Friday night into Saturday morning was a spectacle of the skies, even those within the city limits and outside of direct light, as the aurora borealis or northern lights put on a show for all to see.
People as far south as the Bahamas and southern California were able to see them outside of light polluted areas. Even within the Twin Cities metropolitan area the aurora was visible to the naked eye.

Seneca Foods Corporation in Montgomery has been issued a citation by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MNDLI) and issued a penalty of $156,259 in regards to the incident which happened in the early morning hours of October 5, 2023, where 58-year-old worker Jose Luis Alvarado had items in a warehouse fall on top of him and he died from his injuries.

Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category in southern Minnesota, which is unhealthy for everyone
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended the air quality alert for southern Minnesota. The alert now remains in effect until 11 p.m. on Monday, May 13. The affected area includes the Twin Cities metro, Albert Lea, Marshall, Worthington, Rochester, Winona, Mankato, and the tribal nation of Prairie Island.

A Shoreview man, a passenger in a 2011 Hyundai, was killed Thursday afternoon, May 9, in a crash on Le Sueur County Road 3, just north of its intersection with County Road 29 in Lanesburgh Township.

Mavor Lee Barnett, age 90, of Kilkenny, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at her home. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 8 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Visitation will continue Thursday, May 9 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. at St. Canice Catholic Church in Kilkenny with Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. with Father Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be held in St. Michael’s Cemetery in rural Montgomery.

“We talked about putting together an event like this,” Montgomery Community Foundation Chair Mick McGuire explained in his opening comments to a small crowd at Hilltop Hall on Saturday morning. “Everybody has a State of the Union, State of State, State of the City programs. Our thought was to do a State of the Community.”
Speaking at the event were Montgomery Mayor Tom Eisert, Tri-City United Superintendent Kevin Babcock, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Caitlin Huiras and Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) Executive Director Jessica Westerman.

Austyn Menk, a 2016 graduate of Tri-City United High School and Le Center native, is releasing a jazz album with some of his colleagues on May 3.
The self-titled album, “IRIS,” is the first release of the professional jazz quintet out of the Chicago area. If the band’s name sounds familiar, it may be because the past two years of TCU’s Jazz Fest, they have been the featured professional group that played and also did workshops with the TCU High School students.

Montgomery Mallards 5, Webster Sox 7
The 2024 Mallard baseball season started Sunday with a good test against the Dakota-Rice-Scott (DRS) League favorite Webster Sox. A crowd showed up to enjoy the sunny afternoon, unfortunately the Mallards made too many mistakes and fell short 7-5.

MVEC remains grounded amidst industry changes
 
Jordan, Minn. – While the energy sector is facing many changes in the coming years, Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative’s focus will always remain on putting members first and the unique needs of the co-op’s service area in 2024.

Four Tri-City United (TCU) golfers scored below 50 during the Monday, April 22 Minnesota River Conference Meet at Montgomery National.
TCU shot a team score of 189 to place second in the five-team event. Le Sueur-Henderson won the championship with a score of 189. Third through fifth included Belle Plaine (194), Mayer Lutheran/Lester Prairie (205), and Norwood-Young America (incomplete).
Trenton Pelowski led a very balanced group of golfers with a 9-hole score of 46. Carter Beulke shot a 47 and Eian O’Keefe and Jacob Neubauer tied with 48s.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Sandra (Jakes) Sticha on Saturday, May 11, 2024, from 1 – 3 p.m at the Happy Hour Bar in Montgomery.

“The Enchanted Bookshop,” by Todd Wallinger, will have performances at the high school’s performing arts center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3.
A well-rehearsed cast of 4th through 6th grade children are ready to make the bookstore characters of Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Gale, Pollyanna, Tom Sawyer and more come to life — at least while the bookstore keeper is not around.

Lloyd Carl Svoboda, age 85, of rural New Prague, left the loving arms of his family to join God in eternal life on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at Central Healthcare of Le Center.

Inez Dorothy (Lansing) Nutt, 87, of Madison, Wisconsin, passed away on April 23, 2024, at Four Winds Manor with loving family by her side.  Beloved wife of 63 years to Charles H. Nutt.  Loving mother to her six children, William, Kathryn, Ann, James, Teresa, and Mary. Cherished grandmother and great-grandmother to many dear grandchildren and great-grandchildren.