Donald Saterbak

Donald Saterbak of Montevideo died Monday, June 20, 2022 at Copper Glen Assisted Living in Montevideo at the age of 99. Funeral services will be held Monday, June 27, 2022 at 1 p.m.

Arlene Wills

Arlene Wills of Montevideo died Friday, June 17, 2022 at Meadow Lane Restorative Care Center in Benson at the age of 90. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.

Education Beat: Stopping the Slide

Summer is a time for kids to kick back, take a break from routine, and enjoy lazy days. It also, in many cases, is when learning loss-aka “The Summer Slide” can take place. Summer setbacks are nothing new regarding academics and the phenomenon has been researched by educators since the beginning of time. On average, student achievement can decline over the summer by up to a third of a prior year’s learning gains. Loss is usually greater in mathematics than in reading, and higher grade leveled students are more noticeably affected than younger learners. The summer slide can be measured in both social skills and classroom discipline, in addition to academics.

Beyond Reason

Coffee by my side, I sit on the dock, overlooking North Arm Bay of Lake Minnetonka. It is 6:02 a.m. Everyone who writes about these sorts of times describes it as quiet and peaceful. They deliberately ignore the Hitchcockian quantities of birds hellbent on their morning song. It’s loud out here. A family of geese paddle somewhere slowly, honking. A loon calls someone, maybe his mother. I face east which means the sunrise is directly in front of me, just above the horizon. Sunrises are a bit like the Minnesota Vikings, best enjoyed with a gaze that I’ll call indirect. I do not wish to be the guy wearing sunglasses at six a.m., but I suppose we all have a cross to bear.

Prairie Notebook

I don’t remember specifically that March went out like a ‘lamb’, but certainly, the approach to the official beginning of summer has barged in like a fire-breathing dragon. Our recent hot spells may be a grim reminder of what to expect in the next few months.

Kibble Equipment breaks ground for new facility

Last week, Kibble Equipment broke ground for the construction of a brand new building. The building will house the offices, shops and storefront for the business, and will replace the current building located on the same land along Hwy. 7. They anticipate the new building could be completed by late 2023, if all goes well. “It will give us an opportunity to expand, better service to customers here in Montevideo and an opportunity to grow our business. A larger shop all under one roof instead of multiple buildings,” says Kalin Evenson. Kibble Equipment has been open since 1975, and have been at their current location since 1976. The business sells ag equipment all the way from consumer product to large agricultural equipment, with a focus on both sales and service. “It’s a huge investment and we’re proud to be a part of it,” says Matt Kramer.

New Fiesta Royalty crowned

Junior Royalty princess Addelynne Godfrey is crowned. Junior Royal prince is Bentley Debraske.

Heritage Days held over the weekend

The annual Heritage Days event was held Friday and Saturday at Heritage Hill in rural Montevideo. The event hosted a variety of activities centered around life in he early days, including exhibits in a one-room school house, a restored prairie farm house, blacksmith shop, tractor displays, gas engine displays, and a daily tractor parade. This is the second year the event was moved from the traditional August date to coincide with Fiesta Days activities. The featured tractor this year was all tractors from the 1960s, as well as the Economy/Hercules gas engine line. Photos by Jessica Stolen-Jacobson

Local volunteers take part in Recovery Coach training to bridge gaps in recovery community

Exactly three years ago, Bold North Recovery and Consulting hosted the first Recovery Coach Academy training in Montevideo, with six volunteers learning the CCAR curriculum. The curriculum is a five-day intensive training focused on providing skills needed to guide, mentor, and support anyone looking to enter into or sustain recovery from addiction long-term.