Merlin James Plonsky left this world peacefully on March 19, 2025, at the age of 79, surrounded by his family at Central Health Care in Le Center. Merlin was born on April 24, 1945, to Peter and Cecelia (Konopik) Plonsky. He grew up in Montgomery and graduated in 1963 from Montgomery High School.
 He was united in marriage to Carmen Dalsted, on May 8, 1965. He started his career as a professional painter alongside his father-in-law and later went on his own as Plonsky Painting.

Rhoda Ann Duffney, age 93 of Montgomery, died in the early morning of Thursday, March 13, 2025, at the Faribault Medical Center.

Robert “Bob” Ernest Sapp, of Le Center, passed away March 12, 2025, at St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester, Minnesota.

Youth soccer is a growing sport in the nation and locally. A report from the Montgomery Messanger Sports & Fitness Industry Association says that there are about 4.6 million players, roughly of one-third of all players in the United States, in the 6-12 age group alone. There have been steady increases in the number of players with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020.
The Minnesota Youth Soccer Association has approximately 25,000 players, which range from ages 6 to 19, and 8,000 coaches and administrators.

Residents in the city of Montgomery face estimated city taxes doubling for a significant period of time, nearly tripling for a portion of that time, over the next 25 years.
Inflation has caused projects and goods to increase more substantially than projected when the items were first introduced. These include a new fire hall, renovation of city hall, purchasing of a new fire department **pumper truck, and the declining state of the city’s infrastructure underneath the streets as well as the streets themselves.

A water main break on 5th Street NW just south of Lexington Avenue NW is being worked on by construction crews from Selly Excavating. Crews on site said it should be fixed completely by about 2 p.m. today, Friday, March 14. More information will be in the print issue of the Montgomery Messenger on March 20.

MANKATO - The No. 2 seed NRHEG girls basketball team used a strong second half to defeat No. 3 seed Tri-City United, 81-55, in the Section 2AA Semifinal game played at MSU-Mankato Monday, March 4.
The Panthers outscored the Titans 44-24 in the second half after leading 37-31 at halftime.
NRHEG twin sisters Quinn VanMaldeghem and Camryn VanMaldeghem combined for 53 points. They scored 34 of their team’s 44 second half points.

Kolacky Days members chose the design from Dawn (Ruhland) Elfstrand as the 2025 Button Contest winner out of 10 entries. The 256 members voted on the design back in November, with designs being accepted in October.
Elfstrand, who now lives in Madison Lake, Minn., and works as a buyer for a school district, is a Montgomery native.
“It was pretty exciting. It was the first time I submitted a button. I made several designs, and I emailed them to my kids and husband. They chose the final one I entered,” said Elfstrand.

Tri-City United School’s Facility Master Planning Advisory Committee is seeking public input on their strategic master plan.
In 2023, a 29-member, cross-community Facility Master Planning Advisory Committee met over the course of nine meetings, culminating in a final report to the TCU School Board. Since then, the board has worked to develop a strategic master plan. They now need your input as this work continues to shape future facility decisions across the school district’s three communities.

The annual Czech Mardi Gras celebration on Sunday, March 2, marked its silver anniversary, celebrating 25 years as an annual festival in Montgomery with a full house at the Revival on Main.
Entertainment included music by Georges Concertina Band and cultural dancing by the St. Paul Czech and Slovak Adult Dancers. People from the audience were invited up front at the Revival on Main after the group had finished dancing to learn a dance, which many obliged.

Montgomery Fire Department members that participated in the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb are pictured at the event in the Capella Tower in Minneapolis on Saturday.  They climbed 52 flights of stairs, with full gear, and raised $1,500 — about $500 more than what was raised last year. Sean Benz was recognized as the top fundraiser of the group.

Marietta "Toots" Kukacka, age 95, of Montgomery, died in the early morning of Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. 

With victories over teams the New Prague-TCU-Belle Plaine-Le Sueur Henderson-Jordan co-op floor hockey team faced during the regular season, the Trojans' returned from Coon Rapids High School Saturday evening as undefeated state champions.
After defeating South Suburban, 11-4, Friday evening, Feb. 7, and South Washington County Saturday afternoon, Feb. 8, the Trojans capped off the day winning the championship over Stillwater Area, 11-8. The semifinal win over South Washington County marked the only time all season the Trojans trailed in any of the 11 games they played.

Tri-City United Schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5, due to inclement weather. There will be no Kidzone or Activates. It will be a blended learning day.
Also, the Oreo Challenge for teens at the Montgomery Public Library scheduled for March 5 will be held on March 6 instead.

Mick McGuire could not contain his disappointment as he opened the second annual Montgomery State of the Community event.
“We don’t have a single person from the community here,” McGuire began. “Everyone here is here because they are presenting. Over 3,000 people had an opportunity to come and there isn’t a single one.”
Still, the presenters shared their information with one another at the event, which was held Saturday morning, Feb. 22. The event was put on by the Montgomery Community Foundation.

SNOW EMERGENCY DECLARED- 3/4/25 AT 9 p.m.
LAST UPDATED: MARCH 4, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
SNOW EMERGENCY DECLARED