Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 763
In the face of what is a national and statewide Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and emergency responder shortage that is also plaguing central Minnesota, members of the Brooten Fire Department are stepping up to the challenge. At last Monday's (January 8) Brooten city council meeting, Brooten Fire Chief Mark Torkelson reported that 12 fire department members have completed Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) refresher courses. An EMR provides immediate lifesaving care to critical patients who...
A head-on car-semi collision late Friday morning, January 19, claimed the life of Shawna Jacobson, age 30, of Brooten, and Darren Tombers, age 40, of Watertown, MN The accident took place on Highway 7 on the western edge of St. Bonifacious in Hennepin County. It was reported at 12:01 p.m. to the Minnesota State Patrol. Shawna Jacobson was the daughter of Mike Jacobson of Brooten and Kathy Jacobson of Red Wing; both were Brooten high school graduates. She was the youngest of their four children;...
An individual with a rap sheet too long and exhaustive to comb through in one evening was charged with criminal vehicular operation plus at least two other felonies in the Highway 55 crash that has just claimed the life of a young mother from Belgrade. The individual charged was on an expired driver's license, according to the Minnesota State Patrol report. After an initial review of his record, the rap sheet dates back over 20 years. At 6:46 a.m. on Monday, January 22, 2024, a 911 emergency...
Shawna Jacobson, age 30, of Brooten, died on Friday, January 19, 2024, as the result of injuries received in an automobile accident that occurred in Minnetrista, MN. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 27th at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten with Rev. Jean M. Megorden officiating. Visitation will be Friday from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the church in Brooten and continue on Saturday, one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in the church cemetery. For those u...
Jason M. Michels, age 46 of Elrosa, Minnesota and Carnegie, Pennsylvania, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at his home in Carnegie. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa with Rev. Mark Botzet officiating. Inurnment will be in the parish cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the church. Jason...
Cassie E. Mithaugen, 41 of Belgrade, died Monday January 22, 2024 from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident near Belgrade. A public visitation will be from 2-5 pm. Sunday at the Johnson Funeral Home in Belgrade. Funeral services will be private. Burial will be in South Lake Johanna Cemetery near Brooten. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred. Cassie Evelyn Mithaugen was born on August 2, 1982 in Paynesville, the daughter of Donald and Mary Kay (Pauly) Mithaugen. She grew up in...
On December 8, 2023, U.S. Senator Tina Smith and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) slammed the United States Postal Service's (USPS) responses to their recent letters as unacceptable. The letters asked the Postmaster General to take immediate steps to address the pressing concerns of Minnesotans. After hearing from Bemidji-area constituents and postal workers, Senators Smith and Klobuchar pressed the Postmaster General about agreements made with Amazon that have overwhelmed the...
The Belgrade city council met in regular session on Monday, December 18 and buttoned up a few items as local governments prepare for the election year that is upon us in 2024. Beginning on January 1, 2022, the cities of Belgrade and Brooten have banded together in a joint powers agreement that operates the local police department. Prior to that and going back to (about?) 2008, the city of Brooten contracted with the Belgrade police department for police services. The new joint powers board and...
The Brooten city council met in regular session on Monday, December 11 and held the annual Truth in Taxation hearing before setting the 2024 budget and levy. The 2024 levy amount was set at $442,433. This compares to $473,677 set a year ago for 2023. In December of 2021, the levy amount adopted for 2022 was $445,495. The 2024 budget was set at $798,310. This compares to $728,531 set a year ago for 2023. In December of 2021, the budget total adopted was $687,591. The city council also adopted a...
The attached video features the end of worship at the Brooten Community Church on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, led by Pastor Rick Krasky. Sisters Tia Nelson and Bailey Nelson provided music accompaniment on trumpet. It rained almost all weekend long. Had it been snow, no one would have been at church anywhere across the area. Estimates suggest it would have been 20 to 30 inches of snow! Instead, we all just got very wet. Due to the health scare of the publisher's wife, Jessica Olson,...
Featured in the attached video is the final 10 minutes of worship at West Lake Johanna Lutheran on Sunday, December 24 in Gilchrist Township....
Main Street in Brooten was the site of multiple activities on Saturday, December 9, featuring the annual Brooten Santa Day. The fun concluded with a lighted Christmas parade north of the KaDe Shack and traveling south down Central Avenue. A total of 14 units participated, with a group of horse riders bringing up the rear in style. Temperatures hovered in the upper 20s. It was a fantastic day in Brooten! Parade participants included: 1. Miss Brooten Royalty: Samantha Baker, Madison Hofmann, Faith Radermacher, Emma Radermacher, Alayni Worms and...
The Sunday School students of Sunburg Free Lutheran church in Norway Lake Township performed their Christmas program on Sunday, December 17. Two feature photos with the students gathered in the Baby-in-the-Manger scene were published in the December 21 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. The roles of Joseph and Mary were played by B-B-E students Austin Berge and Ana Engen. The attached video here features the program....
The Lucky Shots bowling alley in downtown Brooten was the site of Santa Day on Saturday, December 9. For close to three hours, guests streamed through and enjoyed visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus while taking in numerous activities and receiving a hefty amount of free prizes. Just before the Brooten lighted Christmas parade began, a prize drawing was held for children ages zero to 10. The Brooten Activities Club, the Brooten Fire Relief Association and numerous local businesses joined together to put on the event. A formal thank you to...
On Sunday, December 17 at Sunburg Free Lutheran church, Sunday School children held their Christmas program during the worship service. An attached video features the children singing Go Tell It on the Mountain near the end of the program. Due to budget cuts, the Bonanza Valley Voice was unable to cover other Sunday School Christmas programs this season....
All youth from Sunburg and the Sunburg area are encouraged to come out and see Santa Claus as he makes a visit in town courtesy of the Sunburg Fire Department and many helpers. Starting at the Sunburg Fire Hall/Community Center at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 8, Santa Claus will hitch a ride on a fire truck and drive throughout town. Santa's helpers will deliver treat bags to all children standing outside their homes or who are gathered downtown by the Sunburg Post Office. Families from outside Sunburg are invited! You're asked to stand by...
The Belgrade Commercial Club will host their annual Santa Day event on Saturday, December 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the municipal hall on main street. Children can register for door prizes for a drawing that will be held at 10:50 a.m. (need not be present to win). These prizes are purchased from the locally-owned Belgrade Hardware store. Also gifts and treats will be available, and special B-B-E Just For Kix performances will take place at 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. In the attached video, you can watch...
The Brooten Activities Club, Brooten Fire Relief Association and numerous local businesses are excited to sponsor the Brooten Santa Day celebration on Saturday, December 9 on Main Street with the fun starting at 3:30 p.m. at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley. At that time, children can meet Santa Claus, who will be assisted by local helpers. Santa will be available there through at least 5 p.m. Santa Day visitors to downtown Brooten can stop at the KaDe Shack starting at 5 p.m. for the B-B-E Cub Scouts...
The day of Saturday, December 9 will be an exciting for all ages across the Belgrade and Brooten communities. First, Santa Day in Belgrade! The Belgrade Commercial Club will host their annual Santa Day event on Saturday, December 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the municipal hall on main street. Register for door prizes for a drawing that will be held at 10:50 a.m. (need not be present to win). Gifts and treats will be available, and special B-B-E Just For Kix performances will take place at 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. Later that day in Brooten... The Brooten...
The nation of Iceland stopped the ability to jab its citizens with Moderna's COVID therapeutic, which they market as a vaccine even though it does not affect transmission of the virus. This decision was made after reviewing new data from the Nordic countries that showed an increased incidence of myocarditis as well as pericarditis Iceland Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason announced this decision via the website of the Directorate of Health on October 6, 2023, which is almost two months ago. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart mus...
The Brooten Buccaneers 1973 football team will hold a 50th anniversary reunion of their special football season in which they went 9-0 that fall. This will take place on Saturday, December 2 at Lucky Shots Bowling Alley in Brooten from 2 to 6 p.m. The Buccaneers were led by fourth-year head coach Don Larson that fall. They returned a strong nucleus of players from the 1972's squad that finished 2-7. In the final Class C state rankings, which were determined by a computer, Brooten was ranked No....
A major police investigation this fall involved a scam that hit this area, including the city of Belgrade. Belgrade-Brooten Police Chief Casey Jansky explained in his report to the B-B Police Board on October 25, "Scammers claiming to be FirstNet somehow acquired the city of Belgrade public works information and purchased numerous iPads. These iPads were shipped to an address on Nelson Avenue in Belgrade." At this specific address, the house was uninhabited but was for sale. During the...
A large law enforcement presence was established on Washburn Avenue in Belgrade, Minnesota, on Monday, November 6 before 7 p.m. At 7:05 p.m., a police officer announced via a squad loudspeaker that an individual in the residence was under arrest, and that they should come out with their hands up. This was not the first such announcement, as the first contact made in this manner was at approximately 6:45 p.m. "We smell the smoke," the officer said. "And we are not leaving." An attached video...
When a resident of the Bonanza Valley area thinks of sugar beets, it's common to think of a crop planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. The random, near football-sized beets that can sometimes spill from a semi load while traveling from the field to the pile in October is a reminder that sugar beets are a big part of the local agriculture community. A key feature of sugar beets is one that is not readily known: they are a biennial crop, or one that completes their growing cycle across two years. Grant Anderson, who manages the sugar...
The Elrosa Fire Department hosted their annual fall steak fry fundraiser on Saturday, October 14. The event was held at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic church with both a drive-through taking place in the parking lot and a sit-down dinner in the church basement. Altogether, they served 733! It was another tremendous event that the community of Elrosa can be quite proud of. A video from that evening is attached here....
