Due to the ongoing surge of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, Mayo Clinic Health System has temporarily suspended operations at the Belle Plaine clinic and will be temporarily suspending operations at the Mankato-Northridge, Le Sueur, Janesville and Waterville clinics as of Monday, Dec. 7.
The suspensions are necessary to reallocate staffing resources to other critical care needs in response to the COVID-19 surge. The closures are expected to last six weeks. COVID-19 testing is still taking place at the Belle Plaine Clinic.

Ronald Zelenka, age 75 passed away December 1st, 2020 at the VA Hospital in Des Moines, IA.

Memories of past plays and musicals made up a gift to Tri-City United’s theater director last week.
Sarah Mejia, who teaches language arts, celebrated her 15th year as a director at TCU this year. On Tuesday night, November 24, she received a special one-of-a-kind quilt from her Class of 2020 theater students.
“The seniors wanted to do something special for me, so they put together t-shirts, and quotes, and got a drama mom to sew (a quilt),” she said.
To see more on this story, pick up the December 3, 2020 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.

Let there be lights!
It has been dark for years, but on Saturday, the Montgomery Community Foundation (MCF) relit the town’s Christmas tree.
Feeling down in the tumultuous times facing the world as it deals with the coronavirus outbreak, the Foundation board enlisted in community and city support and purchased lights for the community Christmas tree, which is located on the south side of Center Stage Dance/Snap Fitness parking lot. Foundation board members and other residents strung the lights Saturday morning.

The Elko New Market city council approved a motion at its Thursday, Nov. 19, meeting, authorizing its staff to negotiate the acquisition of property in the Woodcrest development.
City Administrator Tom Terry explained that the area under discussion is Woodcrest Lane, which is the only access to a subdivision of the Woodcrest development.

Jordyn Brownlee, a Tri-City United High School senior volleyball player has been named to the Minnesota River Conference (MRC) All-Conference Volleyball Team.
Brownlee, the daughter of James and Melissa Brownlee, was an outside hitter and setter for TCU. She was a captain this season, a three-year starter, and MRC Honorable Mention All-Conference for the 2019 season.

Though there have been no major or fatal accidents at the intersection that connects Highway 19, 3rd Street West and CSAH 4, the council would like to see it change in light of a project on CSAH 4 that Rice County will be completing in 2022. “That’s the worst intersection,” Lonsdale council member Steve Cherney said.

New Prague KC Hall - 411 4th Ave. SW, New Prague
Mon. November 30. 2020
12:30 - 5:30 pm
New Market Town Hall - 8950 230th St. E, Lakeville
9am - 2 pm
Wed. December 2, 2020
Jordan Fire Station - 501 N. Varner St, Jordan
Thurs. December 3
1 - 5 pm
To sign up for an appointment for either locations go to:
https://www.primarybio.com/r/scottcounty

A man from Belle Plaine died in a boating accident on Saturday in Le Sueur County.
According to Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason, deputies responded to a call at 9:45 a.m. on November 28, 2020, at the Clear Lake public access in Lexington Township for a report of a capsized duck hunting boat.
Upon arrival deputies located Nicholas Jeffrey Brooks, 29, of Belle Plaine sitting on top of the overturned duck boat.
Jeffrey Ernest Brooks, 55, of Belle Plaine, was found floating in the water several yards from the overturned boat.

All it took was one clue and 15 minutes of searching for a group of cousins to find this year’s Christmas medallion.
Max and Mikayla Segna, and Ruby and Jaxson Vosejpka found this year’s Torchlight Parade and Fireworks medallion in Memorial Park shortly after the first clue hit newsstands on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
The large silver coin was buried on the west side of the park near a sign by the railroad tracks. It was hidden in a plastic container under fresh mulch in the mud Ruby said.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at R & R Metal Works on Hwy. 13 North after the Boy Scout Troop 322 set up their annual Christmas tree lot on Saturday.
The Scouts set up their lot on Saturday morning. Like previous years, they are selling Scotch Pine, White Pine, Balsam and Fraser trees, 36-inch and 24- inch wreaths, swags and crosses. Trees start at $35.
Money from the stand goes to the boys who are raising funds for a trip to Florida National High Adventure Sea Base. Some of the Scouts went two years ago, and a return trip is planned for March, 2021.

This Thanksgiving, like previous years, we will all give thanks.
Unlike past years, this Thanksgiving is a time like no other.
More than 55 million people worldwide have contracted the coronavirus, and more than 1.3 million people (almost 250,000 in U.S.) have died as a result of it.
At this time of great sorrow, feeling thankful is a challenge, but I am going to try.
I am happy the tens of millions of people who have contracted the coronavirus have survived it.

Dallas Jerome, son of Charles and Leona (Honza) Horejsi, was born March 25, 1948, at the hospital in New Prague. He had four brothers and three sisters—Dennis, Donald, twins Donna and Duane, Dalleen, Darrell, and Diane.
As a young farm boy, Dallas grew up about four miles southeast of Montgomery and attended Montgomery Elementary School and later Montgomery High School (through 10th grade).

Third graders in TCU Lonsdale received supplies last week that will help them with distance learning.
Approximately 50 Titan third graders in Jennifer Tuma and Lydia Gurthridge’s classes each received a whiteboard mat with an x/y axis on one side and a whiteboard marker from the Lonsdale Lions.
Lonsdale Lions President and TCU High School Principal, Alan Fitterer, said giving the kids these supplies instead of the usual dictionary made more sense. The supplies were passed out last week before the district went to distance learning.