Leonard J. Pexa, age 80, of New Prague died peacefully, with family by his side on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at Reflections, Three Links Care Center, Northfield, MN.
Leonard was born October 5, 1938 in Helena Township, Scott County, MN to Wencel “Jim” Pexa and Bessie (Kadrlik) Pexa. He was raised in the St. Patrick area and attended District 47 Elementary School, St. Wenceslaus School, and graduated in 1956 from New Prague High School.

The TCU Softball Team advanced in the Section 2AA Quarterfinals on Thursday with another shutout, this time against Belle Plaine.
TCU 7, Belle Plaine 0
The Titans’ record now stands at 14-6. They continue in the tournament on Saturday with a noon game versus Le Sueur-Henderson at Caswell Park in Mankato. The Giants’ overall record stands at 15-7.
The Titans got things going with three runs in the first inning, followed by one in the third and four in the fourth.

Turn the tassles! Graduation Day was held Friday, May 24 for 128 Tri-City United seniors. Among pomp and circumstance in the high school gymnasium, the Titan Class of 2019 officially became alumni after receiving their diplomas. The ceremony was held with speeches, songs from the high school choir and band, and proud emotions by family and friends who packed the gymnasium. After the Titans were official graduates, they picked up their paperwork in the school's E-Cafe and were high fived by the school's teachers and staff.

This year’s Memorial Day program has new times. The church service at Most Holy Redeemer Church will begin at 8 a.m. The parade from the church to the American Legion Post 79 for the program begins at 8:45 a.m. The program at the Legion begins at 9:15 a.m.
The program will also include prayers by Father Victor Valencia and Pastor Jason Pollington, musical selections by John Grimm and the Montgomery Area Veterans Honor Guard, and the Tri-City United High School Choir and Rianna Doyle.

Sunday’s rain washed out the entire six-game schedule in the Dakota-Rice-Scott Baseball league. Games that were postponed included Elko at Lonsdale, New Prague at Veseli, Montgomery at St. Benedict, Union Hill at New Market, Shakopee at Webster and Faribault at St. Patrick. The only makeup date announced so far was New Prague at Veseli, which will be played on July 14.
Five league games were played last week, with Elko, Prior Lake, New Prague, New Market, Faribault and St. Patrick getting wins. New Market remains atop the league standing with a 6-0 record.

At the top of a gentle hill overlooking Hunt Lake, nestled along historically rich Dodd Road in rural Kilkenny, Dan and Ashley Reller decided to plant their dreams of owning their own vineyard and winery.
This weekend, after four years of hard work, the Rellers will share the fruits of their labor during a grand opening of their business, Vintage Escapes Winery and Vineyard, at 8950 Dodd Road. The tasting room will be open from noon until 9 p.m. on May 25.

New Prague jumped to a 10-2 lead and went on to defeat host Buffalo 16-7 to earn a spot in the MSHSL CI Adapted Softball Tournament.
The tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1, at Chanhassen High School. This is the sixth time the Trojans have advanced to the state tournament. They went four years, from 2008 through 2011, and again last year.
The team includes athletes from New Prague, Tri-City United, Belle Plaine and Jordan schools.
Read more in the print edition.

Your plans for Memorial Day are made.
A picnic in the park. A vacation to the lake. A trip to the shopping mall.
Or maybe a visit to a military memorial or a parade.
These are all well-deserved breaks and rests. We work hard.
However, this Memorial Day, as in ALL Memorial Days, we need to force ourselves to pause and remember the fallen.
We need to remember those who fell in combat during America's conflicts. Desert Storm, Vietnam, Korea, Afgahnistan, Iraq. They are all important, and if a serviceman or woman died, we need to remember that.

In cold, driving rain, the Titan softball team was hot when they shut out Waseca 15-0 in the first round of the Section 2AA tournament on Tuesday.
Playing in Le Center, the Titans endured the weather in four innings and advanced in the tournament.
TCU didn’t waste any time getting to business. The Titans scored two in the first and second innings.

Dorothy (Dietz) Denzer, 77, of Montgomery passed away peacefully at home Monday May 20, 2019, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  Celebration of Life will be held Saturday May 25, 2019 ,at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church, 105 Spruce Street NW, with Pastor Jason Pollington officiating. 
Visitation will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s prior to the service. Interment will be held at St. John’s Cemetery in Montgomery.

A special city council meeting to discuss the 2020 budget in Lonsdale Monday became more than that when the mayor read the recommendation by its attorney on a cease and desist letter during public comments, that lead to council member Steve Cherney walking out in response.

The TCU High School Music Department filled its gymnasium with colorful music at the 2019 Spring Pops Concert on Friday, May 17.
Under the direction of Band Director Sarah Costello, Choir Director Tyler Frankhouse and Accompanist Robyn Menk, the students struck the right cords and hit the right notes for more than two hours of musical entertainment that showcased their talents.

Talk of larger classroom sizes for the 2019-20 school year came into question at the Tri-City United School board meeting Monday night.
"We have some major concerns about some of the staffing that we're hearing is going to be…and the sections allowed for next year," said parent Lisa Hoefs. "I voted yes for a referendum so that my children could maintain the awesome class sizes that we have. And having more than 26 in a class is very concerning."

The TCU boys track and field team landed in second place at the Le Sueur-Henderson Giant Relays on Friday, May 10 with 135.50 points, behind Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School’s first place finish of 179.50 points.
The Titan girls team finished in the middle of the pack of nine visiting schools with a fifth place finish of 110 points. Ahead of TCU, in order of placement, were Le Sueur-Henderson, Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, Sibley East and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown high schools.

Through puddles of water, soggy greens and cold temperatures, the TCU Golf Team held its invitational on Thursday, May 9 at the Montgomery National Golf Course.
With all of the golfers dressed in layers, winter hats, the Titans boys’ team finished in fourth place out of nine teams with 353 strokes. St. Peter won the meet with 315 strokes, followed by Jordan in second with a 332, and Waseca in third with a 344.

After less than a year since it formed, the Montgomery Community Foundation is already donating money to make projects happen.
The Foundation made donations to two projects at its Spring Fling Social on Thursday, May 9 at the Rustic Farmer. The first $4,000 went to TCU’s Early Childhood for an outdoor learning area, which will be installed once construction is complete on the building renovations. The second $4,000 went to the Arts and Heritage Center for the restoration of the Montgomery Mural.