John G. Smisek, age 77, of Le Center, passed away on Friday, November 8, 2024, at Central Health Care in Le Center. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 14, from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. at Le Center Funeral Home in Le Center. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, November 15, at 10 a.m. with visitation held one hour prior at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Le Center. Interment will be in St. John Catholic Cemetery in Montgomery.

Voters in the Lake Region Area have voted and there will be some major changes in many of the four local communities.
Two new mayors and six new city council members have been voted into office following the Tuesday, Nov. 5 General Election.
The cities of Elysian and Morristown will have new mayors. Elysian, Kilkenny, Morristown, and Waterville will all have at least one new city council member.
The only elected office which will not see change is on the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Board of Education.  All three incumbents were voted back in.
City of Elysian

Dennis Leroy Schwichtenberg, age 83, died October 28, 2024, at Laurels Peak Rehabilitation Center in Mankato.  
Dennis was born March 17, 1941, in Waterville, Minnesota and baptized at Trinity Lutheran in Waterville.  He lived on the family farm northeast of Waterville with his parents, Paul and Ruth Lamont Schwichtenberg. He started school in a one room country schoolhouse near Horseshoe Lake. Later he attended school in Waterville before moving to St. Clair and graduating from St. Clair High School in 1958.

The Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota Pageant is now accepting applications for candidacy for junior ambassadors and queens for the 36th Annual Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota Pageant.
An informational open house will be held at the Montgomery Public Library, 104 Oak Ave, on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 12-1:30 p.m. Potential candidates will have the opportunity to meet with board members, ask questions and learn about the opportunities.

In advance of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday, Le Sueur, Rice, and Scott Counties announce plans to illuminate county buildings green from Monday, Nov. 4, to Monday, Nov. 11, as part of Operation Green Light for Veterans, a nationwide effort uniting counties to support military veterans.
Le Sueur County Veterans Service Officer, Mark Roemhildt, stated, “Operation Green Light is an opportunity to show appreciation for those who served our nation in the armed forces. A simple ‘thank you’ or gesture like illuminating a green light shows our support.”

Locations will be open during the stated days/times starting September 20 (Fri).
Locations will also be open 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on November 2 (Sat), and November 3 (Sun).
Locations will also be open until 5:00 p.m. on November 4 (Mon).
Locations will serve all voters in the county unless marked with an asterisk (*).
Those marked with an asterisk (*) will only serve residents of that city/town.

For additional questions, contact the county auditor or municipal clerk.
Le Sueur County

Janice "Jan" A. Steinhaus, age 89, of Waterville, died on the evening of Thursday, October 24, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

The WEM volleyball team was among eight Section 2AA teams who advanced in the Section tournament Monday, Oct. 21.
The Bucs, the No. 4 seed, defeated Le Sueur-Henderson (25-18, 25-21, 17-25, 25- 16) in Waterville to improve to 18-12 this season. More on this match in the Oct. 31 edition of the LifeEnterprise.
The win advances the Bucs into the Section 2AA quarterfinals Thursday, Oct. 24 when they will play No. 4 seed Glencoe-Silver Lake, 19-9 overall, in Glencoe.
All eight teams who were higher seeds won their matches Monday.

After finishing second the last two years, the WEM/JWP girls cross country team claimed the Gopher Conference Girls Championship Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Prairie Ridge Golf Course in Janesville.
Freshman McKenzie Westphal won her second individual championship and all five Grizzly runners placed in the top 15 overall.
The Grizzlies scored 39 team points in winning. Blooming Prairie scored 50, Randolph 62, United South Central/Alden-Conger 100, and Medford 107. Hayfield, NRHEG, and Triton each had runners but did not field a complete team of five runners.

The outstanding pedal pull season for 10-year old Remy Sampson of Waterville has come to a very successful end.
Sampson competed in the National Pedal Pull Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Corn Palace at Mitchell, South Dakota. He placed second in his age group. Last year he placed 15th overall.
In order to advance, pullers need to place 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th at a State Sanctioned Pull and have a State voucher.
Remy had accomplished both of these and he and his parents Will and Alyssa Sampson headed out west for the competition. This was his second National competition.

Give me a B! Give me a U! Give me a C! Give me an S! “What’s that spell?”
If you have ever been to a WEM volleyball game during the past decade-plus, there has been a familiar person who gets the crowd fired up with this chant.
Mitch Tegmeier has been a fan favorite and a very important person within the WEM volleyball program since he graduated from the WEM approximately a decade ago.
Tegmeier, who has Down Syndrome, was recognized Monday, Oct. 21 following the Buccaneer volleyball game against Le Sueur-Henderson.

Betty Lou Hammargren died peacefully at Carondelet Village in St. Paul on October 20, 2024. She was born in Kilkenny, Minnesota, on December 17, 1926. She attended St. Canice Catholic Grade School, Montgomery High School and was a graduate of St. Catherine's University.

Betty Lou Hammargren died peacefully at Carondelet Village in St. Paul on October 20, 2024. She was born in Kilkenny, Minnesota, on December 17, 1926. She attended St. Canice Catholic Grade School, Montgomery High School and was a graduate of St. Catherine's University.

Rohn Duane Halvorson, age 70 of Elysian, died on the morning of Monday, October 21, 2024, at Oaklawn Rehabilitation Center in Mankato.

Leon A. Dahle, age 82, of Morristown, passed peacefully in the early morning hours of October 13, 2024.

Carolyn “Tulla” Bess Stordahl, 79, of Grand Forks, ND, and longtime resident of Grafton, ND, and Elysian, MN, passed away peacefully early Friday morning, October 18, 2024, at Maple View Memory Care in Grand Forks.