Lake Benton School will miss you, Mrs. Rouge

First grade teacher Deb Rouge submitted her resignation last month. She has been involved in the Lake Benton School District nearly all of her life.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
After 11 years as a student, several years as a paraprofessional and 32 years as a teacher, Lake Benton School’s Deb Rouge made a tough decision. She needed to retire early due to health reasons. After being part of the school system for so long, Mrs. Rouge’s absence will be felt this fall.
Rouge said she has spent almost her entire life in the Lake Benton School System…

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

A girl and her horse going far together

Gabby Wieme has been involved in rodeos since she was 13 years old. Wieme will be competing in barrel racing at a Canistota, South Dakota rodeo this weekend.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
Girls and horses belong together, or so some would say. And when the girl and horse work well together, they can go places. That is what has been taking place for Gabby Wieme and her horse Twister.
Weime is the 16-year-old daughter of Shaun and Nicole Slegers of Lake Benton. She is a junior at RTR High School in Tyler. Weime has four siblings, Riley Engbarth, Andrew Wieme, and Emily and Kensley Slegers. She also has three fur-baby family members, Oreo, Chipper and Tank. When she is not on the back of her horse, Wieme is active in FCCLA, FFA, and FCA in school, and she works at ExpressWay in Lake Benton.

For the full story and photo, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Summer Rec fun on the lake

Lincoln County Sheriff Chad Meester spoke to the kids at Summer Rec about water safety on Monday, July 8. During the Summer Rec program, kids had the chance to swim, ride on a boat, make crafts and learn about camping/survival skills. Meester is pictured above showing the kids the county’s police boat.

Sassy Cakes by Ashly is named Chamber Business of the Month

Sassy Cakes by Ashly is this month’s Business of the Month. Look for the Lake Benton Chamber of Commerce’s featured business each month, right here in the Lake Benton Valley Journal.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

The Lake Benton Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate Sassy Cakes by Ashly, the first featured busi­ness recognized as the Cham­ber Business of the Month. The Chamber will feature one local member each month, promot­ing the business and inform­ing community members of the many goods and services Lake Benton has to offer.
Ashly Nordmeyer, owner of Sassy Cakes, started her cup­cake business in her home in February 2018. She was first licensed as a Minnesota Cot­tage Food Producer, which lim­ited her to earning up to $18,000 a year through her business. Nordmey­er’s cupcakes were such a hit that she soon realized she needed to move into a commercial kitchen. In May 2019, Nordmeyer moved into the kitchen of the Lake Benton Area Community and Event Center and became a Re­tail Food Handler.

For the full story and photo, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Acting Police Chief position eliminated at early morning special city meeting

The Lake Benton City Council held a special early morning meeting on Monday, July 8 to discuss the current police department situation.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

The Lake Benton City Council held an early morning special council meeting on Monday, July 8. There were two items on the agenda: 1) REVIEW/ ACT on Elimination of Temporary Police Chief Position and 2) DISCUSS Temporary Coverage by Lincoln County. Trustee Rosie DeZeeuw was not present at the meeting, due to holiday travelling plans.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Bob Worth opened the meeting by requesting a motion to eliminate the temporary (acting) police chief posi­tion. Trustee Dave Enke re­sponded that he had a few questions that he needed answered before he could make a decision.

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Road and bridge projects discussed by the county board

Lincoln County Environmental Officer Robert Olsen spoke to the board about recycling sites in Hendricks and Verdi. Pictured from left are Commissioner Corey Sik, Commissioner Rick Hamer, Auditor-Treasurer Deb Vierhuf and Olsen.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners met for their regular meet­ing on Tuesday, July 2 at the Lincoln County Courthouse. All commissioners were present.
Nancy Walker of South­west Health and Human Services (SWHHS) spoke to the council about approv­ing a resolution supporting Prime West as the health plan provider for Lincoln County. According to Walk­er, every four to five years, procurement takes place…

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

New teachers approved, three resignations accepted at June meeting

Superintendent Loy Woelber reported that the roofing project has begun. According to Woelber, half of the rock from the roof has been vacuumed off, using this enormous vacuum. The project is expected to be finished in July.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
The Lake Benton School Board met for their regular meeting on Wednesday, June 26 in the school library. Board members Tony Schwing and Janell DeVries were absent. Vice-Chair Steven Hurd led the meeting in Board Chair Schwing’s absence.
Resignation of first grade teacher Deb Rouge and paraprofessional Nickel Guza, both for personal health reasons, were accepted…

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Lincoln County represented at GMRPT Commission’s quarterly meeting

The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission met last Wednesday, June 26, at Hole-in-the-Mountain County Park. Pictured from left are Commission Executive Director Renee Mattson, Commission Chair Tom Ryan of Byron, and Lincoln County Parks Supervisor Daryl Schlapkohl.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPT) met for their quarterly meeting on Wednesday, June 26. The meeting was held at the Chalet located at Hole-in-the-Mountain County Park of Lake Benton, which was recently designated as a regional park. In addition to the members of the commission, Lincoln County Board Chair Mic VanDeVere and Lincoln County Parks Supervisor Daryl Schlapkohl attended the meeting, as well as Vince Robinson, Teresa Schreurs and Lisa Graphenteen with Development Services, Inc. (DSI).
Schlapkohl, who has worked with the Lincoln County Parks system since 1979, spoke to the commission about the county park…

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Relay For Life 2019— #CURE fighting the good fight

Pictured is the #CURE team from Lake Benton at last week’s Relay For Life event. Pictured left to right in front are Nikki Prosch, Gracie Prosch, Addison Osland, Wyatt Osland, Autumn Tooley, Brooklyn Demuth (front) and Shayna Demuth; in back are Jocelyn Prosch, Chandra Prosch, Priscilla Osland, Jayla Prosch, Julienne Prosch, LaDon Prosch and John Schwing.

For more photos, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Police business and public works updates discussed at council

Mayor Bob Worth stated at Monday’s City Council meeting that this city council will continue to say the Pledge of Allegiance as long as he is the Mayor of Lake Benton.

By Shelly Finzen
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
The Lake Benton City Council met for their regular meeting Monday night, opening with the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the pledge, Mayor Bob Worth commented, in response to a decision made by the St. Louis Park City Council, that, “For the record, we will be saying the Pledge of Allegiance until I’m not Mayor anymore.”
After the minutes of the June 17 meeting and the claims against the City of Lake Benton were approved, Acting Police Chief Dallas Cornell presented the police report…

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.