News

Hunting for sea shells on the beach in Puerto Rico in 1969.

It was a military life for Alpha, Dick Jensen

Alpha (Bungum) Jensen grew up south of Kasson and was the seventh of eight children in her family. She attended the Flatta country school #35 about a mile away for her first eight grades along with her brothers and sisters. Sometimes they would get a ride from a neighbor when he took his daughter...

New director takes helm at Dodge County Public Health

Dodge County’s new public health director officially began her duties this past Monday, January 31. Amy Evans was hired for the position by the Dodge County Board of Commissioners earlier in January. A Kasson resident, she comes to Dodge County from Olmsted County where she was the Olmsted County...

The new owners of the Hubbell House in Mantorville wasted no time in beginning to remodel the back-of-the-house areas of the restaurant. The Powers family of Rochester took over ownership of the restaurant on January 1.

Powers family takes over Hubbell House in Mantorville

You can breathe a sigh of relief: the food and atmosphere at the Hubbell House aren’t changing, but a million dollar remodel is underway for the establishment. Regulars will be happy to be greeted with the same great menu items once the 100-year-old famous local restaurant in Mantorville reopens...

It’s Kasson-Mantorville’s Owen Friedrich with his opponent down for a pin.

Fans not seeing double, it’s the Friedrich Twins

Kasson-Mantorville has a few new faces in the line-up this season. You’re not seeing double at 120 and 126, you’re seeing the Friedrich twins, Aiden and Owen. KM has had several brothers on the team together, but it has been a while since they have had twins. How does one tell these two a part?...

Wildcats Brendon Wolesky slams the puck to the back of the net against St. Cloud Cathedral last Thursday.

DC boys Wildcats snare three straight wins

Dodge County hockey boys were flying around the ice last week, starting on Tuesday, January 18, when they overpowered Waseca, 11-1. Thursday’s action resulted in a 5-1 win for the Wildcats over St. Cloud Cathedral. The boys picked-up their third win of the week, taking down Luverne, 5-3, on...

Jean Bartel working to keep county's history alive

Jean (Pettey) Bartel’s family moved to an acreage on the west edge of Mantorville when she was seven. She has two brothers and a sister who all live in the Kasson-Mantorville area. Even though her parents would need to purchase hay and grain supplies, they started with one cow and eventually ended...

Big changes ahead for Kasson Aquatic Center

Outdoor summer fun will look a bit different this year, as the Kasson Aquatic Center undergoes significant changes to how it operates. During the swimming off-season of the fall and winter months, the Kasson Park Board has been jumpstarting new features to be rolled out this summer, said Ron Unger...

Otto’s — 50 Years of Baking & More

On any given day, there is a place in Byron where coffee, pastries of all kinds, and conversations dominate. This of course is Otto’s Bakery and Coffee Shop located on the frontage road in Byron. Since the early 1980s, Otto Hemmah and his wife Ann Marie have had a sweet presence in Byron. However,...

Don Pappas shares a laugh with Kasson Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Matt Bradford and President Tom Monson at last week’s annual meeting and dinner. Pappas, former owner of the Hubbell House, was honored with the Chamber’s Legacy Award.

Pappas, Stevenson honored by Kasson Chamber of Commerce

Don Pappas, former owner of the Hubbell House, and Jeff Stevenson, of Stevenson Insurance, were honored last week by the Kasson Chamber of Commerce at their annual meeting and dinner. Pappas was named the recipient of the Chamber’s Legacy Award and Stevenson was named Business Person of the Year....

Hayfield remains unbeaten in Gopher Conference

Local boys basketball teams were in action last week with Hayfield continuing their unbeaten streak, both Kasson-Mantorville and Triton winning two games, and Byron splitting with one win and one loss. Byron boys 1-1 for the week The Byron boys basketball team fell to friendly rival Kasson-...