, 35-yd drive.

2-pt.

PAT good.

Trussell Nick Slater 12 Conner Martens 9 154 2 Trussell Qtr (4:04)—4-yd run TD. but Nick (Slater) improvised andWWG. 1st 1-play, 35-yd drive. 2-pt.

PAT15good.

Nick Slater 12Talan Osborne 14-24 11 Justin Slater 3 27 64-yd drive. 2-pt PAT good.8Talanrun Osborne 11Justin Slater sent a heave to the endzone where play,14-24 Nic. 2nd Qtr (6:06)—Slater, 21-yd 9 1 Colton Rengstorf 2 14 16 Nic. 2nd Qtr (6:06)—Slater, 21-yd run Justin Slater 9 1 TD. 4-play, 63-yd drive.

2-pt Bode PAT Connor (Martens) made the catchNic. 1st TD. Colton Rengstorf 7 Gavin 1 8 Qtr (3:49)—Martens, 70-yd 4-play, 63-yd drive.

2-ptKO PAT Colton Rengstorf 7 20-24 Connor Martens 6 2 Int to win the game with no time left return TD. 2-pt PAT failed. failed.

14-16 failed.

20-24 Connor Martens 6Austyn Kramer 2 Int 6 WWG. 2rd Qtr (2:29)—4-yd pass TD. Defense WWG. 2rd Qtr runpass TD. Austyn Kramer 6Trenton WWG. 2rd(7:21)—35-yd Qtr (2:29)—4-yd TD. on the clock.”

Tackles Sacks Int/FRHavemeier 5 9-play, 76-yd drive. 2-pt. PAT good.

35-yd drive.

2-pt.2-pt.

PAT good.

Havemeier 9-play, 76-yd drive.

PAT good.

NickTrenton Slater 12 5Gavin Bode It had been a high scoring first 1-play, 4 20-32 14-24 Gavin Bode 20-32 Talan Osborne 11 4Justin Rist 4 Nic. 3rdrun Qtr (8:23)—Martens, Justin 85-yd Rist inhalf—with 52 points tallied betweenNic. Nic. 4 2nd Qtr (6:06)—Slater, 21-yd Justin Slater 9 1 3rd Qtr (8:23)—Martens, 85-yd inHenry Oscarson 3 terception return TD. 2-pt PAT good. the teams—before the Raiders made TD. 4-play, Henry Oscarson 3 63-yd drive.

Colton Rengstorf 7 terception return TD.2-pt 2-ptPAT PAT good.

28-32 20-24 Connor Martens 6 2 Int 28-32 some defensive adjustments at the failed.

WWG. 3rd Qtr (0:24)—60-yd run TD. Austyn Kramer 6 2rd Qtr pass TD. WWG. 3rd(2:29)—4-yd Qtr (0:24)—60-yd run TD. break. That held WWG to just sixWWG. 1-play, 60-yd drive.

2-pt.

PAT failed.

Trenton Havemeier 5 9-play, 76-yd drive.

2-pt.2-pt.

PAT PAT good.

1-play, 60-yd drive. failed.

28-38 points in the second half, while Gavin Bode 4 20-32 28-38 Nic. 4th Qtr (6:23)—Slater, 20-yd run Justin Rist 4 Nicollet put several scoring drivesNic. Nic. 3rd Qtr 85-yd in-run 4th(8:23)—Martens, Qtr (6:23)—Slater, 20-yd How sweet it is! Only two secTD.good.

9-play, 50-yd drive.

2-ptOscarson PAT Henry 3 terception return50-yd TD. 2-pt PAT TD. 9-play, drive.

2-pt PAT together. onds earlier, the Raiders had failed.

34-38 28-32 failed.

34-38 Of the game as a whole, Jans said, Nic. 4thTD. Qtr (0:00)—Martens, 27-yd trailed 34-38 but a Nick Slater WWG. run Nic.3rd 4thQtr Qtr(0:24)—60-yd (0:00)—Martens, 27-yd pass from Slater TD. 13 play, 78-yd “The guys played with all their hearts 1-play, 60-yd 2-pt. failed. heave into the end zone, caught pass fromdrive.

Slater TD.PAT 13 play, 78-yd drive.

40-38 and battled all the way through the 28-38 drive.

40-38

by Conner Martens, gave Nicollet game to come back and get the win.Nic. 4th Qtr (6:23)—Slater, 20-yd run the season opener win.

TD. 9-play, 50-yd drive. 2-pt PAT

By Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048

failed.

34-38 Nic. 4th Qtr (0:00)—Martens, 27-yd pass from Slater TD. 13 play, 78-yd Blazing Fast drive.

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