In loving memory of Todd Evjen, who died suddenly on April 29, 2025. He was 53 years old. He is survived by his mother Donna Evjen; his sisters Patti Fisher and her husband Gary Fisher, Sue Hanson, Kim Evjen and her boyfriend Shane Garrison, and Heather Evjen; 4 nieces, 4 nephews, 2 great nephews, and a great niece. Also, his good friend Melinda Broad and many other friends at his apartment in Owatonna.

Ruth Frances Klocke, 96, of Hayfield, MN, passed away on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Field Crest Care Center in Hayfield. Ruth was a loving wife, devoted mother, and proud grandmother, born on September 18, 1928, in Roselle, Iowa, to Jacob and Sophia (Roth) Hahn. She grew up surrounded by faith and family, attending school in Roselle and helping on the farm. On April 27, 1949, she married Harold John Klocke at Holy Angels Church.

When Triton Superintendent Craig Schlichting announced he would be retiring from the school district
last year after working there for over three decades, many thought he would be leaving education altogether.
But with two last minute superintendent positions near his home, he decided to throw his hat in the
ring, and has now been named a finalist for the Kenyon-Wanamingo superintendent position.

After months of searching, the Byron School District has a finance director.
The school board on Monday night approved a contract with Shawn Elsbury, currently the finance director at the Pine Island Public Schools. He will receive a salary of $130,000 through the 2025-2026 contract year and $132,000 for the 2026-2027 contract year.

Charles “Buck” Bernardy was born in St. Paul and raised by his grandparents. When he was three years old, they relocated to Arizona, returning to St. Paul just before he began kindergarten. He attended Ames Elementary, now closed, before his family moved to White Bear Lake, where Charles completed junior high and high school.

Question: I notice a lot of people walking and running along the highway. The thing that concerns me is that they are moving in the same direction of traffic with their back to the potential hazard. Can you talk about pedestrian safety and what people should do when on the highway?

Things are heating up at the Legislature as we enter crunch time. With just two weeks left in the session, there is a lot of work left to be done. With some bills still outstanding, it’s times like now we wish we had those three missing weeks at the beginning of session, but we are still working hard to get bills done so we have time for conference committees and get our work done before May 19th.

It seems as if the activities pick up as the school year winds down.