Suel Printing Company is the parent company of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger, Lake Region LifeEnterprise newspapers and associated publications, including The EXTRA shopper (circulation of more than 13,000 homes) and The Source, an annual directory serving the New Prague area. 

To access one of our newspapers just click on the corresponding newspaper tab at the top of the page. 

A tradition of responsible journalism was started with the September 6, 1889 printing of the first edition of The New Prague Times. It is the official newspaper for the City of New Prague, the City of Elko New Market, the City of Shakopee and Independent School District 721. 

The city of New Prague is located in Scott and Le Sueur counties, in south-central Minnesota, among the gently rolling hills of the rural countryside. The New Prague Times is a weekly newspaper, distributed on Thursdays, and since 1977, The EXTRA, our total market coverage shopper, distributed on weekends, has been a tremendous companion publication for The Times. 

The Montgomery Messenger is a weekly newspaper, published on Thursdays. The Messenger was founded in 1888, by J. L. Barlow and C.T. Kelley. In 1893, J.J. Leonard purchased the newspaper and operated it until 1902 when it was sold to Frank J. Svejda. On March 13, 1908, the Messenger was purchased by Peter J. Keohen and W. L. (Jim) Sery. 

When W. L. Sery died in 1923, his widow, Mrs. Catherine Sery, continued the publishing business with Jerry F. Keohen. A veteran of WWI, the latter began working at the Messenger following his discharge from the U.S. Army in 1919. He served as editor and publisher for many years prior to his death on September 11, 1954. 

Mrs. Jerry F. (Helen) Keohen started at the newspaper in October, 1923, as bookkeeper, and later as a linotype operator before becoming the publisher. 

In 1954, following the death of his father, Jerry F. Keohen Jr. returned from college and became the Messenger's business manager. John J. Jake Keohen graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Mortuary Science in 1959 and became editor. He retired in 2017. 

A daughter and sister of the Keohens, Mrs. Larry (Pat) Rynda of Montgomery, also served as editor of the newspaper for a time immediately following the death of her father.

The Messenger offices were at various other locations in Montgomery prior to moving into the present building at 310 First Street South. 

On May 19, 1988, Helen, John and Jerry F. Keohen sold the newspaper to SueI Printing Company of New Prague, publishers of The New Prague Times and The Extra “Shopper”.

The Lake Region LIFE was established in 1883. 

A newspaper called "Waterville Journal" was published from 1883 until 1887. 

The "Waterville Advance" was published from 1884 until 1969 and the "Waterville Gazette" was published from 1892 until 1904. "The Waterville Sentinel" was published from 1911 until 1919.

Over the course of history, the "Waterville Advance" purchased the "Waterville Journal" under S.H. Farrington. Wm. "Bill" S. Farrington eventually took over operations of the business.
On April 1, 1957, Norbert "Bud" Wilcox, publisher of "The Elysian Enterprise," purchased "The Advance." Wilcox's son, Allan D. Wilcox, later joined his father as partner in the newspaper business after his discharge from the service in August 1957. The younger Wilcox eventually bought out his father's share of the business. Chuck Hunt leased the business from Wilcox for a number of years.

On July 1, 1984, Jack Webster, who had been working for the paper since November 1957, purchased the Waterville, Elysian, and Morristown newspapers from Wilcox. A few years later, Webster discontinued publishing "The Morristown Life" and provided his Waterville and Morristown readers with "The Lake Region LIFE.”


Suel Printing Company, owned and operated by the Wann family from New Prague, purchased the "Lake Region LIFE" from Webster on June 30, 1994. Jay Schneider is the editor. 

The Elysian Enterprise, established in 1893, official newspaper of the City of Elysian and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School District No. 2143 

The first edition of the The Elysian Enterprise was published in 1893. 

Four generations of the Wilcox family operated the paper up until 1984. Editor R.H. Wilcox passed the business to his son, Wm. "Bill" Wilcox, who passed the business to his son, N.D. "Bud" Wilcox, who passed the business to his son, Allan Wilcox. 

On May 7, 2020, the Lake Region LIFE and the Elysian Enterprise merged into one paper which is now called Waterville LifeEnterprise.