Assistant Dodge County Attorney Kailee Thompson believes a bill introduced by State Rep. Peggy Bennett is “a step in the right direction” toward preventing students from being groomed by teachers and other adults

A teacher from Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools is a semifinalist for the 2026 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award.
Colleen Tentis, a kindergarten teacher who has been with the district for 19 years, was named as one of 30 teachers in the running for the prestigious award.
Despite her success in the classroom, Tentis did not envision a career as a teacher.

With the Jan. 10 passing of Lyle Hoaglund, the Mantorville City Council is set to pick an interim city councilmember to fill the rest of his term.
Jerrod Kappers, Laura Schroeder, Anthony Meyers, Holly Scmidt, and William Reding all applied for the position.

Four months ago, Rep. Peggy Bennett saw Hannah LoPresto on TV as the Eagan High School graduate spoke about a teacher who had groomed her throughout her teens.
Last week, LoPresto sat beside Bennett in St. Paul, testifying in support of a new bipartisan bill designed to make her former teacher’s behavior a crime.

A Facebook post made by Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose has led a Hayfield woman to file a formal complaint against him.

Dodge County’s new county engineer Noah Baumgarten was officially appointed to the position at the Feb. 10 county board meeting.
He replaces Guy Kohlnhofer, who is retiring.
Baumgarten is a native of New Jersey, growing up in Bergen County. He earned a Civil Engineering degree from Penn State University.