News

The Huskies mob their teammates after receiving their section championship plaque.

Huskies snag another section title

Very rarely do football games come down to one play, but that seemed to be the case when Rochester Mayo had the ball in Owatonna territory with the chance to take the lead in the final minute of the Section 1AAAAA Championship game on Nov. 16. Trailing 28-30, the Spartans needed just a field goal...

Senior receiver Alex Piller (84) refuses to go down easy. Instead, he drags a Randolph defensive back into the red zone. Shortly thereafter the Awesome Blossoms scored another touchdown to extend their lead to 49-6.

FOOTBALL CHAMPS

The Blooming Prairie offense struck early and often and the defense held Randolph scoreless for the first three and a half quarters to propel the Awesome Blossoms to a 49-6 win in the Section 1A Championship Friday night. Blooming Prairie quickly took the lead when Bradley Simon caught a 21-yard...

Ellendale rallies around Diaz as he awaits lung transplant

For years, Ralph Diaz has been used to serving others in the restaurant business. But now family and friends of Diaz are hoping to turn the tables by rallying to help him save his own life. Diaz left last week with his sister to Pittsburgh where he awaits a double lung transplant and possibly a...

Rachel’s Light provides much more than shelter

When Rachel’s Light opened a little more than a year, its founders hoped to fill a void – one that gave women and children without a home the shelter and support needed to get their feet back on the ground. Changing the stigma of homelessness in the broader community was an important, but secondary...

When he’s not patrolling the streets of Blooming Prairie, Dan Peach is busy putting up Christmas lights and decorations in the empty lot next to his father’s hardware store on Main Street in Blooming Prairie. The police officer has vowed to keep holiday magic alive in the community this year despite a raging COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the city’s long-time Holiday Dazzle celebration. It is Peach’s first effort of bringing a Christmas wonderland into the community for all ages.

Tis the Season of firsts

While the COVID-19 pandemic has stolen many activities from people this past year, a police officer isn’t about to let the virus steal Christmas from the Blooming Prairie community. For the first time ever, officer Dan Peach, who also helps his father run the local hardware store, is creating a...

Fourth graders Christian Thompson and Brynlee Neitzel enjoy expressing their gratitude by placing sticky notes on a wall in school.

An attitude of gratitude

China has long been known for the Great Wall of China, but NRHEG Elementary School in Ellendale is just becoming known for its own greatness. Students have developed the Great Wall of Gratitude. Over the past month students and staff members have been showing an attitude of gratitude by placing...

Partners Jody Hugley and Jon DeMars are offering Christmas for the first time ever at Souba Greenhouse in Owatonna. The greenhouse has been serving the area for more than a century, but had never offered Christmas until this year.

Christmas comes to Soubas after century wait

For the first time in more than a century Christmas is coming to Souba Greenhouse in Owatonna. The family-owned retail and wholesale operation on the western edge of Owatonna has been in existence since 1892. But until this year, Soubas had not offered Christmas. It took cousins Jody Hugley and Jon...

Four cheerleaders from NRHEG High School will be traveling to Florida to take part in the Varsity Spirit Spectacular in the Universal Orlando Resort. The cheerleaders are, from left: Evan Wayne, Avery Hill, Isabel Stadheim and Payton Bunn.

NRHEG cheerleaders head to Florida

Do you have spirit? For four cheerleaders from NRHEG High School, they certainly have lots of spirit, and they will be displaying it by performing in the Varsity Spirit Spectacular in the Universal Orlando Resort. Avery Hill, Eva Wayne, Isabel Stadheim, and Payton Bunn from NRHEG in New Richland...

Micalyn Trihus and her parents, Mike and Melissa Trihus, are all smiles after Micalyn signs her national letter of intent to play volleyball at Bemidji State University.

Pair of Blossoms pursue collegiate ball

Blooming Prairie seniors Megan Oswald and Micalyn Trihus had already done the hard part by deciding where they wanted to continue to play collegiate basketball and volleyball, respectively, and on Wednesday, Nov. 11, they did the easy part: signing their national letter of intent to make their...

Flemming named news editor of Steele County Times

Deb Flemming has been named news editor of the Steele County Times. A native of Waseca and graduate of the University of Minnesota, Flemming has spent most of her career reporting for and editing community newspapers. In her new position, Flemming will be responsible for news coverage throughout...