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The Kenyon Leader
K-W cheerleader makes All-State
Kenyon-Wanamingo may not be well known for cheerleading throughout the state, but one local athlete may be on her way to changing that. During the competitive cheer season, which wrapped up in early February, the Minnesota Cheerleading Coaches Association (MCCA) named K-W cheerleader McKinley Budahn to the 2023-24 All State Competitive Team. Budahn was one of 22 athletes that made the cut throughout the whole state, of the 59 that...
Goodhue County board reviews youth homelessness, prevention program
Thanks to the Local Homeless Prevention Aid program created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2021, Goodhue County’s Social Services Department has made major strides over the last year in implementing a comprehensive strategy to reduce youth homelessness. Social Services Supervisor Katie Quinn updated the County Board on Goodhue County’s use of program funds, which were first allocated last year based on a formula weighted toward numbers provided by local school districts on students experiencing homelessness. ...
Music festival unites Gopher Conference at K-W
In the minutes leading up to the performance, the voices of students warming up could still be heard echoing through the halls of Kenyon-Wanamingo High School. Those hours of preparation paid off at the Gopher All-Conference Music Festival and Fine Arts Showcase, where K-W choir and band students performed alongside students from the 11 other schools in the conference. The Honor Band and Choir — composed of students from the...
A state and local preview of the 2024 legislative session
After a historic 2023 legislative session, which saw DFL majorities enact a sweeping policy agenda and use most of a record $17.5 billion surplus to make major public investments from education and health care to transportation and housing, local legislators are gearing up for a 2024 session that is likely to be, at least by comparison, briefer and more modest in scope. While the session won’t begin in full force until Feb. 12, key committees have already met, as legislators prepare to debate several hot...
Families enjoy snowy activities at ECFE Winter Festival
While the weather has offered an unusually small amount of snow and cold this winter, Kenyon-Wanamingo Early Childhood Family Education’s annual Winter Festival returned for another year of frosty fun. Hosted at Kenyon-Wanamingo Elementary School on Thursday night, the ECFE Winter Festival treated kids and their parents to snow-themed activities and snacks, but it also served a variety of important functions. Morgan Burow, a preschool teacher who helped oversee the...
K-W board gives positive review of Superintendent Giese
At roughly the halfway point in her first year with Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools, Superintendent Beth Giese passed her first performance review with flying colors. Utilizing an open format for the evaluation at Giese’s request, board members offered praise for the superintendent’s work in almost all key areas, from managing a challenging fiscal situation with aplomb to effectively and clearly communicating with the board and the public. Hired last year, Giese...
Local company refurbishes Depot Park building
Though it looks the same from the outside, the historic Kenyon Depot continues to grow and change with the times. Depot Park recently received an update courtesy of River City Builders and Millworks. The Nerstrand-based company donated and installed new cabinets, shelves and countertops in the depot building’s kitchen area in mid-December. “We’re very fortunate that they took on the project,” said City Council Member Kim Helgeson, who serves on...
KAN-DO ATTITUDE: How K-W activities are broadcasted worldwide
It was October 13, 2020. The Cannon Falls High School volleyball team was in town to take on Kenyon-Wanamingo. Kirby VanDeWalker was in attendance, as he often is at Knights activities. Something caught VanDeWalker’s eyes as he gazed out over the gym. ...
Developers propose transformation of former Kenyon Senior Living campus into apartments
At its first meeting of 2024, the Kenyon City Council heard from local development firm Rebound Partners about an ambitious plan to replace the old Kenyon Senior Living campus with about 50 market rate rental units in a three-phase project for which it’s looking for community buy-in. Alongside colleagues from their firm and from Faribault’s G&H Properties, Rebound’s Brett Reese and Janna Viscomi touted the multiple successful real estate ventures their firm has put together, in sectors ranging from commercial to residential to retail to...
Local dairy farms decrease, but production remains steady
After enjoying a nicely profitable 2022, thanks to record high milk prices, local dairies struggled last year, as prices dropped while input costs increased, pushing some farmers out of the industry while others relied on federal help to balance the books. With global demand for milk slowing, particularly in China, which has accounted for one-fifth of dairy exports in recent years, milk prices have dropped to $21.70 per hundred pounds in November compared to $25.40 per hundred pounds a year prior. ...
Kenyon Library gets financial boost from Dennison Lions
DONATION POLICY The Kenyon Public Library’s full policy for donated materials is available here: shorturl.at/ALR39 7b2d3c4a-f971-4c00-9fca-2684f1e50479 Libraries provide a host of free services to the public, but they can’t do that without support from the community. The Kenyon Public Library...
Wanamingo's Reckitt-Mead Johnson shares plan to regulate wastewater acidity
After warning Reckitt-Mead Johnson last month about continued apparent failures to properly regulate wastewater acidity, Wanamingo received a response shortly before its first council meeting of the year detailing the steps the company is taking to resolve the situation. Located on the north end of town, Wanamingo’s Reckitt-Mead Johnson plant is one of the city’s largest and most important employers, processing infant formula for the New Jersey-based company’s customers around the country and globe. ...
'The Trial' at K-W passes 25 years, still loved by students and staff alike
On Dec. 21, the day before leaving for winter break, students at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School gathered for one of the most anticipated events of the school year. Under the direction of social studies teacher Dan Rechtzigel, K-W students staged a trial, complete with prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors and more. “The Trial” was the culmination of an annual game that simulates the inner workings of the criminal justice system. According to...
Kenyon Police Department implements body cameras
“Even without the body cameras, policing is kind of like a fish bowl,” said Officer Mitch Taylor. Though it’s been an adjustment, Taylor has found that wearing a body camera every day at work isn’t as different as he expected. As a police officer, he was already accustomed to having his actions watched closely in public. The Kenyon Police Department implemented body cameras for its officers in mid-November. The initiative...
RSV passes peak, flu and COVID still on the rise
With cases of respiratory illnesses making their annual winter climb, local public health officials and care providers are urging the public to get vaccinated, stay home when sick and take extra precautions during holiday gatherings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report indicates that Minnesota has had among the mildest flu seasons in the country, with states across the southeast, southwest and east coast feeling most of the impact so far. ...
YEAR IN REVIEW: Kenyon Leader 2023 top stories include new restaurants, new superintendent and a brave 3-year-old
Last year brought many exciting transitions to the area — new businesses opening their doors, established ones changing hands and a closely watched selection process for the new superintendent of Kenyon-Wanamingo Schools. Many of the notable events of 2023 offer encouraging signs for the future, while others show the lingering effects of the past. It was not an easy year for everyone, as local families grappled with tragedies and tribulations — but at the very least, they did not struggle alone. ...
Kenyon loses three impactful women in 2023
2023 saw the passing of many tremendous people of the Kenyon area or with connections to our community. In October, three incredible women passed away who were dedicated to their church, family, and community. On Oct. 11, Helen Aase passed away at the age of 102. Helen received many accolades during her life, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Nurses Association, a WCCO Good Neighbor Award winner, and...
Goodhue County board reduces tax levy but still a 4.2% increase
After giving preliminary approval in September to a budget and levy that included a 6.1% increase in property taxes, the Goodhue County Board of Commissioners approved a final budget this week, trimming the levy increase to 4.2%. Due to property valuation increases, the new levy will push the county’s tax rates below last year’s while still raising about $1.7 million in new revenue, allowing the county’s budget to rise from about $85 million this year to $90 million next year. ...
Kids learn robotics at library science club
REGISTRATION INFO Kenyon Public Library will host the next session of Science Club on the next K-W early dismissal day, Feb. 14. Pre-registration is required. Learn more at: kenyon.lib.mn.us/events 238f09bd-ce43-4088-aa20-889584120052 Once a month, a group of kids meets after school on early release days to keep the fun and learning going. ...
Wanamingo council approves largest levy increase in over a decade; development will offset impact
At its final meeting of 2023, Wanamingo’s City Council signed off on a levy increase of 9.2%, but with new developments coming onto the tax rolls and property valuations going up, that figure actually represents a tax rate cut and only a modest increase for the average Wanamingo property. The approved preliminary levy increase of $90,000 is the largest increase in over a decade, and it didn’t secure council approval without significant consternation and questions from several councilors, especially Jeremiah Flotterud. ...
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