Dianne Joette Burton, 72, of Kasson passed away at Cottage Wood in Rochester on July 15, 2018.
Dianne was born on June 19, 1946, the daughter of Joseph and Marjorie (Ewing) Goodsell in Rapid City, S.D. She graduated from Rapid City High School, then attended St. John's MacManara School of Nursing in Rapid City.

I am the guy that some of you saw standing at the stop lights near the Kasson Police office. I am a regional missionary that frequently does outreach to law enforcement officers and agencies in the area. I am personally invested in this kind of missions work because I have a brother in law enforcement; subsequently I have an inside glimpse at how the work can affect the lives of those sworn to keep our communities safe.

As I’ve interviewed some local 4-H members preparing for the county fair over the past few weeks, especially those with animals, it triggered some fond memories of my earlier years in 4-H.
I grew up in McLeod County, similar in size to Dodge, located in the central part of the state. Our family always showed purebred hogs. 
The fairs have become engrained in my family’s DNA.

School buses are usually crammed with kids, but last weekend at least one Kasson bus was stuffed with something a little different.
On Saturday. Ready, Set, Learn of Dodge County (RSL) held a Stuff the Bus event outside the Shopko store in Kasson. The idea was to stuff the bus with school supplies for needy children from all over Dodge County for the upcoming school year.

Fallen peacemakers are being recognized in a unique way as vehicles go cruising down the roadways. Special license plates are now available honoring Minnesota’s fallen heroes.
The special license plates are extra special for a Kasson man. Roger Berge was instrumental in getting the plates approved by Minnesota lawmakers more than a year ago. 

When Jerry and Jane Struthers moved into their home along Mantorville Avenue almost 50 years ago, the street outside their Kasson house was a gravel road. 
Much has changed over that time as it has become the busiest road in Kasson next to U.S. Highway 14.

A 7-year-old boy drowned in a pond in rural Dodge County Tuesday night.
Sheriff Scott Rose said the name of the boy is being withheld pending notification of family.
Emergency crews responded to Naylor’s Pond on 160thAvenue north of Highway 14 around 4:18 p.m. Tuesday. The sheriff’s office received a report of a missing boy who had been swimming with friends and had been missing for about 10 minutes.

When Kasson police chief Kent Berghuis became aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct against one of his officers, he knew it was going to be a black eye on the agency. 

Mark Douglas Westphal, 56, of Kasson passed away unexpectedly on July 5, 2018. 
He was born in Austin on Dec. 12, 1961. He graduated from Kasson-Mantorville High School in 1980 and married his high-school sweetheart, Sara, on March 26, 1983. They shared three children and spent 35 happy years together.