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Waseca County News
Braves close regular season with 11-0 loss to Blue Earth
Amidst the sweltering heat of a summertime Sunday afternoon, the Waseca Braves took the field to close out the regular season at home against the Blue Earth Pirates. The bats for Waseca were kept relatively quiet on the day while the Pirates hit for power from the opening inning, allowing them to defeat the Braves 11-0 in seven innings. Buoyed by a long ball in the top of the first inning, the Pirates put a six spot on the scoreboard to immediately put Waseca on...
New Richland set for new garbage, recycling contract and updated utility fees
With the current contract set to expire next March, the New Richland City Council is preparing to put out a request for proposal for garbage and recycling services by the end of the month. City Administrator Anthony Martens said the goal is to provide ample time for companies to submit bids in advance of a November deadline, which will allow the city to get an updated contract on the books in advance of approving the 2025 budget. ...
In response to floods, Janesville City Council extends state of emergency to November
As the region continues to recover from a hard-hitting series of floods, Janesville has become the latest local city to extend its state of emergency so as to help local families and businesses access insurance funding and federal assistance. The council voted to extend the declaration of emergency all the way to Nov. 12, with a clause in its resolution stating that the state of emergency could end much sooner if the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determines the flooding emergency to be over. ...
Waseca superintendent: district enrollment set to stabilize, new mandates a challenge
After a decade of steady declines, Waseca Public Schools is set to see its annual enrollment flatline over the next 10 years, according to a comprehensive analysis produced by district staff in collaboration with Twin Cities-based consulting firm TeamWorks International. Completed last month, the study provides extensive analysis of the current student body and its projected future cohorts. Over the past decade, Waseca Public Schools has lost about 200 students, or 10% of its student body, forcing substantial cuts due to a loss of per...
Janesville man charged with breaking and entering into ex-girlfriend's home
A Janesville man could face up to 40 years in prison after an alleged incident in which police say he broke down the back door of his ex-girlfriend’s house, threw a piece of the door at her and stole several personal items. William Joseph Kuchera, 47, has been charged with felony counts of burglary/1st degree assault and 1st degree burglary as well as misdemeanor counts of domestic assault and 4th degree intentional damage to property following the alleged incident on June 30. ...
Waseca woman faces felony charge over infant's injuries
A Waseca woman is facing felony and misdemeanor charges for child abuse after her five month old baby sustained significant injuries to the shoulder, body and head. Heather Rose Clark, 20, was booked into Waseca County Jail on June 20 on a felony charge of 3rd degree assault against a person under four years old as well a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault with intent to inflict bodily harm upon a family member. ...
Waseca Man pleads not guilty to felony assault charges
A Waseca man who has previously been convicted of domestic assault three times pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of domestic assault last week, setting the stage for a jury trial and potentially a decade in prison should he be convicted of both counts. The charges against Michael David Wittenberg, 37, stem from a June 12 incident in which police were dispatched to a Waseca residence to find Wittenberg and a family/household member, whom Wittenberg has previously been convicted of assault against. ...
Waseca Garden Tour to feature Cones, Fossums, Kuschels and Millers
Even though one downpour after another hasn’t made for the kindest of growing seasons, a number of local gardeners are still looking forward to showing off their plants at the 35th annual Waseca Garden Tour on July 20 from 1 to 5 p.m. At the Waseca County Historical Society’s Bailey-Lewer House, which has its own impressive gardens maintained by Historical Society volunteers, gardening enthusiasts can enjoy refreshments and grab an itinerary before taking off for the other four houses on this year’s tour. ...
Waseca council hears about environmental assessment worksheet for Gaiter Lake Project
With an eye on bidding out Phase 1 of the controversial Gaiter Lake residential development project next year, engineering consulting firm Stantec brought a detailed plan and cost estimates for preliminary work to the Waseca City Council’s July 2 meeting. While it was strictly an informational item and did not precipitate any discussion, the proposal laid out by Stantec’s Joe Pfeiffer would the company would see the city invest more than $300,000 to complete the necessary preliminary work. ...
Waseca County Board embraces SMIF Literacy Grant
Thanks to a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Waseca County Public Health will once again be able to provide a limited number of young families and children in Waseca County with high quality children’s books free of charge. In partnership with children’s book publishers ABDO Publishing and Capstone Publishers, SMIF’s Literacy Grant is awarding 150 books to Waseca County Public Health to distribute to young children and their families, primarily during in-home visits. ...
Braves defense limits Morries to a pair of runs in 4-2 victory
Saturday afternoon, the Waseca Braves made the short trip to Morristown for a a showdown with the hard-hitting Morries. The defense for Waseca shined throughout the game as the Braves managed limit Morristown to just two runs despite baserunners reaching in all but one inning, and Kelvin Nelson earned the complete game victory on the mound with Waseca earning a 4-2 victory. In the top of the first inning, Griffin Krautkremer led off with a single ripped into right centerfield before Chris Glynn and Kelvin...
PHOTOS: Despite date change, Waseca Lakefest a success
Though the latest storm in a historically wet 2024 may have forced its delay to July 5, Waseca’s Lakefest still proved a success which brought out hundreds of people to Clear Lake Park. While effort to move the popular community festival back a day in light of dire weather reports may have been last minute and frantic, organizer Tom Sexton said that the event only lost a couple of food trucks and managed to retain a full slate of live music. ...
Braves dominate Aces in seven-inning contest
The Waseca Braves traveled a short way to Owatonna last Wednesday right before the national holiday to play America’s pastime against the Aces. The Braves were coming off a five-game losing streak and hoped to rebound at the night game on Wednesday. They did just that as they won against the Aces 15-3 in seven innings. The Braves started their dominance right off the bat as they scored five runs...
UPDATE: Lakefest moved to July 5 | ORIGINAL: Organizers hope Waseca Lakefest will be bigger, better than ever
UPDATE: Due to the weather forecast, Waseca Lakefest organizers moved the date of the event to Friday, July 5. All of the originally scheduled activities were moved back 24 hours. ---- 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. ...
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. ...
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