Using a probing rod, Fred Simon searched around his great-grandmother’s headstone in the Czech Republic. All of a sudden, he hit something. About a foot below the surface, Simon had found the footstone of his great-grandfather, Josef Polacek. This would be the first of several discoveries about Czech heritage by Simon, who became president of the Czech Heritage Club on Wednesday and presented to a roomful of people at the Rice County Historical Society on Thursday. ...

Thursday afternoon, the Tri-City United golf team traveled to New Ulm to battle a loaded field and brutal winds in a six-team invitational hosted by the Eagles. The boys, led by Eian O’Keefe finished with a team score of 403 in the 18-hole event while the duo of girls, led by Payton Huffman, finished with a combined score of 231. O’Keefe’s team-leading round of 86 featured five pars including three of the last five holes. Trenton Pelowski finished second among the Titans golfers, posting a...

The races for Minnesota’s the 1st and 2nd congressional districts could be hotly contested this year. The 2nd District has come to be seen as Minnesota’s marquee swing district, given its mix of inner ring and outer ring suburbs, as well as rural areas. The district stretches into northern and western Rice County, including Lonsdale, Northfield, Dundas and Morristown. While the seat has been held by DFL Rep. Angie Craig...

Monday night, the Tri-City United baseball team hosted the Le Sueur-Henderson Giants in a Minnesota River Conference showdown. LS-H built a 3-0 lead over the first three innings before a nine-run fifth pushed the Giants to a 12-0 victory. With the victory, Le Sueur-Henderson improves to 5-0 (3-0 MRC) on the season while the loss drops TCU to 1-4 (1-3 MRC). The Giants Logan Feeney earned the victory on the...

When Lisa Stevens, a retired forklift driver at Post Consumer Brands, signed up to be a homemaker for Aging Services for Communities a year ago, she had no idea how much the experience would deepen her insight into the needs of other less fortunate community members. Stevens, who lives in Dundas, said she contacted Aging Services, headquartered in Montgomery, after seeing an ad on Facebook looking for people who wanted to make “extra money and a difference for the aging and disabled.” ...

Update: This article has been updated to contain the accurate data for years 2021 and 2023. Lonsdale Police Chief Jason Schmitz sarcastically gave “thanks to the Defund the Police Movement” for the recent shortage of new police officers during his annual report to the Lonsdale City Council Thursday evening. Schmitz’s department has been looking to fill a full-time position for months and, since September, his report said the department has...

Restrictions on marijuana use appear to be likely coming to parks and other public spaces in Rice County. Rice County commissioners said Tuesday they were in favor of enacting some public use restrictions on county property — primarily outside of city limits but also on the Rice County Fairgrounds in Faribault. County Environmental Services Director Julie Runkel asked commissioners if they wished to limit where the now-legalized drug can be...

Saturday morning, the Tri-City United track and field team joined the rest of the Minnesota River Conference programs in Mankato for an indoor meet. The Titans boys and girls teams both finished third with 91 and 96 points respectively, finishing just eight and three points behind Sibley East for second. Highlights for the girls included a fourth place finish for Alexis Marcussen (8.05) in the 55 meter dash followed by a first-place finish in the 200m dash by Kaitlyn Hartwig with a time of 28.44....

After having Tuesday night’s season opener canceled due to weather, the Tri-City United baseball team got the opportunity to open its season Thursday night at Lester Prairie. The Titans were clearly chomping at the bit to get started, as they cruised to a 13-0 victory on the arm of Max Krautkremer, who threw a five-inning no hitter with 12 strikeouts, as well as a four-RBI day from Parker O’Malley. TCU...

Outside of Japan, the highest-ranking member of the karate style, known as Okinawan Shorin Ryu Mukenkai, is passing his knowledge to a new generation, right in the small town of Lonsdale. During his 18 years of study in Japan, Tim Jerges trained under the head member of the karate style, which he said is one of karate’s original forms. He offers two weekly classes for a small monthly fee in the American Legion Post 586. ...

Nineteen new jobs with pay ranging from $22.81 an hour all the way up to $45.67 could come to Lonsdale. The jobs would come alongside a two-year expansion of Minnesota Millwork & Fixtures, given things go smoothly with the joint grant application submitted by the Lonsdale City Council after receiving approval at Thursday night’s meeting. The project includes $8.3 million of construction and equipment and more than 50,000 square feet of new space for the company. ...

A radar can only see so much. As National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen Warning Coordinator and Meteorologist Todd Krause explained, it takes reliable and alert storm spotters to know what’s really going on. Krause was speaking during a storm-spotter training for Rice County Skywarn Thursday night at Buckham West Library in Faribault. “We’re looking at...

A Lonsdale man allegedly assaulted a woman he knows in Faribault, damaged her residence, ran from police. Upon his release from jail he allegedly violated a restraining order and resisted arrest. Joshua Nathaniel Helzer Stolte, 23, was first arrested Tuesday afternoon. A woman told Faribault police officers Stolte repeatedly hit her in the head with a pillow, pinched her arms and legs, pulled her hair and blocked her from leaving the room. The woman had bruises on her arms and legs that she said were...

The Tri-City United track and field team began its 2024 campaign Saturday night on the indoor track at Minnesota State University — Mankato. With several first-place finishes and solid performances all around, the Titan girls finished second while the boys team finished fourth. In the 55 meter dash, Lexi Marcussen finished second with a time of 8:12 before Kaitlyn Hartwig earned first in the 200m dash with a time of 29.27. Defending MSHSL state champion Carly Hartwig finished first in the 400m dash with a...