News

Blooming Prairie’s Bobbie Bruns rises up for a left-handed jump shot during the final minutes of the Awesome Blossoms’ 38-35 win on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Blossom girls extend winning streak to four

The Blooming Prairie girls basketball team isn’t winning by as much as they did at the beginning of the season, but they are winning and that’s all that matters. This past week, they beat the Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights 38-35 on Tuesday, Feb. 16, and then they beat the Faribault Bethlehem Academy...

With his parents by his side, Medford’s Kael Hermanstorfer is all smiles after signing his National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

The eye of the Tiger set on St. Mary’s

Coming from a small town in Medford, Tigers basketball star Kael Hermanstorfer knew he wanted to continue his basketball and academic career at a university in a bigger town and he had multiple options in the University of Minnesota-Duluth, St. Scholastica, which is also in Duluth, and North...

3 area educators named finalists for top award

Three Steele County educators are finalists for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Kim Goblirsch and Sara Markham, both teachers at Medford Public Schools, and Jessica Wagner, teacher at Owatonna Public Schools, have been chosen among 75 finalists for the state competition. An independent panel of...

Community Pathways Vice-President Joe Grant loads a prepackaged box of food into the back of a vehicle. Distribution was limited to two households per vehicle. He was one of about 25 volunteers, including law enforcement personnel, to help distribute the food.

Needs exceed supplies at food distribution event

Volunteers braved the cold weather Thursday to distribute 1,200 boxes of food to area residents in need. And they did it faster than organizers had planned. "We ran out of food a little before 1 p.m.," said Andi Arnold, outreach and grant director for Community Pathways. The event was scheduled to...

Sr. Sgt. Bill Youngquist of the sheriff’s office has been named “Peace Officer of the Year” by the Exchange Club of Steele County.

Sheriff’s sergeant named top cop

The Exchange Club of Steele County named Sr. Sgt. Bill Youngquist of the Steele County Sheriff’s Office as “Peace Officer of the Year” during its regular meeting on Friday. Youngquist began his career in law enforcement in 1997 as a patrol officer with the sheriff’s office. Today, he supervises...

Texas storm spikes local natural gas prices

The impact of unusual winter storms slamming Texas is going to be felt locally through higher utility bills. While area residents had reliable power to stay safe and warm during the recent stretch of unseasonably cold weather, natural gas prices dramatically spiked the past week due to national...

Bobbie Bruns, left, her sister Maggie and the Blooming Prairie girls basketball team have developed a close bond due to playing together for the past few years. The Bruns sisters have been playing together on varsity for the past four years, but this will be their last season playing together since Maggie will graduate this spring.

Bound by basketball… and sisterhood

Sisters Maggie and Bobbie Bruns have been playing basketball together for most of their lives yet their bond with their Blooming Prairie teammates might be just as strong. The Awesome Blossoms’ strong bond started early. Four of the five starters are seniors, so they all grew up playing together....

Hess earns statewide award

Owatonna junior Ava Hess said she was completely surprised when she learned she’d been nominated for the Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Award, which recognizes high school juniors who are model citizens in their communities, who are active in fine arts and/or athletic...

BP City Council annexes of land for Dollar General

The Blooming Prairie City Council unanimously approved an annexation agreement with Blooming Prairie Township, bringing 1.35 acres into the city limits. The property will be used as the site of a future Dollar General store. Before the annexation was discussed by the council, a public hearing was...

Benedictine employees Heidi Jirele, left, and Tanya Amundson celebrate with balloons and cookies as the facility achieved a five-star rating, the highest offered in the industry. It is the first time Benedictine, formerly known as KODA Living, has achieved such a milestone.

Benedictine achieves highest rating in industry

For Lisa Kern, achieving a five-star rating is a milestone that is especially gratifying. Kern has been with the same care center organization that has gone through many changes over her 28-year career and never before has reached a five-star status. That’s until last week. The Benedictine Living...