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Waseca County News
Waseca County attorney gives updates on local justice system challenges, opportunities
Rachel Cornelius has been serving as the Waseca County attorney since being elected to the role in 2018. Cornelius gave a presentation to the Waseca County Board of Commissioners at its June 4 meeting about the work the County Attorney’s Office does and what factors and challenges they are currently facing. Collaboration Cornelius started the...
Waseca native serves with U.S. Navy patrol squadron
Petty Officer 2nd Class Kennedy Hodgkins, a native of Waseca, Minnesota, serves the United States Navy, assigned to Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 16. Hodgkins graduated from Kasson-Mantorville High School in 2019. The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Waseca. “I learned how to navigate through...
James Bros. Construction expands to Waseca and creates scholarship in founder's memory
A local business in the southern Minnesota area just got more local for the Waseca community. James Bros. Construction has been operating in the excavation and construction industry since 1978 in Elysian. The company expanded in 2024 with a location in Waseca, nearly a year after the death of the company’s founder Wayne James. James started the company with a passion to build a business that would serve the community...
Waseca police and fire departments to spend public safety aid from state
The Minnesota Legislature gave public safety aid to the city of Waseca in 2023, and the Waseca Police Department and Fire Department figured out what they want to spend it on. Waseca Police Chief Penny Vought and Fire Chief Jason Forshee talked to the City Council at its June 4 meeting before the group voted on how to spend the money. The council also recognized two city crossing guards, reviewed the city’s new online budget book, and approved a new agreement with the Waseca School...
Hay Daze to offer new activities along with traditional favorites
Festival season is underway, as Janesville kicks off its famous celebration that offers fun to all ages. Hay Daze kicked off with some events Monday, June 10, but the main thrust of happenings takes places from Thursday, June 13 to Sunday, June 16 this year. The celebration includes a couple new offerings and some familiar favorites. The familiar favorites include the Simply Saved Fashion Show which took place Monday, Moonlight...
City Council votes for staff to continue work on Gaiter Lake development
The discussion over Gaiter Lake will continue as the Waseca City Council made another contested 4-3 vote for the authorization of development of real property parcel ID 170170850, commonly referred to as the Gaiter lake Residential Development Property. The council hosted a work session meeting May 21 about the topic before voting on it at its regular meeting the same night. The work session and the regular meeting contained discussion about the development from the council, city staff, and the public. ...
Kronbach podiums in 3 events with Strauss adds podium finish for JWP
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton senior Ryan Kronbach highlighted a strong week for the Bulldogs at the MSHSL Class A track and field meet by claiming podium finishes in three of his competitions with junior Lilly Strauss joining him on the podium in the long jump. Kronbach’s top finish came in the triple jump where he posted a mark of 44 feet and 3.25 inches to finish fourth in the state. He then posted a PR clear of 6’4” in the high jump to earn fifth before closing out...
Bluejays close season with 4 total podium finishes
A total of six Waseca track and field athletes made the trip to St. Michael-Albertville H.S. Friday and Saturday morning to compete in the MSHSL Class AA championships. Brooklyn Flatau, Damarius Russell, Kalea Sartori and the boys 4x100m relay team of Russell, Carson Ohnstad, Jordan Johnston and Bennett Ludwig all earned podium finishes for the Jays to highlight the weekend. Flatau competed in a pair of events and earned her...
Vagts wins playoff to join Anderson in earning bids to state
When 36 holes wasn’t enough to determine the state qualifiers in the boys section 2AA Championships, a trio of golfers teed off at hole No. 10 in a playoff to determine the final individual qualifier. Waseca’s Cody Vagts, as well as a pair of St. Peter golfers, were set to go as long as it would take to determine a winner but it ended up taking just the one hole as Vagts recovered from a drive to the right of fairway to get up and...
Retirees and long-time faculty recognized at Waseca education banquet
Waseca Public Schools has five retirees this summer, and two of them were present at the Waseca Education Association banquet Thursday night, May 30 at The Mill. Waseca Dean of Students Jake Nelson introduced retiree Deb Wobschall and Waseca's Developmental Cognitive Disability(DCD) Teacher Luann Ross introduced retiree Sharon Becker. The other retirees were Bluejay Academy Teacher Laurie Putze, First Grade teacher Jodi Miller, and Waseca's Special Education Case Facilitator Diane...
Kuschel awarded Waseca teacher of the year, Hammond Friend of Education
Waseca Industrial Technology and Engineering Teacher Bill Kuschel is Waseca’s 2023-24 teacher of the year. The award was first announced at Waseca’s Veterans Day program in November. The announcement and recognition came to Kuschel as a surprise at the time, and he had the opportunity to share what the award means to him at WEA’s retirement and recognition banquet May 30 at The Mill. Waseca’s TAP (Teacher and Student Advancement)...
Waseca council holds public hearings for sewer infrastructure, development incentives, food trucks and specialized vehicles
The Waseca City Council held public hearings for topics including housing and food trucks at its May 21 meeting. The public hearings were all on subjects that have been discussed at previous council meetings. Some of the hearings were the final step for ordinances, while the others continued the process of ongoing projects. Sewer infrastructure ...
6 Bluejays qualify for MSHSL State Championship
The Waseca track and field team made the trip to Faribault H.S.’s Bruce Smith Field Saturday morning to compete in the finals of the Section 1AA track and field championship. When the dust settled, a total of six Bluejays athletes, Damarius Russell, Brooklyn Flatau, Kalea Sartori, Carson Ohnstad, Jordan Johnson and Bennett Ludwig, punched their tickets to state in a total of six events. Flatau was the first to qualify for state with a leap of 16 feet and eight inches in the long jump...
'Once a Bluejay, always a Bluejay': Waseca class of 2024 graduates
As their high school career comes to a close, the Waseca graduating class of 2024 looks forward. The journey to getting to where they are now was a key theme in all the addresses given at the Waseca Junior & Senior High School commencement ceremony on Sunday. Student addresses Senior Class President Evelyn O’Brien was...
Quartet of Bluejays golfers advance to Section 2AA Championship round
After 18 holes of the Section 2AA golf championship in New Prague, four Waseca golfers find themselves in the top 30 to advance to the championship round Tuesday, June 4, morning. Hunter Anderson, Cody Vagts, Madison Rasche and Emma Keith will all have a chance to compete for one of the five individual bids available for the MSHSL Class AA State Championships next week. Anderson is currently tied for fourth after the first 18 holes with a +1 round of 73 while Vagts is tied...
Waseca baseball sees season come to an end Saturday after defeating TCU to Thursday night
The Waseca baseball team’s spring officially came to a close this week with a pair of games in the Section 2AA Elimination bracket. Thursday evening, the Bluejays traveled to Montgomery to battle Tri-City United, earning an 8-6 victory to stay alive before making the trip to Le Sueur’s Bruce Frank Field to face Maple River Saturday. The Eagles put 13 runs on the board with Waseca errors coming to roost, resulting in a 13-3 defeat that brought the season to an end. ...
New Richland deals with I&I problems and potential algae harm to St. Olaf Lake
The storm at the beginning of May did not help matters when it came to New Richland’s Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) problem, as it only gets worse with every rainfall. New Richland’s People Service Operator Shell Johnson spoke to the City Council at its May 28 meeting during her monthly report. The council also discussed a feasibility report for the reconstruction of Ash Avenue S. and Broadway Avenue S. And, the city is working on monitoring a harmful contamination to St. Olaf Lake. ...
Waseca Exchange Club dedicates courthouse freedom shrine with ceremony
The United States of America was founded on freedom, and one group in Waseca wants to remind citizens of the freedoms they enjoy and how they should be protected. The Waseca Exchange Club dedicated their Freedom Shrine at the Waseca County Courthouse on Tuesday, May 28. The shrine is a collection of photographic reproductions of original documents from American history. Exchange Club ...
Waseca firefighters to get increase in pension benefit
The job of a firefighter is definitely not for anyone, and the pay they receive is not always desirable either. The pension firefighters get is often what lures new recruits into joining fire departments. The Waseca Firefighters Relief Association (WFFRA) has requested the city increase the pension service allocation for its members by $500 per year. The organization’s president Eric Cox and treasurer Joe Fliflet presented to the Waseca City Council at its May 21 meeting about the proposed increase to the pension levels. ...
Conagra hopes to expand production year-round by linking with Waseca's wastewater plant
Conagra is already of the economically prominent businesses that call Waseca home, and it’s now looking to utilize its plant in town year-round with help from the city. Conagra has requested to connect its facility to the city-owned Waseca Wastewater Treatment Facility to enable the company to operate vegetable production during the winter season. This will allow its plant to produce year-round. Conagra Plant Manager Jef Kraimer, Joe Palen of...
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