Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele and his wife, Brooke, know how lucky they are after
seeing the aftermath of their vehicle following a crash last week in Dodge County.
“We know how fortunate we were that our children weren’t in the back seat,” Sheriff
Thiele said referring to the crunched up rear end of his Ford Edge. Had their
children been in the car, Thiele acknowledges, the outcome could have been much

Nearly a year after a 2-year-old’s body was found dumped in a ditch outside Blooming Prairie, the girl’s father has been charged in her death.
The Mower County Attorney’s Office has filed second-degree murder charges against Dariaz Higgins of Milwaukee. He is accused of killing Noelani Robinson by “blunt force trauma to the head.” 

Rice County authorities have arrested a Blooming Prairie man in connection with a fatal shooting of a Nevada man last week.
 
On Wednesday night, sheriff’s deputies took Mark Doocy, 60, into custody at the Flying J Truck Stop along Interstate 35 in Rice County. Doocy kept officers waiting for more than four hours until a chemical irritant was used on him twice before he was captured, Sheriff Troy Dunn said.
 

Elvina Leone Anderson, age 98,
passed away on Feb. 26, 2020, at the
Heather Haus in Blooming Prairie.
She was born Dec. 11, 1921, the oldest
daughter of Fabian and Esther Sellman.
Elvina and her two sisters were raised
on a farm near Almelund, Minn., a
 
small, Swedish community. After grad-
uating from North Branch High School,
 
she moved to Minneapolis where she
 

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and most often associated in the U.S. with New Orleans. Since the mid-1700s, Mardi Gras has been celebrated openly, but not with all the parades and hoopla that we know today.
Also known as Carnival, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world on the day before the religious
season of Lent begins. It has also become known as “Fat Tuesday.”
Fat Tuesday?

River Jeanne Carver (Dobbs), age 3, of Mantorville, passed away at home, in her mother’s arms on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 from complications of Mabry’s Syndrome.
River was born Dec. 19, 2016in Rochester to Jennifer Dobbsand Timmy Carver. River was astrong little warrior and alwayshad a smile on her face. Although there were things River couldn’t do, she couldn’t walk or talk, but she could spread love with a smile.

Alice Marie Johnson, 87, of Dodge Center passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2020, at Fair- view Nursing Home in Dodge Center, MN.
Alice Johnson was born on Feb. 3, 1933 in Lanesboro to Adolph and Matilda (Olson) Wangen.

Ronald William Hanusa, 72, of Hayfield, passed away on Feb. 25, 2020, at Allina Health Hospice Care in Owatonna.
He was born on Jan. 4, 1948, the son of Carl and Bertha (Kile) Hanusa, in Council Bluffs.
Ron was united in marriageto Susan Marie Tyson on Aug. 6, 1983, at Aurora Lutheran Church.

Dolores Irene Schletty Roberts passed away peacefully with her daughter by her side on Feb. 19, 2020 at Fairview Care Center in Dodge Center.