MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is preparing motorists for forecasted heavy snowfall rates overnight through Wednesday. Weather conditions will limit visibility and make travel difficult in south central Minnesota.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for much of southern Minnesota, and advises motorists to plan for extra travel time, especially for the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
MnDOT snowplow operators will do their part to make highways safe and motorists should remember to:

The Holy Land has always called to Pastor David Mumme of Waterville, but the timing never seemed quite right--the kids were little, things at the church were busy, etc. 
"He has always wanted to go," his wife, Glenda, said of her husband. "He's read Biblical Archaeology Review for more than 20 years." 
Finally, they decided the trip need to happen, and they were going to invite others to join them. They would lead a tour of the Holy Land. 

Who do you call when you need to get to work and your car won't start on a blustery below-zero morning? The local towing company.
Gene Mach, owner of Bud's Service in Kilkenny, reported receiving more than 100 calls during the four-day frigid winter vortex that closed schools, stopped the mail, and sent Minnesota into the minus 30 degree fahrenheit range, Monday, January 28 through Thursday, January 31.
About eighty percent of the calls were for cars that wouldn't start. Mach and his crew also responded to stalls, flat tires, and requests for tows.

Classic cars from all over the nation are rolling into the little town of Kilkenny, Minnesota.
Their destination? Knish Kustomz, a small, two-person shop on the edge of town.
The custom upholstering business is owned and operated by 2005 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown graduate Dan Knish, whose intricate work has been featured at car shows, in magazines, and on television.
“I’ve always been a car guy, and enjoy doing what I do,” Knish stated. “It’s both challenging and rewarding.”

Morristown resident Eli Lange has been charged with five felonies after an incident in Waterville early Sunday, Feb. 3. Lange, 37, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic assault by strangulation, and interfering with emergency communications in Le Sueur County District Court. For more on the charges check out the Feb. 14 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

Suel Printing Company graphic artist Jennifer Leff won second place in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s 2019 Ad Design Contest.
Studies show that people believe their local newspapers provide the truest information and trust them far more than information found online or on TV. Newspapers continue to have a solid impact on the communities they serve and statistics show that people of all ages consume more news now than ever before. The contest asked designers to tell that important story through a quarter-page full color print ad.

WEM head boys basketball coach Jeff Wagner recently recorded his 500th coaching win with a 54-51 win over Hayfield Friday, Feb. 1. in Waterville. Wagner became the 45th all-time coach in Minnesota and 13th active coach to reach this milestone. His career record is 500-191. The Buccaneers are currently 16-1 this season and were rated No. 10 in Class A in the Feb. 6 poll. For more on the Wagner milestone, check out the Feb. 14 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

The fire detectors and the WEM School in Waterville were activated when an air-handler belt broke and caused another to create a lot of smoke in the mechanical room. Friday, Feb. 1 at approximately 12:40 p.m. The students were all evacuated until Building and Maintenance Director Scott Allen and the Waterville Fire Department deemed all was OK for the students to re-enter the building. According to WEM Superintendent Joel Whitehurst, no one was in danger and school resumed shortly after the evacuation.

The WEM Board of Education is continuing through the process of planning for the upcoming building project.
A construction manager, R.A. Morton & Associates, Inc., had been selected earlier this month after interviews with four companies.
With this part in place, the board will approve the sale of the general obligation bonds Wednesday, January 30 in a special meeting.
During their regular January meeting Monday, Jan. 28, the board set a February 11 meeting to interview potential architects.

A project aimed at informing young people about the many career opportunities available in agriculture recently landed five 4-Hers a trip to Washington, D.C.

Staff writer and columnist Lisa Ingebrand, who works for the Lake Region Life, Elysian Enterprise, and the Montgomery Messenger, was honored for her writing during the 2019 Minnesota Newspaper Association’s (MNA) Annual Convention on January 24 in Bloomington. Ingebrand earned third place honors for her work as a writer in the Arts and Entertainment category among weeklies with up to 1,500 in circulation. This was her tenth MNA Award in 15 years with the local newspapers.

Due to projected deteriorating weather conditions, the United States Postal Service has suspended delivery for Wednesday, Jan. 30, for Minnesota, Western Wisconsin, Iowa and Western Illinois.
A press release issued Tuesday afternoon said retail operations at local offices will be available, but may be limited.
There will be no collection mail pickup from business or collection boxes. In addition, there will be no residential or commercial package pick-up service.

Winter Storm Warning for Le Sueur County, Minnesota
From 3:00pm CST, Sun Jan 27 until 6:00 am CST, Mon Jan 28
Action Recommended: Make preparations per the instructions
Issued by: Minneapolis - MN, US, National Weather Service,
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM SUNDAY TO 6 AM CST MONDAY... *
WHAT...HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES EXPECTED.
WHERE...PORTIONS OF CENTRAL, EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. *

The calendar year of 2019 will be filled with many projects in Le Sueur County.
One of the county’s biggest projects in the last three decades is the construction of the new Justice Center in Le Center.
The project is scheduled to be completed and ready for occupancy in August of 2019.
The county is currently hiring a number of new correction officers and dispatchers.
They are also working on the transferring of probation, court administration, court rooms, judicial court areas, and all sheriff’s department personnel to the new justice center.

Elysian native Rose Hollermann has been named to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) final roster for the 2019 U.S. Women's U25 World Championship Team. For more on Hollermann and her selection to the elite team, check out the Jan. 24 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office reported that three vehicles had fallen through the ice on Madison Lake on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Captain Paul Barta said the vehicles had fallen through the ice in the area of the narrows on Madison Lake, southwest of the Point Pleasant Resort and Campground. He added the area had open water within the past week.
The first vehicle, a Ford Escape, broke through the ice and became fully submerged at 11:51 a.m. All three occupants were able to escape with no apparent injuries.