The halls of Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School were abuzz Thursday morning as staff and students celebrated K-M’s 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year, Rita Buehler. 

An unidentified Kasson police officer is in the hospital after what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office responded to a grassy area near a residential subdivision on 257thAvenue in rural Mantorville around 6 a.m. Saturday. Deputies found a Kasson police officer with apparent gunshot wounds that were self-inflicted.

Leona Mae Volkert, 91, of Kasson, passed away after a brief battle with cancer on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at Seasons Hospice in Rochester.
Leona was born Jan. 15, 1927, in Afton Township, Stillwater to Herman and Luella (Pechuman) Heuer. She married Elroy J. Volkert on June 21, 1947 in Afton Township Stillwater, and they farmed in White Bear Lake, Minn. and Roberts, Wis. They were charter members of the St. Croix Riders Saddle Club.

Noma Fay Houseman of Stewartville died on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at the age of 98.
She was born on May 29, 1919 in Cayuga, N.D., to Ben & Lydia (Kramer) Zelinske. She graduated from Mantorville High School in 1937. On Oct. 14, 1944, she married Harvey Lee Houseman and they resided in Mantorville, where Noma worked at Erdman’s Grocery Store from 1957 until 1981. They moved to Stewartville in 1982.

There could be a cliche used that says that the action in the Section 1AAA tournament opener between Kasson- Mantorville and Winona was as hot as it could be on May 26. However, such a statement could not have been more true as the KoMets and the Winhawks went to battle in temperatures hovering around the mid-to-high 90s in Winona.

Follow the story of the Vietnam War by visiting the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, otherwise known as the traveling Vietnam Wall.
That's what more than 6,000 people did in the four days the traveling tribute was set up at the Mower County Fairgrounds in Austin.

For Shannon Krekula of Byron, Friday’s Activity Day for students of the Zumbro Education District was a heartwarming time for her 12-year-old son, Jeffrey.
He took part in a variety of activities, including races, soccer, bowling, T-ball and even some tattoos. 

The two O names stole the show in 2017.
Oliver and Olivia were the most popular baby names in Minnesota, according to the Social Security Administration. 
I’m still agonizing over the fact that Rick didn’t come out on top. In fact, Rick didn’t even make the top five. 

Randall “Randy” Scott Moe, 58, of Owatonna, died Tuesday, May 15, 2018, while enjoying one of his favorite things, a run along Lake Kohlmeier.
He was born Sept. 15, 1959 in Owatonna, the son of Donald and Loretta (Rassman) Moe. As a young boy, his family moved to Bixby where he grew up. He graduated from Blooming Prairie High School, Class of 1977.