Suel Printing Company graphic artist Jennifer Leff won second place in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s 2019 Ad Design Contest.
Studies show that people believe their local newspapers provide the truest information and trust them far more than information found online or on TV. Newspapers continue to have a solid impact on the communities they serve and statistics show that people of all ages consume more news now than ever before. The contest asked designers to tell that important story through a quarter-page full color print ad.

Gary David Stiller, age 79 of Waseca died on Monday, February 11, 2019 at the Lake Shore Inn in Waseca.

Roland Robert Cram,92 years old, passed away on Sunday, February 10, 2019, at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, MN.
Born on December 22, 1926, at Waterville, MN in his parents’ home northwest of Waterville, the only child of William Lester Cram and Esther (Marzahn) Cram. He attended Waterville High School and was married to Faith Geraldine Meyer on May 6, 1945. They were married for 60 years before Faith passed away on February 3, 2006.

WEM head boys basketball coach Jeff Wagner recently recorded his 500th coaching win with a 54-51 win over Hayfield Friday, Feb. 1. in Waterville. Wagner became the 45th all-time coach in Minnesota and 13th active coach to reach this milestone. His career record is 500-191. The Buccaneers are currently 16-1 this season and were rated No. 10 in Class A in the Feb. 6 poll. For more on the Wagner milestone, check out the Feb. 14 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

The fire detectors and the WEM School in Waterville were activated when an air-handler belt broke and caused another to create a lot of smoke in the mechanical room. Friday, Feb. 1 at approximately 12:40 p.m. The students were all evacuated until Building and Maintenance Director Scott Allen and the Waterville Fire Department deemed all was OK for the students to re-enter the building. According to WEM Superintendent Joel Whitehurst, no one was in danger and school resumed shortly after the evacuation.

The WEM/JWP wrestling team won its second match of the year, defeating Burnsville Thursday, Jan. 24 at Montgomery.
The Grizzlies competed in the quadrangular with Burnsville, Tri City United, and Grand Meadow/LeRoy- Ostrander/Southland (GMLOS).
WEM/JWP opened with a 65-12 loss to GMLOS. They followed that loss with a 48-25 win over Burnsville. Tri City United downed the Grizzlies 67-9 in the final match.
The Grizzlies recorded eight wins in the victory over Burnsville.
Gavin Krause (106) started the match off with a pin of Ripplinger Xavier in 3:46.

The WEM Board of Education is continuing through the process of planning for the upcoming building project.
A construction manager, R.A. Morton & Associates, Inc., had been selected earlier this month after interviews with four companies.
With this part in place, the board will approve the sale of the general obligation bonds Wednesday, January 30 in a special meeting.
During their regular January meeting Monday, Jan. 28, the board set a February 11 meeting to interview potential architects.

A project aimed at informing young people about the many career opportunities available in agriculture recently landed five 4-Hers a trip to Washington, D.C.

Staff writer and columnist Lisa Ingebrand, who works for the Lake Region Life, Elysian Enterprise, and the Montgomery Messenger, was honored for her writing during the 2019 Minnesota Newspaper Association’s (MNA) Annual Convention on January 24 in Bloomington. Ingebrand earned third place honors for her work as a writer in the Arts and Entertainment category among weeklies with up to 1,500 in circulation. This was her tenth MNA Award in 15 years with the local newspapers.

Kent Davis Rumrey, 73, of Aberdeen, passed away Tuesday, January 29, 2019, at his home. His wishes were to be cremated.
Memorial services will be Saturday, February 9, 2019, at Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, with Pastor Rodney Johnson, of New Life Fellowship, officiating.
A luncheon and time of fellowship will immediately follow the service at Schriver’s Memorial Fellowship Center.
Visitation at the mortuary will be from 10:-11 a.m. on Saturday.

Due to projected deteriorating weather conditions, the United States Postal Service has suspended delivery for Wednesday, Jan. 30, for Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, Iowa and Western Illinois.
A press release issued Tuesday afternoon said retail operations at local offices will be available, but may be limited.
There will be no collection mail pickup from business or collection boxes. In addition, there will be no residential or commercial package pick-up service.

Charles “Chuck” W. Krenik, age 70, of Morristown passed away on Friday, January 25, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus, Rochester, surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, February 1, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Peace United Methodist Church, Morristown with the Reverend Elden Eklund, officiating. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Morristown.
Visitation will be at the Boldt Funeral Home, Faribault on Thursday, January 31, 2019, from 4 to 8 p.m. and also at the church for one hour prior to the services on Friday.

Winter Storm Warning for Le Sueur County, Minnesota
From 3:00pm CST, Sun Jan 27 until 6:00 am CST, Mon Jan 28
Action Recommended: Make preparations per the instructions
Issued by: Minneapolis - MN, US, National Weather Service,
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM SUNDAY TO 6 AM CST MONDAY... *
WHAT...HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES EXPECTED.
WHERE...PORTIONS OF CENTRAL, EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. *

LAWRENCE “LARRY” MESKAN, age 87 of Waterville died on Monday, January 21, 2019 at the Janesville Nursing Home.

Memorial services for LaVerne P. Blowers will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at Friedrich/Bonnerup Funeral Home in New Richland, MN. Visitation will take place beginning at 1:30 p.m. until the time of the service. Burial with military honors will follow at Le Sueur River Lutheran Cemetery.
LaVerne died on Thursday, January 17, 2019 at the New Richland Care Center. He was 79 years old.

Four wins in the final five matches lifted the WEM/JWP wrestling team to a 42-26 win over St. Clair Thursday, Jan. 17. The win was the first of the season for the Grizzlies. Jaxson James, Theo Miska, Brant Melchert, and Michael Sheehy were the winners of the four late matches. For more on the win over the cyclones and two other duals, check out the Jan. 24 edition of the Life/Enterprise.