The Le Sueur/Rice County Drug Task Force was very busy in 2019.
Le Sueur County Chief Deputy Nick Greenig presented information about the work completed by the drug task force within the county during the Elysian City Council meeting Feb. 11.
Last year there were 64 cases opened, 55 search warrants were issued, and there were 61 arrests made.
A total of $18,020 in cash was seized as were nine firearms.
More than 3.4 million dollars in street value worth of controlled substances were seized.

Evelyn L. Vlasak, 92, of Montgomery, died on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 at Mala Strana Rehabilitation Center in New Prague. Visitation will be held Thursday, Feb. 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, Feb. 28 at ­­­11 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church with Father Tom Niehaus officiating with visitation one hour prior at the church. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.

A youth from Lonsdale, and junior at TCU High School, died in a single-vehicle accident due to icy roads on February 18.
According to TCU Superintendent Teri Preisler through a school-notification, Blake Asher died at the scene of a one-vehicle accident on Le Sueur County Road 28, east of County Road 3.
In a press release, Sheriff Brett Mason said Asher’s vehicle, a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, was traveling eastbound on County Road 28 when he lost control due to ice/snow packed on the road. Le Sueur County Deputies responded at approximately 4:46 p.m.

Blake Ryan Asher, age 17, of Lonsdale, died tragically in a car accident on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.  Blake was born on November 7, 2002 in Northfield to Ryan P. Asher and Jennifer Kassa Jones.  He was raised in the Farmington/Lonsdale area and was currently a junior at Tri-City United (TCU) School, where he was a member of the speech club.  Blake was loved by everyone with his bubbly, funny, goofy personality.

(Editor’s note: Bill Marek has lived in Montgomery for close to 46 years. As an attorney, he and his brother, Scott, own Marek Law Office & Tax Services. In the mid-2000s, Bill was instrumental in the idea of changing the former elementary school on Highway 13/2 to a high school and creating an elementary and middle school campus on Second Street.)

Alvia Ann Koubele, 96, of Montgomery, died peacefully on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 at home.
Visitation will be held Saturday, Feb. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery.
Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 a.m. with Father Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be in St. John Catholic Cemetery in Montgomery.
Alvia was born on September 20, 1923, to Edward and Sophia (Springer) Zellmer. She was united in marriage to Frank G. Koubele in Montgomery on March 4, 1946.

The No. 3 seeded Tri-City United boys wrestling team (18-5) earned their first victory Thursday on what they hope is the road to the state tournament.
Their Coach, Shaun Timmerman has high hopes, and the athletes have a strong work ethic to make it.
"We have a great shot. We just need to focus on our 'clean' technique and wrestle smart. We also have a lot of individuals who are looking at some great success at the end of the year,” he stated.
The team continues on their path after a decisive 54-17 victory over Waseca (11-2) in Montgomery.

The Montgomery Fire Department raised more than $1,400 for the American Lung Association (ALA) over the weekend.
Eight members from the department participated in the ALA’s Fight for Air Climb in Minneapolis. Participating were Fire Chief Kenny Pavek, Sean Benz, Joe Anderson, Rick Sembauer, Bryan Ehlers, Isaac Schugel, Dave Gaul, and Travis Rose.
Pavek said the money raised came mainly from donations from friends and family and people out in the community.
“We are very thankful for all the donations!” he stated.

The first time the Titans faced off against the Le Suer- Henderson Giants on December 20, the TCU team beat LSH by 15 points. On February 7, the margin was only six points, with TCU besting LSH 69-63.
Titan Coach Eric Specht is proud how his girls finished the basketball game.
“I thought we executed well and made some clutch free throws down the stretch. Offensively, we did a nice job limiting our turnovers, giving ourselves a chance to put up points,” he said.

WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 40 below zero. * WHERE...Le Sueur County. * WHEN...From 9 PM this evening to 9 AM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

The Montgomery Historical Society’s information session has been changed to February 20.
It is being held to explain a state grant that could establish a historic district designation for a large part of First Street. The public meeting for First Street property owners and the community will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at City Hall.
The event was changed due to the weather and distance the consultant needed to travel.

Tri-City United Schools will dismiss early, Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Superintendent Teri Preisler said the action is being taken to stay ahead of the predicted wind gusts and possible impacts to the district’s second-tier buses for TCU-Lonsdale.
Dismissal times:
- TCU High School - 1:30 p.m.
- TCU Le Center and Montgomery - 1:45 p.m.
- TCU Lonsdale - 2:30 p.m.
There will be no afternoon or evening activities or meetings.

Emil Edward Knish, age 57, of Montgomery died on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at his home. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Febr. 12, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery with a Masonic Lodge service. Funeral service will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery with Pastor Jason Pollington officiating and visitation one hour prior at the church. Interment will take place at Greenwood Union Cemetery in Le Center.

Carlton E. Miller, age 87, of New Prague, died on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at Mala Strana Care and Rehabilitation Center.  Carl was born on September 15, 1932 in rural Montgomery on the family farm to William H.

Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Vikla, 90, of Montgomery, died on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
Visitation will be held on Monday, Feb. 10 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery with Rosary at 3:45 p.m. Mass of Christian
Services will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Father Tom Niehaus officiating with visitation 9:30 to 11 a.m. at church.
Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.

Minnesota native Hanna Cesario will perform a free concert of love songs on her ukulele at the Montgomery Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 11, starting at 7 p.m. The event, which will feature popular songs from Ella Fitzgerald to The Beatles, is sponsored by the Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System.
Cesario brings what some call a "refreshing approach" to a timeless instrument and genre by diving deep into every song, giving purpose to each phrase, each note, each word, and everything in-between.