On Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that will make it illegal for drivers to use a hand-held device while making phone calls or sending messages. Instead, they will be required to use a hands-free device to communicate.

This weekend’s adapted floor hockey state tournament will bring an end to the winter sports season at New Prague High School.

As hard as it may be to believe, but one of the first signs of spring is headed our way this weekend.
Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10. That is the day most Americans will move their clocks ahead one hour in an attempt to capture an extra hour of daylight in the evening.

Last weekend’s blizzard endangered some, inconvenienced many and proved once again that Mother Nature is not to be fooled with.
We had plenty of warning that bad weather conditions were on the way. Events were being cancelled already on Friday and many people altered their weekend plans to avoid having to drive.

Last week’s story on the closing of the New Prague Shopko Hometown store drew a mixed reaction from many on social media.
On the New Prague Happenings Facebook page, dozens of people lamented the loss of the store, with some adding that they feel sorry for the employees. However there were some who posted their opinion that the store was not worth having in town, and said they hoped something better would replace it.

Last week, The Times used this space to talk about the efforts of local snowplow drivers. There is one other group of public employees who deserve accolades for their efforts during this snowy winter:
School bus drivers.

It’s times like these when you have to salute city employees.
Especially this week, the city plow drivers.
New Prague’s streets have been kept relatively passable over the past few weeks, despite the numerous snowfall events. Last week, five inches of snow fell during the day on Tuesday. By the next morning, the snow was pretty much gone from city streets, including Main Street, making room for cars to park when going into downtown businesses.

New Prague’s Veterans Memorial Committee is holding their MusicFest II fundraiser Saturday, Feb. 9.
This is the second year of the event. Last year’s MusicFest which was highly successful and brought in a lot of money to fund the memorial, which is scheduled to be built in the summer of 2020.

The coldest temperatures in 20 years hit Minnesota this week. Temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday mornings were forecast to hit 20-below, and perhaps 30-below zero. Schools closed and many businesses adjusted their operations to accommodate employees and customers who were affected by the weather or the school closings. However many others had no choice.

In each of the last two years, the Minnesota Legislature took no action on a bill that would increase penalties for distracted driving.
With the increasing reliance on mobile phones and wireless technology, distracted driving has become one of the biggest dangers on our roads. Drivers who are checking Facebook or text messages, watching videos or looking at Snapchat photos are making the roads more and more dangerous.

The federal government remains shut down, nearly one month after Congress and the President failed to come to an agreement on funding various federal departments.
This isn’t the first time the government has shut down because two sides were unable to come to an agreement, but as of this week, it is the longest shutdown in our nation’s history. Each side is pointing the blame at the other, but to date, that is the only thing the two sides have in common.

Minnesota has a new governor and a new, divided state legislature.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz took the oath of office Monday, Jan. 7, succeeding two-term Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. Meanwhile the Minnesota Legislature convened for the first time this year on Tuesday, Jan. 8, with new house members taking the oath and a new DFL majority taking charge. The senate continues to have a Republican majority.

There’s something refreshing about starting a new year. Many people see it as a chance to make a new beginning, a time for self-improvement or a time to reassess what we’ve been doing with our lives.
And so, each year, millions of people make a list of things they want to work on in the next 12 months. These “New Year’s Resolutions” are simple statements that say what we will do in the coming year to make our lives better.

2018 certainly has been an interesting year both not only in New Prague, but across the world.
Locally, New Prague has been blessed with many signs of growth and progress - new businesses opening, a new senior apartment complex nearing completion and a school system that is thriving. The city, school and Mayo Clinic Health System worked together to move the Fitness Center to the Central Education Campus building, where, partnered with the Aquatic Center, provides a complete center for both recreation and fitness that will benefit the community in an economical way.

This year I reached 24 years being a combination reporter and photographer. Reaching that milestone reminded me of some time back when someone asked me how long I had been a reporter. At the time it was about 20 years and she was a little surprised as she thought people today don’t seem to stay in one field that long. I could understand as it seems people have moved on to a second career in another field before they reach 50 these days. It also seems that a few people have a third career before they retire.

Pastors from New Prague’s Faith Community sent a message to the community urging them to share in the Christmas spirit and attend the church service of their choice during the holiday season.
Along with the message, found elsewhere on this page, they recorded a video of all the pastors sharing this message. That message was posted on The New Prague Times’ Facebook page Monday afternoon. Within five minutes, it already had several “likes,” meaning people had seen the video and clicked on the “like” button.