Looking back at 2025

In the past year the NRHEG Star Eagle has covered many exciting stories worth remembering. Here is a look back at the best highlights from the year that was 2025.

 

April

- Enhanced visibility. New Richland Craft Mall owners Jeff and Jennie Johnson have no trouble naming the strongest attribute of their new location at the former car dealership located east of New Richland at the intersection of highways 30 and 13. 

- NRHEG Senior Jace Ihrke signed a letter of intent to play football with Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter during a ceremony the afternoon of Wednesday, April 2 at the NRHEG Secondary School.

- At the Geneva City Council meeting on April 8, council members approved a request by city resident Jason Tieskotter to install a solar panel array at 102 West Main. The array will have 26 panels, each 2.5 feet wide; no part of the array will be more than 18 feet tall.

- Well over 500 people attended the April 11 free-will fish dinner offered by the Ellendale Fire Department at the town’s community center.

- About 75 people gathered in the Geneva Community Center the evening of Saturday, April 12 for “Ham Bingo,” a chance to win one of 40 games and take home a Geneva Meats ham for Easter while also raising funds for the city fire department. Proceeds were slated toward the purchase of a new fire truck and equipment.

- A free-will donation breakfast offered by the New Richland Lions Club on Sunday, April 27 is raising funds to support the accessible playground due to be installed beginning in June at the NRHEG Elementary site in Ellendale.

- The Willow’s Restaurant offered a solution for area residents who preferred to have their holiday celebrations at home, but did not want the fuss and bother of preparing a homemade meal: take home, ready-to-bake dinners for up to four adults.

- The NRHEG High School softball team got back to its winning ways Monday, defeating visiting Blooming Prairie 15-8 in a Gopher Conference game at New Richland's Legion Field.

- During their regular meeting the evening of April 22, NRHEG school board members heard from special education coordinator Lara Chicos about plans to create a “life skills” classroom at the elementary site. Life skills programming, she explained, is for students who, because of a disability, do not learn at the same pace as their classmates. 

 

May

- Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) President and CEO Tim Penny was celebrated by more than 500 community members, colleagues, and admirers on Thursday evening at Mineral Springs Brewery in Owatonna. After 18 years at the helm of SMIF and a lifetime of public service, Penny announced his retirement, marking the end of an era for the foundation and the region he has championed for decades. 

- During the New Richland city council meeting the evening of April 14, Cory Bienfang, engineer from Bolton & Menk, informed those present that bids for the 2025 street improvement project were opened April 10; the low bid was approximately 15 percent below the engineer’s estimate.  Based on the bid received, Bienfang stated the total project cost should be less than $3 million.

- According to one member of the NRHEG senior class, “about half” of NRHEG twelfth-graders signed up for a school specific, internet-guided contest referred to as “Senior Assassination.” “The idea is to shoot each other with water,” explains Harbor Cromwell, who is among the participants. “At the end, the last one ‘still alive’ wins a prize.” 

- Vera Wilson moved to New Richland with her husband Robert in 1972; that May was the first time she joined the local American Legion’s efforts selling Memorial Day poppies. Since then, she shares, “I haven’t missed a year.” 

- Not only did NRHEG junior and DECA member Chloe Stork make it to national level competition, to her complete surprise she advanced to the final round in her category, which had about 200 participants at the organization’s international convention held in Orlando, Florida from April 26 to 29.

- NRHEG and JWP have a long history in athletics, and it used to be one of the biggest rivalries around. Some of that was rekindled Wednesday at New Richland’s Legion Field, where the Panther softball team plated the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 19-18 walk-off victory.

- The NRHEG High School track and field teams traveled to Janesville Saturday for the 2025 Gopher Conference meet. The girls fared the best, finishing third out of 10 teams with 84 points. JWP won with 196.

- At the Ellendale city council meeting the evening of Thursday, May 8, council members were informed the new Jaws of Life has been delivered to the fire department with training for the Jaws beginning on Monday, May 12.

- Possibility was the focus on May 6 as all students at the NRHEG Secondary building strolled through an “Activity Fair” conceived and planned by students Harbor Cromwell and Chloe Stork. 

- During their regular meeting on May 12, New Richland city council members authorized issuing nearly $3 million in bonds to support street and utility improvements to South Ash Avenue and South Broadway Avenue due to take place this summer. 

 

June  

- The Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition of the New Richland Craft Mall to its growing list of members. 

- The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls’ track and field team has advanced three individuals to the state meet. Kylie Olson, Anika Ladlie and Gabby Schlaak will represent the Panthers in next week’s state meet after a stellar showing in the Section 2A meet Saturday at Mankato West High School.

- During their regular monthly meeting the evening of June 2, members of the Hartland City Council were informed the audit of the city’s 2024 financial records is complete, and, to quote Lance Skov of the accounting firm Hill, Benda, Skov & Bernau, “Pretty much everything looks good here; no significant problems with accounts or staff.”

- What started out with nine children and six moms quickly turned into 25 kids, ten moms, two grandmas and an aunt or three at the New Richland Library’s Storyland Crafts event on Tuesday, June 3.

- The NRHEG Clay Target team held their fun shoot and awards picnic on June 4 at the Owatonna Gun Club. After a season of practice and competition, this is an opportunity to shoot clays, eat good food, and recognize fellow athletes for their accomplishments the past year. The team had 56 participants this past spring and finished 4th in Conference 1 of Class 8A in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League.

- Beautiful weather accompanied nearly 100 riders at the fourteenth annual Geneva Cancer Run on Saturday, June 14.

- Doris Beckmann of New Richland marked birthday number 100 on Saturday during a celebration with family and friends.

- George Busho would be proud. As the city of Ellendale celebrates 125 years with a grand parade on June 28, his great-grandson, Logan Busho, will represent both the city and the family.