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Waseca County News
Organizers hope Waseca Lakefest will be bigger, better than ever
Despite the challenges posed by recent flooding and road construction around Clear Lake Park, Waseca Lakefest is back for 2024, and organizers are looking forward to an event they hope will be bigger and better than ever. Event organizer Tom Sexton said that any changes are likely to be modest when compared to last year’s event, offering a variety of family-friendly activities similar to the slate which drew roughly 400 people to Waseca’s Lakefront last July 4. ...
New grant program intended to help alleviate shortage of water, wastewater operators
As communities across southern Minnesota experience a shortage of water and wastewater treatment operators, help is on the way in the form of a new training program at Riverland Community College, funded by a grant approved by the Minnesota Legislature. Championed by the Southeastern Minnesota League of Cities, a three-year, $350,000 appropriation approved as part of this year’s Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus bill will enable the creation of such a training program at Riverland’s main campus in Austin. ...
Collins claims gold as trio of Waseca tennis players podium in 18U tennis tournament
Saturday afternoon and evening, Waseca hosted an 18U tennis tournament with a total of seven competitors taking to the court who are members of the Bluejays program. A trio of Jays earned podium finishes with Keenan Collins claiming gold while Vivian Mader and Maddy Benson claimed second and third respectively amongst their brackets. Also competing in the tournament as Waseca entrants were Paige Dufault, Pearl Moore, Aiden Groskruetz and Korbin Collins.
Waterville's bats come to life in 15-8 victory over Braves
Wednesday night, the Waseca Braves baseball team hosted the Waterville Indians in a battle of Highway 13 neighbors. The offense of Waterville delivered big time in the game, building an 11-2 lead, which it turned into a 15-8 victory. With the loss, the Braves drop to 4-7 this summer, while the Indians improve to 8-6 with the win. In the top of the first inning, Waterville got the bats going...
Waseca lakes reopen days after wastewater release; other communities still releasing
Amid catastrophic flooding estimated to have caused over $50 million in damages in one county alone, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is reporting that nearly 100 wastewater treatment facilities across the state were forced to release untreated or partially treated sewage. Among the local cities forced to release sewage into area lakes and streams were Owatonna and Waseca. The emergency discharge of water into Clear Lake forced the closure of beaches and boat ramps there as well as at Watkins Lake and Gaiter Lake. ...
Waseca County submits grant request for workforce development center
Thanks to a potential partnership and a potential grant, Waseca could get a workforce development center that focuses on career pathways and regional upskilling of the existing workforce. Kathryn Leys, a University of Minnesota Extension community economics educator, gave a presentation about the FORWARD program to the Waseca County Board of Commissioners at their June 18 meeting. The board also talked about a grant which will supply funds for a workforce development center in Waseca. ...
Underwood retires from Waseca Fire Department after 41 years
John “Woody” Underwood has held many titles over his 41 years of being with the Waseca Fire Department: volunteer, commander, chief, lieutenant, and captain. Soon he will be something that is well deserving after a long-respected career: retired. Underwood was recognized for his years of service with the Fire Department at the June 18 Waseca City Council meeting. He will be retiring at the end of this month. Underwood started...
3 huskies named to all-section 2024 softball team
The Owatonna Huskies softball team was just one win away from reaching the Section 1AAAA championship game for the third year in a row, but the loss doesn't take away the great season they had as they went 17-7 overall. The Huskies efforts during the 2024 season went noticed as four players were named to the all-conference team and three of them were named to the all-section team, among other honors awarded to Owatonna softball players. ...
Highway 14 at Janesville reopens
The Minnesota Department of Transportation continues to closely monitor state highways in south central and the southwest corner of Minnesota due to flooding caused by recent heavy rains. MnDOT was able to open Highway 14 near Janesville and Highway 30 east of Mapleton this morning. However, river levels in many other areas unfortunately continue to rise. We continue to implement flood mitigation efforts in attempt to reopen state highways to...
JWP approves preliminary budget for 2024-25 fiscal year
The summer is in full swing, which means that the 2023-24 school year is behind us and it’s time to look forward to the 2024-25 school year. The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) School Board approved both the 2024 revised budget and the 2025 preliminary budget. JWP Business Manager Wendy Dieker presented both topics to the school board at their June 17 meeting. For the 2023-24 fiscal year’s revised budget, the district had...
New Richland City Council discusses St. Olaf Lake and Legion Field issues
New Richland Community Education’s swimming lessons were scheduled to start their first of three sessions last week, but due to the potential harm of St. Olaf Lake, they had to be canceled. The New Richland City Council discussed a potential solution to fix the swimming lessons situation, as they met on June 10, the week before the lessons were supposed to start. The council also discussed the city’s signs at Legion Field not permitting golf carts, ATVS, and UTVs down by the field. ...
Aces lose to Jacks 10-2 on the road
Veterans Memorial Field in Wanamingo was one of the few baseball fields around the area able to host a game Sunday, as the Owatonna Aces played against the Wanamingo Jacks. While parts of the outfield were still damp, the game still went on as planned Sunday afternoon. Things looked good right off the bat for the Aces, as Kodey Kiel hit a two-out, two-run home run to give them an...
Local communities deal with flooding as rains pour in
Flooding has impacted Waseca and beyond over the last week, as steady rains have caused water levels in local rivers and lakes to rise. Roads were closed around Waseca, with Highway 14 shut down Saturday west of Janesville, due to standing water on the streets. The county closed down a number of its roads, too. And other roads that did not close had shoulder washouts, while many gravel roads were in a state of disrepair. ...
Hasselquist and Roessler earn BSC recognition for the Bluejays
With the spring sports season officially completed, postseason awards for the Waseca softball team have been announced from the Big South Conference. Senior McKyla Hasselquist earned Big South Conference All-Conference honors while junior Madison Roessler was named as an honorable mention. The Bluejays finished the season with a record of 1-19 after a loss to Belle Plaine in the first round of the Section 2AA Softball tournament.
Teague and Ruedy earn BSC Honorable Mention recognition
The the baseball season concluded for the 2024 Spring season, a pair of Waseca Bluejays baseball players received conference recognition for their efforts this year. Senior Sebastian Teague and junior Colten Ruedy were both named as Big South Conference Honorable Mention (Bigs division) team members. The Bluejays finished the season with a record of 4-16 but managed to reach the Section 2 Elimination bracket quarterfinals with a pair of their wins coming in postseason play.
Quartet of Bluejays earn Big South Conference postseason honors
With the 2024 Spring sports season officially concluded, postseason awards have been announced at the conference and state level. For the Waseca Bluejays boys tennis team, four total athletes earned recognition from the Big South Conference based on performances in conference play. Junior Tyler Jellum and freshman Henry Huttemier earned East Division Big South Conference All-Conference honors. Junior Tanner Hanson and seventh-grader Keenan Collins earned honorable mention recognition for the second-place Waseca Bluejays who finished conference play with a record of 3-1.
New website and app to showcase the rich history of Waseca
John Hanson knows that Waseca has a rich history, and he decided to make that history more accessible to Waseca’s citizens and visitors. Hanson, who is a social studies teacher at the Waseca High School, created a website and is in the process of creating an app with tours of Waseca to give people the opportunity to learn more about the community and Waseca’s history. Hanson presented the website at the June 18 City Council meeting. ...
With the rain continuing to come in, region deals with flooding, Waterville inundated
Neighbors gripped shovels and stuck them into a pile of sand in Waterville, where trucks and forklifts lined up to take them to people’s houses. One of those houses is that of the Bombay family, who trudged through the knee-deep water and lined their property with sandbags Friday. With a similar situation quickly arising in Morristown and another sandbag operation in Faribault already underway, the situation appears dire. Additional rain is expected all weekend. ...
Waseca travels back to the 50s and 60s with 'Bringing it Back' exhibit
Waseca started the summer off with Happy Days, a celebration bringing the community together with food vendors and vintage cars and bikes. The Waseca Historical Society will continue that theme by showcasing the history of the 1950s and 1960s. “Bringing it Back,” an exhibit at the Waseca County History Center, opened on June 18 and will run till Aug. 30. It features many items from the 1950s and 1960s, considered the beginning of teen culture. ...
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Waseca County News has been serving Waseca County since 1982 and publishes Wednesdays and online at www.WasecaCountyNews.com
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