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Owatonna People's Press
Kids get dramatic at LTO's theatre camp
What do you get when you combine two best friends with a summer off and a passion for all things theater? You get the Little Theatre of Owatonna Summer Theatre Camp, back for its second year under the leadership of friends Maggie Jones and Jamie Jennissen. Before the two women prepare to return to their teaching jobs at St. Mary’s School — Jones as the music teacher and Jennissen as the library teacher — the pair has been spending the last week instilling the love...
Kids become 'honorary owls' at library event
A lucky bunch of local kids found themselves declared “honorary owls” at the Owatonna Public Library’s latest animal program. Jo Severson, an educator from the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota, visited the library Thursday morning, bringing along a great horned owl named Ruby for kids to meet. With a wingspan of four feet, Ruby weighs a mere four pounds. Despite their size, great horned owls are mostly hollow bones...
Manthey Park among locations for Inclusive Day of Play
Owatonna is known for its many parks, and one of them is being recognized for being inclusive and accessible to all children. Manthey Park is one of the several parks around Minnesota that is participating in Gillette Children’s Inclusive Day of Play on Saturday, July 27. The park is included on Gillette Children’s inclusive play map along with other participating inclusive parks. “We want to get as many families across...
Owatonna VFW's season comes to an end after losses against Mayo
The Owatonna VFW baseball team’s season came to a close last weekend in the playoffs as they traveled to Rochester and played four games, winning two. Their first game was against Rochester Lourdes, winning 12-1. After losing to Rochester Mayo 18-6, they played against Rochester Lourdes and won 5-4. Owatonna had another chance to beat Mayo, but they lost 9-8 in a thriller which ended in a walk-off and ended their season. ...
Blooming Prairie DQ reopens grill, indoor dining coming soon
The wait is finally over. After closing for over two months for repairs, the Dairy Queen in Blooming Prairie began serving its full menu last week. While service is currently limited to drive-thru and outdoor dining, Jamie Klemmensen, who owns the restaurant with her husband Jay, hopes to offer the complete DQ experience soon, indoor dining included. Dairy Queen began serving ice cream again June 5. Customers packed the drive-thru,...
Lake Kohlmier temporarily closed due to E. coli
Lake Kohlmier closed without warning Thursday after test results showed high levels of bacteria. The city of Owatonna notified the public early Thursday afternoon that the lake would be closed until further notice. “Bacteria levels in a lake fluctuate based on various factors, such as heavy rain or wind, time of day, amount of people visiting the beach, beach wildlife, and physical characteristics of the beach,” the notification read. “At...
Local authorities staying vigilant on election security
As cybersecurity and election infrastructure experts raise alarms about attacks to election security, local authorities are working to stay on top of evolving threats. These threats can come in many forms, both physical and digital, from ransomware attacks on local governments to violence and harassment at polling places. Earlier this month, the Steele County Board of Commissioners approved the installation of safety glass in the property tax and elections department,...
Aces close out regular season with win over Blue Jays
The Owatonna Aces looked to bounce back on Monday night and avoid losing three straight home games after losses to the Wanamingo Jacks and the Dodge County Diamondbacks over the weekend. The faced off against the Austin Blue Jays on Monday night, with the game starting late and lasting only seven innings. After falling behind early, the Aces quickly tied the game up and took the lead, as they won 6-3 over the Blue Jays. ...
POLICE: Man responsible for I-35 standoff found with 44 pounds of meth
A Minneapolis man is facing five felony charges after police say he attempted to import 44 pounds of meth from California and then engaged in a standoff with law enforcement that forced the closure of Interstate 35 near Faribault on Sunday for more than four hours. According to the criminal complaint, an agent with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (SMVCET) learned on July 21 that Donald Ray Sanderson, 41, would be returning to Minnesota from California. ...
New Wilson principal ready to meet students, families
Wilson Elementary students won’t have to be sent to the office to meet their new principal. Cassie Mitchell, who officially joined the district July 1, aims to be a very visible principal — and pal — for all the students in the building. “I got into teaching because I loved being around the students. I don’t love being in the office,” said Mitchell. “I love going to lunch with the...
Owatonna Silver Streaks senior softball wins last home game of the season
The Owatonna Silver Streaks senior softball team played their last home game of the season on Tuesday morning. They played against Cannon Falls, who have improved since the start of the season. It was overcast all morning and the teams played through a light rainfall for a couple innings. Owatonna had the lead for most of the game and led 15-6 going into the 9th inning. Cannon Falls scored one...
Jiu-jitsu studio opens in Owatonna
Whether they came out on top of their matches or ended up pinned to the mat, the first students of The Flow Lab walked away with smiles on their faces. The newly opened martial arts studio teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a combat sport growing in popularity around the world. The Flow Lab celebrated its opening day Monday in Owatonna, bringing a longtime dream to life for Head Coach Matt Lumsden, of St. Peter. ...
Exchange Club delivers comfort to veterans through coffee drive
Thanks to local volunteers, veterans can enjoy a hot cup of coffee while they await care. The Exchange Club of Owatonna donated over 100 cans of coffee to the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis earlier this month. The coffee will be available free of charge for veterans and their guests. VA Voluntary Services will distribute a portion of the donation to veterans clinics in communities including Albert Lea, Rochester and...
Legion Post 77 wins postseason matchup against Byron
It took just a day for the Owatonna American Legion Post 77 baseball team to rebound after their loss against Albert Lea on Sunday night as it took on Byron in an elimination game Monday night. After being down 3-2 in the third inning, Owatonna scored four runs in the inning to take a 6-3 lead and kept the lead throughout the game as they beat Byron 8-4. Owatonna took...
Aces drop two games in return to Fuller Field
The Owatonna Aces returned to Chuck Fuller Field for a pair of games this last weekend after not having a game at home since July 3. The Aces played the Wanamingo Jacks on Friday night and lost to them 9-3. They then played against the Dodge County Diamondbacks in a high-scoring battle on Saturday, losing 24-14. The matchup against the Diamondbacks was a make-up game from July 10. Versus Wanamingo ...
UWSC welcomes families for community picnic
Nothing brings people together quite like food. Community members of all ages gathered Sunday afternoon in Fairgrounds Park for the second annual United Way of Steele County picnic, drawn by the promise of sizzling hot dogs and other summer picnic staples. Volunteers kept the food coming, with 200 hot dogs available to feed anyone who showed up. ...
Legion Post 77 falls to Albert Lea in first game of postseason
Playoff baseball started this weekend for Owatonna as the American Legion Post 77 club faced off against Albert Lea on Sunday night. Out of the 10teams in Owatonna’s section, eight were eligible for the playoffs. Owatonna was the fourth-ranked team in the regular season so they got to host the Sunday game versus Albert Lea at home, but ended up falling to Albert Lea 11-5. Both teams scored in the...
Local artist sharing healing 'garden party' installation at Arts Center
With each person that engages with her work, local artist Andi Lynn Arnold hopes she’s planting a seed. Her new installation at the Owatonna Arts Center, “In the Garden of Life, Light and Growth,” explores the parallels between life and the ever-changing cycles of nature. Inspired by Arnold’s passion for gardening, it tells a story of grief, hope and change through a series of prints. The show was supported by an individual artist grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council. ...
Medford School Board talks decreasing enrollment, roof maintenance
Enrollment is expected to continue a downward trend at Medford Public School in 2024-25, according to the superintendent’s update at the most recent School Board meeting. The first item for discussion at the July 25 meeting was enrollment levels at Medford School. Chairperson Jackie Berg brought up the discussion to Superintendent Mark Ristau. Ristau reported the enrollment levels are lower this year. Attendance is at 848 for the 2024-25 school...
Hours long Sunday standoff shuts down I-35
An incident that started Sunday as a vehicle pursuit ended hours later following a standoff on Interstate 35. Shortly before 3 p.m., the Rice County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team with an armed suspect who was involved in a vehicle pursuit that started in southern Minnesota. The vehicle stopped south of Faribault city limits in the northbound lanes of I-35 after hitting spike strips that...
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