SUBMITTED PHOTO 

PHOTO BY BECKY MATHRE

For decades, the post-prom celebration has been a tradition at Kasson-Mantorville High School.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it shut down nearly everything, including that rite of passage.
Five years on, the event will once again be held at KMHS.

I am happy to report to you that after weeks of stalemate within the State Government Finance and Policy Committee, the bipartisan Office of the Inspector General (OIG) bill is slowly making its way forward through the Minnesota House. Its next hearing will be in the Ways and Means Committee, and it is my hope that a consensus can be reached so that the bill may go to a floor vote.

Two things have seemed to become prevalent in my family in recent years. They are hearing loss and dementia, and with the threat of one leading to the other, I have found myself needing to take action.

It’s no secret that the landscape for local news across Minnesota and the rest of the country for that matter has changed drastically over the past several decades. Sadly, newspapers have ceased publishing in many communities due to economic constraints and hardships that were too burdensome to overcome.

There’s something to be said for traditions, and especially for the way they evolve.
When I saw the beautiful photos of the annual Good Friday event at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, I couldn’t help but think of another celebration, and the way it has changed.
In 2001, our little Presbyterian church in Claremont was looking for more ways to celebrate Holy Week with the community at large.