Roles, hours reduced
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Reductions in staffing were a major element of the March 20 NRHEG School board meeting. School Nurse Carrie Petsinger had submitted a request that her position be reduced from full time to one day a week beginning with the 2023-24 school year. Although the board accepted the request, members Terri Engel and Pat Theuer expressed concern that the reduction might leave students “underserved.”
Under her new schedule, Petsinger will be present in the school buildings only one day a week; nurse’s offices at both the New Richland and Ellendale sites will be staffed by others, as they have been whenever Petsinger was performing other duties or at the other school site.
Still, Theuer and Engel requested that further information be assembled and the matter reviewed, even raising the possibility of seeking a second qualified nurse to be present some days of the week.
L&D Ag move
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By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Copy Editor
After the tornado that devastated much of downtown Hartland in December 2021, L & D Ag Service moved into a brand new building at 602 Railroad Street earlier in March of this year.
Matt Staloch of Staloch Construction began work on the new building in the summer of 2022.
During construction, L & D Ag was housed in an Albert Lea building, rented from Gary Budach of New Richland. “We started moving a couple weeks ago,” said Travis Routh, who bought the business from its founder, Larry Nelson, who retired in 2015.
Bernard honored, surprised
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
During the 2023 Waseca County Farm and City Luncheon Thursday, March 16, local Mark Bernard was recognized as a leader in area agriculture and honored with the “Active Farmer” award.
“I was a little surprised by the nomination,” Bernard said after the program. “When I was first nominated it was before Covid. I thought, well, they probably forgot about this thing. And, you know, it took a little time to go through the process. It gave me the chance to reflect on my career.” Bernard mentions that 40-some years is a long time to reflect upon, and that doing so caused him to think about how much has changed.
Family, farming, sports and now, the school board
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By TRISTAN JENSEN
Editorial Assistant
Aaron Phillips, one of the new members of the NRHEG School Board for 2023, leads a busy life. He is regional sales manager for 360 Yield Center, a career that regularly sends him traveling, working trade shows, visiting dealers, and leading dealer trainings. “There isn't such a thing as an average day for me,” he explained. On top of his job, Phillips is assistant coach for the varsity baseball team at NRHEG, which his son plays on. Andrew, one of Phillips' four children, has received a scholarship to play Division 1 baseball at South Dakota State University next year. For the last four years, Phillips says, one of his hobbies has been traveling nationwide for baseball with Andrew, who has also played on the Minnesota Blizzard team. Phillips' youngest daughter, Faith, is in eighth grade and participates in numerous school activities and sports, so Phillips is also spending his time supporting her. His leisure activities of choice are snowboarding and snowmobiling, as well as hunting; he also helps out on the family farm when he can. “Yeah, I got enough to do,” Phillips says.
Area Ag leaders honored
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Good food, conversations, and stories were shared during the annual Farm and City Luncheon March 16, hosted by the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce at the Mill in Waseca.
Following a lunch catered by the Pheasant Cafe, the following families were honored with awards:
Farm Family of the year (FFOY); Cedar Crate Farms, Dan and Lara Zimmerli of Waldorf.
The FFOY award goes to a Waseca County food producer involved in the community. This family has made significant short-term progress and/or innovative contributions with their agricultural endeavors and has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and supporting the fields of agriculture and production. The Zimmerlis will be honored and recognized among farmers across the state at Farmfest this summer.