New Prague High School seniors Addy Ridgeway, left, and Landon Shepard were crowed Snoball queen and king at a pep fest Friday, Feb. 6, in the high school’s gym. The crowning of royalty from eight queen candidates and eight king candidates was a highlight of the high school’s mid-winter celebration. Snoball ends with a dance tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 7.

Competing against some of the best Class AAA competition in the state, New Prague High School’s dance team saw its season concluded Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Section 2AAA competition.

With three teams qualifying for the state meet, NP finished seventh in jazz behind champion Edina and state qualifiers Wayzata and Minnetonka, Hopkins, Chanhassen and Chaska. Eden Prairie, Waconia, Shakopee, Robbinsdale, Armstrong and Buffalo finished behind NP.

With one final meet between the regular season and the Section 2AA competition, the New Prague High School boys’ swimming & diving team is working to be in top form as it hopes for a good showing at the section competition.

The Trojans face Owatonna this evening, Feb. 5, 6 p.m., at Owatonna Middle School. They’ll have two weeks to rest, workout and prepare for the section meet Wednesday, Feb. 18-19, at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Chaska.

New Prague High School began celebrating Snoball Monday, Feb. 2, and will continue through this week with a 1:45 p.m. pep fest tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 6, with the crowning of the Snoball queen and king in the high school gym. The annual mid-winter celebration ends with a dance Saturday, Feb. 7, 8 p.m,. in the high school gym.

With a pair of wins in the past week, New Prague’s floor hockey team is making its final push for an automatic bid into the state tournament and avoid a potentially grueling playoff.

The Elko New Market Fire Department celebrated its 50th anniversary Thursday evening, Jan. 29, with a dedication of photo walls featuring photos of retired firefighters on one wall, current members on the other wall and photos from the department’s history. The photos and celebration were a reminder a community built the volunteer organization.

When he looks at the lives his adult children enjoy today, Ron McBroom thinks of the lessons they learned as students at St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in New Prague.

It is with great pride in his children – Mary, Joseph, John, James and Julie – and his late wife, Kathy, that McBroom recently announced he was making a $250,000 donation to the school. The donation is in memory of Kathy McBroom and the greater glory of Jesus Christ. Ron believes giving the money in the name of his wife of 56 years and to honor God is more important than the amount of the donation.

The New Prague Archery Club won the Faribault Falcon Classic Saturday, Jan. 31 in a field including teams from Becker, Faribault, Hastings, Minnetonka, New Country School (Henderson), Open World Learning Community (St. Paul), Princeton and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Hastings).

Kathleen “Katie” Scheel was a beautiful wife, devoted mother, and cherished grandmother, among the many roles she carried with quiet strength and grace throughout her life. A woman of deep integrity, unwavering faith, and boundless kindness, Katie lived her values rather than simply speaking them. Her love was steady, her compassion sincere, and her actions, always thoughtful and selfless, spoke far louder than words ever could.

Eunice Mae Ott, age 97, of Lakeville, MN, passed away on January 29, 2026. Born and raised on a farm in Cherry Grove Township, Eunice carried her rural roots, faith, and love of service throughout her life. 

Firefighters from at least New Prague Fire Department and Montgomery Fire Department extinguished a fully-engulfed separated garage fire Thursday, Jan. 29, during the evening hours at Number One Auto north of Heidelberg in rural Lanesburgh Township in Le Sueur County. Temperatures at the time were only about five degrees above zero.

New Prague High School announced its candidates for Snoball king and queen Friday, Jan. 30. In the first two rows are king candidates. Front row, left to right, Michael Bruner, Karder Schmoll, Sawyer Jasperson, Ryan Berry; second row, Mitchell Chadwick, Landon Shepard, Ian Songe and Sully Mach. Queen candidates are third row, left to right, Norah Blaschko, Mia Barton, Naomi Sticha, Catie Ambroz; back row, Addy Ridgeway, Olivia Quast, Lucy Gergen and Emily Giesen.

During Elko New Market City Council’s Thursday, Jan. 22, meeting, Councilor Josh Berg brought up concerns and questions he had from a recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action Friday, Jan. 9, in the community.

The Trojans hosted Waconia Thursday, Jan. 22, for a dual and bragging rights to be Metro West Conference Champions. It was a one point victory, 25-24, for New Prague.

New Prague High School’s boys’ basketball team split its last two games with a one point victory, 70-69, over St. Louis Park, Tuesday, Jan. 20, and a just as close, 80-76, loss to Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Friday, Jan. 23.

The Trojans hosted Bloomington Jefferson, Monday, Jan. 26, results were not available as of press time for this edition. Tonight, Thursday, Jan. 29, New Prague is at Chanhassen for a 7 p.m. game. The Trojans will also be on the road to Waconia, Monday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m.

In May of 2020, we saw a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kill George Floyd while a crowd of observers captured video via cell phones. At the time, it seemed maddening nobody put down their cell phone cameras and tried to intervene. Floyd might still be alive today and Chauvin and officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane wouldn’t have been sentenced to years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.