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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Cute Kids of Fillmore County pages
BOM is the bomb in Harmony
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Monday, February 22, 2016
Funding for Dairy and Farm reuse
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Volume 31 Issue 22
Fillmore County Sports: Redemption
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Rushford Village disaster training page
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Unique benefit held at Amish Valley Cabin
Kingsland referendum options mulled By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Kingsland School Board met in regular session on February 17 with all members present (Kristin Beck, Deb Larson, Gwen Howard, Ann Oeltjen, Troy Asher, Doug Plaehn, and Superintendent John McDonald). The consent agenda items were passed unanimously, including first reading of several policies (Drone, Equal Access to Facilities, Disposal of Obsolete Equipment, Waste Reduction, and Crisis Management)) and second reading of several policies (Bullying, Fund Balances, Vending Machines). No one had signed up to address the board in Public Comments. Next, Superintendent McDonald gave public thanks
Tonia Buchholz and her son, Oliver, of Moss Beach, Calif., along with Tonia’s parents, Roger and Marietta Buchholz of Harmony, enjoy a horse drawn sleigh ride through the woods near Amish Valley Cabin during a benefit for the Hershberger family on January 13, 2016. Photo by Barb Jeffers By Barb Jeffers barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
After a devastating fire at the Yost Hershberger family home near Canton, Minn. on January 11, 2016, which is presumed to have tragically taken the lives of Yost Hershberger and his eighteen-year-old son, Benjamin, and left three other family members injured, area non-Amish residents have been looking for ways to help the Amish family
who also lost their home to the fire. Accounts for the family have been set up at First Southeast Bank in Canton and Merchants Bank in Lanesboro, Minn. for monetary donations to help the family, but area residents are finding other ways to help the family, also. Craig Stortz, who owns Amish Valley Cabin of Canton, and is close with the neighboring Amish families, decided he
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could do something to help by giving horse drawn sleigh rides on February 13, 2016. “It was a spur of the moment thing” says Stortz, noting “the cabin was not rented for the weekend, and it was Valentine’s Day” and comments that since he had just gotten his sleigh going a week prior, he thought, “why don’t we just have sleigh rides and give the money to the See BENEFIT Page 2
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to several donors, including Ody’s/Rack’s for food donation for the Father/Daughter Dance, Judy Rose for volunteering to help with the dance, KSP/ Mrs. Erdman for food during conferences, and Land O’Lakes for donation of volunteer time and a $2000 donation. He then also thanked the school board members, noting that while February is School Board Appreciation Month, the board members work hard all year long. The main topic of discussion centered on Kingsland’s facility needs, improvements, and options. Although Kingsland recently voted down the single-site plan, the district still needs to come up with a “best See KINGSLAND Page 3
Mabel-Canton Board meets with North Winneshiek School Board By H annah Wingert hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Mabel-Canton School Board met for their regular meeting on February 16 at 7 p.m. Several board members were absent. The superintendent, business official, and two school board members from North Winneshiek Community School attended the meeting to discuss the continued partnership between their school and Mabel-Canton. The minutes of the January meeting were reviewed and
approved. The board congratulated the Mabel-Canton winter athletes and wished them luck in the playoffs. A motion was passed approving the Minnesota State High School League or MSHSL membership into the Trap Shooting Team Competition. The competition will not cost the school anything. The first reading of the Parent/ Student Handbook for the high school was approved. SuperinSee MABEL-CANTON Page 6
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