The Minnesota Legislature has effectively done what school boards across the state have seemingly been unwilling to do – require students put their cell phones on hold during class time.
Monday, Feb. 10, the New Prague School Board discussed a proposed policy requiring students not be allowed to use their phone during class time. The proposed policy will be considered during the spring and likely included in the student handbook for the 2025-2026 school year. The proposed policy is a reasonable start at governing an issue that unfortunately has become a problem.

Just when the Minnesota House of Representatives appears it cornered the market on the biggest circus since Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey went dark in 2017, the Minnesota Senate made a bid for your attention.

We received an unexpected surprise Sunday evening – a letter to the editor from a person expressing on an opinion she feels is important.
These days, letters to the editor, especially the ones you don’t expect, are worth their weight in gold. It’s on the right side of the page, below the political cartoon. At a time where anybody can post anything they want, fact or fiction disguised as fact, an honest-to-goodness letter to the editor is delightful.

Just when you’re starting to fret not having a reasonable idea for a column for this week’s paper, along come the good folks from Oklahoma willing to try to skirt the U.S. Constitution for their religious beliefs.

New Prague’s elected mayor in 2026 will serve for four years after the city council adjusted the mayor’s term from two to four years at its Oct. 21 meeting.

It was a question that needed to be asked but wasn’t expected. The position of the school board on this issue is critical to the financial future of the New Prague Area School District and the relief candidates for seats on the board brought is welcomed.
The question to board candidates at the forum held Tuesday, Oct. 15: Should the New Prague School District remain a member in the Minnesota State High School League? The six candidates all answered in the affirmative.

We find ourselves once again in the fall season when trees change colors and farmers are busy harvesting their crops.
This fall, Minnesota has been spoiled with warmer than average temperatures in August and September. It’s only been over the last few weeks temperatures have begun to plummet into the 50s and 40s. Temperatures have also been cold enough for frost warnings to spring up once or twice during the night.

There is a fee for election-related letters starting Aug. 29
The New Prague Times is charging for the publication of letters to the editor that relate to candidates for office, are a political endorsement, or relate to an upcoming election. These letters will be considered political paid ads and are subject to a $25 charge for local candidates (i.e. mayor, city council, school board).

This past week I saw a literature piece that I assume was sent to almost all households in Lanesburg Township. It was a hit piece about candidate Liz Krocak who is running for a county board seat. The authors of this mailing did not have the courage to sign their names,  which tells me a lot about what I need to know about their character. An unsigned letter isn't worth the paper it is written on.

The content of public words and actions combined with a person’s/organization’s overall words and actions in private matters in the political realm, whose words and actions affect the lives of every person within that country.

As of this month, I have been in New Prague working for The New Prague Times for 25 years.
In the last few months, I’ve had a few people mention they remembered when I started. One person said they remembered how black my hair was then. At the time I started, I was 31. Someone recently asked how old I was now and when I told them, they were surprised.

If you’re a baseball fan, they say the best four words each spring are ‘Pitchers and catchers report’ to spring training. Each spring, when professional baseball players show up for spring training, it’s a sign we’ve survived another winter, that the best of our climate is yet to come and there is hope for better days ahead.

I can recall a number of naughty things I have done over my earlier childhood years when left to my own devices. Usually, these instances of mischief would come from being with the company of another friend in the same boat. Both of the following stories come from about the same age period of about 12 years old or so — give or take a year or two. It’s been about 30 years since then so forgive me if I don’t remember.
 
Flame broiled

You know the penny dishes originally intended for folks to use a penny or two rather than breaking a dollar bill. You take a few pennies when you need ‘em and leave a few when you have extra.

There used to be a baseball stadium along the Minnesota River in Shakopee, at the north end of the old Holmes Street bridge.
It’s the same bridge where, local legend has it, a man flew a small airplane under the bridge to win the affections of a local young lady. Such a feat today would be considered insanity since the level of the river is much higher than it reportedly was back in those days.

This week marks 248 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when the American colonies declared themselves free from the United Kingdom. Many people will be celebrating it by spending time with family, friends and with fireworks capping the day.