In our caring communities, people are always asking how they can help. There never seems to be a shortage of help.
As the coronavirus continues to unfold in ways we’ve never encountered before, the hardest part for many is being asked to stay put. Don’t come out of your home. That’s the message Gov. Tim Walz delivered to Minnesotans last week.

Bonnie Jean Miller, 84, of Mantorville, Minnesota passed away on Saturday, March 21, 2020 in Mantorville, Minnesota.
Bonnie was born on Aug. 22, 1935 in Sundance, WY to Lyle and Nancy (Linton) Bartholomew. The family moved several times before settling down in the Mantorville area.

Bonnie Jean Miller, 84, of Mantorville, Minnesota passed away on Saturday, March 21, 2020 in Mantorville, Minnesota.
Bonnie was born on Aug. 22, 1935 in Sundance, WY to Lyle and Nancy (Linton) Bartholomew. The family moved several times before settling down in the Mantorville area.

Ethanol producers in the United States are cutting production by two billion gallons (annualized) due to a sharp decline in fuel consumption and trade restrictions, according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).
Why is that a big deal? Roughly 40 percent of the corn crop in the United States is refined into ethanol. That is a very big deal.

 
https://mn.gov/…/…/60-seconds/Gov-Walz-PSA-MN-60-ENGLISH.mp4
 

A Sunday morning crash in Dodge County has taken the life of a Steele County man.
The State Patrol has identified the victim as Mark Douglas Johnson, 58, of Owatonna. He was driving a 2014 Honda Accord that was traveling eastbound on Dodge County Road 16. Johnson’s vehicle collided with a Chevrolet Avalanche traveling northbound on Highway 57 in Mantorville Township. The crash was reported at 11:20 a.m.

Here's a list of Blooming Prairie Area Chamber members and their status during this state action by Gov. Tim Walz:
 
• St. Columbanus, Litomysl, & Sacred Heart in Hayfield all masses cancelled but you may watch a mass on KROC Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church closed and services cancelled
• First Lutheran Church closed with services on 100.9 FM-Sundays 9 a.m. and Wednesday 6:40 p.m.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is strongly encouraging residents to abide by the regulations put forth in Governor Tim Walz’s “Stay at Home” Executive Order (EO #20-20), which goes into effect Saturday at midnight.
However, Sheriff Scott Rose says local law enforcement will not be actively looking for violators of the order on the roadways. 

Lorraine A. Reha, 92, of Dodge Center, passed away on March 18, 2020 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease at St. Gertrude’s Healthand Rehabilitation Center.
Lorraine Reha was born on Oct. 8, 1927 in Glencoe. She married Byron Reha on Nov. 10, 1950 in Lake Wilson, MN. The couple resided in Worthington and Moorhead before finally settling in Dodge Center in 1971.