With three returning All-Gopher Conference players returning and only one play gone from last year’s team, the WEM volleyball team should be a contender for the Conference, Sub-Section, and Section titles in 2023.
WEM finished third in the conference with a 9-2 record and was 18-14 overall, winning the Sub-Section Championship and losing in the Section 2A title game.
Seniors Claire Bohlen (1st Team All Gopher), Alayna Atherton (2nd Team), and Josie Volkmann (3rd Team) will be the team leaders for a squad which graduated only Jordan Green (Honorable Mention All-Gopher).

Ruth Lavonne (Wagner) Stavenau, age 83, of Elysian passed away at her home on Sunday, August 20, 2023. 

St. Patrick topped St. Paul while Veseli, Union Hill and Waterville suffered season-ending losses in the opening round of the Minnesota Baseball Association’s state tournament this weekend.
After defeating the St. Paul Capitols, 7-1, Saturday, Aug. 19, the Class B Irish will face Baseball 365 Saturday, Aug. 26, 11 a.m., at Delano. If the Irish win, St. Patrick will face the winner of the Metro Knights vs. Minnetonka Millers game Saturday, Sept. 2, 11 a.m., in Litchfield. A loss would be season-ending.

New Prague, Montgomery, Waterville, Scott and Le Sueur counties and the area are under an excessive heat warning during the coming week.
The National Weather Service says the area will be subject to "dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 110 (degrees) possible."

The story about the Waterville Indians amateur baseball team advancing to the 2022 Class C State Tournament could be written almost exactly the same this year.
The Indians did it the hard way, but in the end it really doesn’t matter how it was accomplished. The Waterville Indians won two straight elimination games Saturday, Aug. 12 to punch their ticket to the 2023 Class C State Tournament.

From the archives 25 years ago…
We here up in da nort had a conversation da udder day bout da food we eat and what we’all call it.
Hot dish of course was the first of many discussions around the dinner, or supper table, whichever you prefer, but we’ll discuss that later.
It is hard for me to believe that many people don’t know what hot dish is.
Hot dish, of course, is a combination of all the leftovers from the past four days, all mixed together in a cake pan, along with hamburger and some sort of potatoes, whether it be hashbrowns or tater tots.

With nothing in the city policy book governing cannabis, the Elysian City Council took action to make sure they have plenty of time to make sure there is ordinances in place when it comes to the sale and other items dealing with the drug.
The council approved an interim ordinance prohibiting the sale, testing, manufacturing, cultivating, growing, transporting, delivery, and distribution of cannabis products in the City of Elysian.
The moratorium will be in effect until January 1, 2025, but the city can cancel this moratorium at any time before the January 1 date.

The Waterville Lakes Association will be hosting Pontoberfest Saturday, Aug. 19.
After a number of years off, the event returned to the Waterville lakes last year with a number of fun activities associated with this year’s beach party and picnic.
The event will start with a parade line-up at the Waterville Swimming Beach at 2 p.m.
At 3 p.m. music begins, there will be a dance party, and yard games. At 3:15 p.m. minnow races will be held.

Our heavenly Father graciously called Dale V. Schwartz, age 68 of Waterville out of this life to be with Him in heaven on August 12, 2023 at Mercy Hospital, Coon Rapids.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 18, 2023 at 10 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Waterville with the Reverend David Mumme officiating. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Waterville.

A Kilkenny woman’s house was damaged but nobody injured when fire broke out inside the front porch Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 9.
Just after 3:30 p.m., Constance Weber noted the air-conditioner window unit inside her front porch at her house on Laurel Avenue in Kilkenny had overheated and was ablaze. Weber discovered the fire after she heard crackling coming from the air-conditioning unit. The fire had spread from the front porch and was spreading other rooms inside of the house, according to the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office.

Giles Arthur “Art” Abbe, age 97 of Waterville, passed away on the evening of Sunday, August 6, 2023, at Mala Strana Rehabilitation Center in New Prague.

Charmane Caroline (Roemhildt) Zimbrich, age 73, of Janesville, formerly of Waseca, died Monday, August 7, 2023, at Mayo Health System – Mankato.
Born November 8, 1949, in St. Peter, daughter of the late Dale and Gladys (Dehn) Roemhildt. Charmane attended schools in both Waterville and Elysian. She attended her senior year at the Waseca AG School, where she graduated, Class of 1967. She was a person with a heart of gold who enjoyed fishing, writing poems, listening to music, and playing cards and board games.

Norman Francis Knish, age 97, of Waterville, passed away on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Waseca. 

Marlys Joan (Wisen) Krueger, age 89, of Waterville, Minnesota died Thursday, July 27, 2023, at Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center in Waseca.

The Minnesota BASS National Angling Tournaments have proved that local anglers are among the best in this area.
The Friday, July 21 Lake Washington Tournament featured the top three teams, all from the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown area.
The weigh-ins for this tournament were held at Westwood Marina Bar & Grill and the top three finishing teams caught more than eight pounds of bass.
Placing first was Myles and Ivan Pratt with five bass totalling 11.71 pounds.

Two wins last weekend has advanced the Waterville Indians amateur baseball team into a familiar spot… the Region 6C Tournament.
The Indians defeated Minnesota Lake (10-3) and Morrisown (6-1) to move into the 13-60 League Championship and secure one of four spots in the Region Playoff field.
Waterville will host Blue Earth Saturday, July 29 at 2 p.m. for the No. 1 seed and 13-60 League title. Blue Earth upset North Mankato (10-4) and Waseca (5-4) to advance to the league championship.