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Numerous area churches hosted Easter morning worship services on Sunday, April 20, including the Sunburg Free Lutheran church in Norway Lake Township. Their church is led by Pastor Ron Knutson, who is a 1958 graduate of Brooten high school. This video clip begins with Sunday School students singing special music as part of Easter Sunday worship....
On Saturday, April 19, the Easter bunny visited with area children in Elrosa for an event sponsored by the Elrosa Baseball Association, the Elrosa Commercial Club and Kensington Bank. Turnout surpassed 100 children, and 91 kids were registered for door prizes. In the attached video, Amy Zenzen is shown reading an Easter story to the kids gathered in the basement of Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic church. Additional coverage from this event was published in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's April...
The attached video features part of the Good Friday worship held at Crow River Lutheran church in April 18. The video begins as worshipers were singing "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" Good Friday services were also held that evening at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten and the Brooten Community Church. At Grace Lutheran Church in Belgrade, Good Friday worship was held in the afternoon....
PRESS RELEASE ON APRIL 2 The Minnesota House has reached bipartisan agreement on the framework of a new state budget that that includes the largest spending reduction in Minnesota history to address a looming shortfall. State Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, said legislators have agreed to cut $4 billion from the current budget, with an additional $1.2 billion reduction in 2026-27. Anderson said reduced spending is essential after Democrats in full control of the Capitol spent the $18 billion...
In the attached video here, part of the worship service at West Lake Johanna Lutheran church in Gilchrist Township is included. Barry Bouwman begins with the reading of the lessons. At about the 4:00 mark, Pastor Jeanne Megorden begins reading the Holy Gospel, and her pastor's sermon begins at about the 5:45 mark....
APRIL 11 PRESS RELEASE This week, the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act to affirm and enforce existing laws to keep non-citizens from voting in federal elections. "It is critical to our democracy that voters have faith in their elections. Unfortunately, in states like Minnesota, where Governor Walz has done nothing about the non-citizens that are appearing on voter rolls and receiving election ballots, that faith is at risk," said U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach of Regal. "The...
A puzzle tournament is taking place this Saturday, April 5 at the Belgrade Library! Gather a group of friends to form a team and get signed up! (You need to select a team name, too.) Each team receives the same puzzle, and the goal is to put the puzzle together in the shortest amount of time. This is coming on Saturday, April 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Belgrade Library. Six team limit, and participants can be from ages 12 to adult. Register your team by calling the library at...
The Christian season of Lent is underway. In the attached video, part of the worship service is featured from Trinity Lutheran church in Brooten on Sunday, March 30. After the lessons were read by members of the Justin and Mandy Anderson family, Pastor Jeanne Megorden begins reading the Holy Gospel at about the 6-minute mark in the video. That is followed by her sermon. Easter Sunday is coming on Sunday, April 20....
The Belgrade Lions held their fourth annual chili cook-off contest on Saturday, March 15. Five teams submitted chili to the contest, and the team from Kensington Bank took first place. Additional coverage was published in the March 20 and March 27 issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. To view the Bonanza Valley Voice photo album from the chili cook-off, click on the following link: https://shorturl.at/bsLR4. The attached video features the crowd gathered that night at the Belgrade...
From Olson Auditorium at B-B-E high school on Monday, March 24, with Danielle Rancourt speaking during her "Fueling Performance, Fueling For Life" presentation. Additional coverage was published in the March 27 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper....
The Brooten Ambulance invites everyone to their annual spring pancake feed this Sunday, March 16 right on Central Avenue in Brooten. They will be hosted the pancake feed at the Bucky's Pickles, which is the former Brooten American Legion building. The all-you-can-eat pancakes will be served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the price is just $10. Children ages 5 and under eat free. The menu includes: plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, milk, juice and coffee. Take-out is available....
The justice system of Minnesota gave a stark reminder this past week of how un-serious it is with punishing violent crime. On Thursday, March 13, 2025, Chad Seitz of Coon Rapids was given a 73-month prison sentence after he was convicted of driving under the influence of drugs while killing a Belgrade mother on her way to daycare on January 22, 2024. The accident, which took place at almost the exact geographical center on Highway 55 between Brooten and Belgrade, claimed the life of...
Here's a video featuring the Ash Wednesday worship at Trinity Lutheran in Brooten on Wednesday, March 5. Early in the video, Jacob Rooney reads the lessons and Psalm before Pastor Jeanne Megorden provides the Holy Gospel and Sermon. Her reading of the Holy Gospel begins at about the 7 minute mark of the video. Ash Wednesday worship services were also held in the Bonanza Valley area at St. Donatus Catholic Church in Brooten as well as Grace Lutheran Church in Belgrade....
After Alpha News provided scrutiny in the form of old-fashioned journalism, DFL State Senator Omar Fateh recently withdrew his bill that would have directed $15 million in taxpayer money to the WE WIN Institute. This comes on the heels of Senator Fateh's shepherding of $3.5 million to WE WIN via the state legislature and Governor Tim Walz during the 2023 legislative session. The 2025 legislation supporting the WE WIN Institute would have directed $15 million for "culturally specific programming...
Governor Tim Walz spoke at the 158th annual Minnesota Newspaper Association convention on Friday, January 31. The MNA convention was held at the Minneapolis Marriot Northwest hotel in Brooklyn Park that week. The attached video features Walz speaking at the Friday afternoon banquet that day on topics such as the 2025 state legislative session as well as ideas the government can work with on helping the health and well being of newspapers across the state. Walz's appearance was followed by a...
Bitter cold has gripped the Bonanza Valley area this week. Temperatures plunged to 20 or more below zero on Monday night, February 10, with the temperature before school began shown in the attached photo on Tuesday, February 11. By 11:30 a.m. it rebounded to a "balmy" negative one degree. Negative 22 is in the forecast for Wednesday night. It's a great time to have wood heat, which is more and more rare today....
On February 12, Congresswoman Fischbach (MN-07) introduced the Investing in Rural America Act to provide critical capital resources to rural communities through improvements to the Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program. "Rural communities across the country are struggling to retain population, much less attract future generations. One way Congress can support them is by eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers to capital investment, particularly on critical community facilities like hos...
During the first day of the month of February last Saturday, the Smilin' D Arena held the Wild Henke Youth Day, which was dubbed as a "day for kids" at the arena. Youth of various ages competed across 10 different equine competitions. The attached video features Teagan Jenniges and Jack Anderson competing in the ages 11-14 category during the Bell Boot race that morning. Anderson nailed it during his run with at time that beat the 10-second mark. He is a seventh grader at B-B-E middle school....
Minnesota House Republicans have drafted a package of bills Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, said would make Minnesota a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. Anderson said the bills, authored as part of the GOP's "Make Minnesota Affordable" initiative, focus on lowering energy costs, reducing the tax burden, and ensuring budget surpluses benefit hardworking Minnesotans. "Minnesota families and businesses have had it tough in recent years, with soaring price increases, along...
At the Brooten city council meeting last Monday, January 13, Brooten Fire Department Secretary Thor Amundson provided the 2024 report. On the current roster of 28 fire department members, the longest-serving firefighter is Gary Olson with 46 years (start date of January 1, 1978). Next is Calvin Hanson with 41 years. He is followed in seniority by Kern Nelson (28 years) and Todd Trustheim (27 years). Matt Ogdahl and Dave Bast each have 24 years on the department. Chris Strom has 22 years on the...
Snow fell on Sunday, January 12 ranging from 2 to 4 inches across the Bonanza Valley area. Stubborn, icy conditions came with it, however, as the precipitation began as light rain on Saturday night. Many local road ways had wide stretches of black ice....
Roger Sagedahl, died peacefully surrounded by his family in the Glenwood hospital on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at the age of 90. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 20 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten. Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 19th from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the church. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the service on Monday. Interment will be in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Brooten. Arrangements are with the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral...
A wealth of far-reaching consequences are playing out in real time on Saturday night, January 18, from the recent ban of TikTok in the United States. For domestic users, TikTok stopped functioning shortly after 9 p.m. Central Standard Time. This ban is based on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, H.R. 231, which was passed into law by the 118th U.S. Congress (2023-2024). In some cases, users with V.P.N. Internet access are still able to use the TikTok...
Suzanne Sagedahl, age 68 of Brooten died Sunday, January 5, 2025 at home surrounded by her family and friends under the care of hospice. A memorial service celebrating Suzanne’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. After the service the celebration will continue at the Ka-De-Shack in Brooten. Suzanne’s wishes were for those attending the service to wear their favorite Minn...
The Smilin' D Arena and Events center in the heart of Colfax Township hosted a bull riding night with youth and adult divisions on Saturday, January 4. Smilin' D is a family-owned arena built for cutting, roping, ranch sorting, and western events. The attached video features a few rounds of bull riding that night. Grit, Glory and Good Times! From their website: "Nestled in the heart of Central Minnesota, Smilin’ D Arena is the ultimate destination for those who live for the thrill of the ride. Whether you’re here for the grit of cutting com...
