In preparation for Thanksgiving, the Le Sueur County Veterans Office is providing $25 gift vouchers during the month of November to veterans. The office is partnering with O’Keefe’s Meat Market in Le Center to provide the gift vouchers, according to a press release from the Le Sue County Veterans Office.

Area veterans can stop by the Le Sueur County Veterans Office to pick up a voucher, while they last, said the press release. This is a benefit for veterans of Le Sueur County because of their service to our nation.

Susan Jane (Sullivan) Knowles, age 73, of Kilkenny, passed away peacefully Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at Hillcrest Health Care and Rehab in Mankato. 

Emerson R. Cheever, passed away Thursday, October 9, 2025 after a short illness. 

He was born at his grandparents house in Chittamo, Washburn County, WI, to Dan &  Edna Cheever on October 31, 1938.  He graduated from Solon Springs High School in 1957 & joined the MN Air National Guard out of Duluth. 

After a solid regular season, which ended Tuesday against JWP, the WEM volleyball team has been seeded fourth in the 17-team Section 2AA Tournament.

WEM, 18-8 overall, will host Maple River (6-15) at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20 in the Section first round. If they win, they would host either No. 5 seed St. Clair (16-4) or No. 12 seed JWP (10-12).

The Section 2AA semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 28 at New Prague. If WEM advances, they would play at 6 p.m.

For the past 30+ years, 1991 WEM graduate Cedric Hohnstadt has been a professional illustrator.

Little do people know, they probably have seen some of his work on a regular basis.

Over the year Hohnstadt has done a lot of work for the company Hasbro. Included in this work he has illustrated packaging for Mr. Potato Head, Pound Puppies, and Baby Alive. He has also illustrated playset stickers for My Little Pony and sketched multiple toy concepts for internal meetings about such brands as Play Doh, Sesame Street, Angry Birds, and Star Wars.

Seven straight for Buccaneer football team

The WEM football team clinched the No. 1 seed in the Section 2AA Tournament and also claimed the Mid-South Silver District Championship with a 32-6 win over St. Clair/Mankato Loyola Thursday, Oct. 9 at Mankato.

The Bucs, rated 7th in Class AA, has opened the season with seven straight wins and are three games in front of JWP in the Section and District Standings with one game to play.

Sue Annette Holicky, age 70, passed peacefully on October 1, 2025, after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer.

A public hearing has been scheduled to finalize the closing of the WEM Middle School School building in Morristown.

This hearing, which will be held Tuesday, October 14 in the WEM Auditorium in Waterville at 6:30 p.m., needs to be held according to State Statute Section 123B.51, subdivision 5.

Alenka Jans and Kaden James were crowned WEM Homecoming Queen and King Friday afternoon during the WEM pepfest held in the WEM High School Gymnasium in Waterville on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. 

Four of the top 11 runners in Class A competed in the Thursday, Sept. 25 WEM/JWP Grizzly Pie Run at Prairie Ridge Golf Course in Janesville.

The 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 11th rated Class A individual runners and the 4th rated team in Class A competed.

Fourth-rated Mankato Loyola/Cleveland won the girl’s race with 22 points. Blooming Prairie placed second (66), WEM/JWP third (76), Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin fourth (91), NRHEG fifth (133), and Medford sixth (157).

Mary Jane Gregor, age 66, of Elysian died on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

Throughout the last few years, the WEM volleyball team always tries to bolster their regular season schedule with topnotch teams.

This year has been no different.

Last week the Bucs battled two state-rated teams and despite losing both matches, there were some very positive things which came from these matches.

I have been cooking in the kitchen for more than 50 years.

When I was a child my mother always was a big influence on me learning how to cook.

To this day I am so glad she instilled this in me as a youth.

When she passed away I took on more cooking responsibilities in our family and as you can see by my extended waistline, my cooking is quite good.

Now as a seasoned, veteran cooker, I thought I have seen everything in the kitchen. Until Thursday morning I got the shock of my life.

Ardis Martha Ely, age 78, of Cleveland, Minnesota passed away on September 30, 2025, at her home. 
   

Ardis was born on September 15, 1947, in Elysian Township and is the daughter of Ortwin and Marie (Wendt) Roemhildt. As a child she attended Bell Church School and later Waterville school.  Following her education, she held various factory jobs before discovering her true calling as a caretaker for family and friends.  
 

Deanna R. Hagger, age 73, of Le Sueur, died on Friday, September 26, 2025, at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.  Funeral service will be on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, 10:30 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Le Sueur.  Visitation will be on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, 4:00 p.m.