Taylor Cierra Zylstra-Sletten, 16, of West Concord, died Thursday, April 11, 2019 at her home. 
She was born May 21, 2002 in Owatonna, the daughter of Christine Janke and David Zylstra. Taylor attended Blooming Prairie Schools through sixth grade at which time she transferred to Kenyon-Wanamingo School District. She played softball for K-W and loves to work on her car and build and drive derby cars.  

It was without a doubt a historic year in Minnesota between the snow, high winds and as recently as last week, a thunderstorm during a winter storm.
One of the entities that had the biggest impact from the historic weather is schools across the state.
That’s what prompted lawmakers to come up with a bipartisan bill to help school districts who have racked up many snow and cold days this year.

With many parents and grandparents in attendance, members of the Triton Elementary School fifth grade class received their certificates of completion for the D.A.R.E. program in a graduation last week in the Performing Arts Center of the high school.
Dodge County Deputy Matthew Stradtmann, who taught the D.A.R.E. course, presented the certificates.

For about a year, Kasson-Mantorville students fundraised money for their band and choir  spring trip.
That trip was almost ruined last week when inclement weather interrupted their travel plans.
It started off like any other trip, the groups of students and chaperones boarded the coach buses to head to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport to catch their plane. And it proved to be the last normality that happened during the trip.

Since being founded, the Dodge County boys and girls hockey programs have been miscast at the high school level. Due to the seven schools (Kasson-Mantorville, Byron, Triton, Pine Island, Zumbrota-Mazeppa, Hayfield and Blooming Prairie) that comprise the Dodge County program, the sum of half the schools’ enrollment has pushed them over the Class A threshold.

Triton Elementary School recognized its March “Heroes” last week along with announcing the winners of the monthly “Golden” awards.
Receiving Hero awards for their exemplary behavior during the month were:

Kasson-Mantorville High School has always had a proud tradition of success when it comes to its FCCLA program. That success continued again this year as 15 K-M FCCLA students will be heading to California in July after they qualified for nationals recently.

Two members of  Dodge Center American Legion Wells-Peterson Post 384 were honored Monday night for 50 years continuous membership in the organization.
Ralph Marquardt and David Marquardt were both presented with certificates by Legion member David Livingston.
Ralph Marquardt served in the U.S. Army in Korea, during 1955 and until April of 1956. He said he had been drafted into the service in May of 1954.

Ever since she was little, Jennifer Kelly told people that she wanted to be a veterinarian one day.
Now less than 10 years after graduating from K-M High School, Kelly is doing just that, as she is a veterinarian at the Carriage House in Kasson.