OWATONNA — The Steele County 4-H program sent 160 kids to the Minnesota State Fair this week, with numbers in the general projects slightly up according to 4-H Liaison Tracy Ignaszewski.

MEDORD — Medford could soon have a digital sign to help spread various messages and news about the school district to the community.

Unemployment was down slightly across the region from June to July, according to figures released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, with most counties showing a dip of about 0.1%.

OWATONNA — The Owatonna school district welcomed new staff members Monday with a literal bang, as a drum corps of Owatonna students performed to kick off the morning.

NEW RICHLAND — Dan Sorum, agriculture teacher at New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School, and students in his summer education class planted numerous native wildflowers last month, the culmination of a project that began this spring.

OWATONNA — The new poster is up and the online tracker is ticking: there are 364 days until the next Steele County Free Fair.

OWATONNA — Steele County will seek mediation with the state after the Minnesota Department of Human Services rejected a proposal to provide health care to South Country Health Alliance.

OWATONNA — Woofstock, Owatonna’s annual day for the dogs, returns for a fourth time Aug. 24, with several new additions that ought to prove popular with both humans and pups alike.

OWATONNA — I had originally intended to visit Be Ultimate Sports at the Steele County Free Fair, but the prospect of my jumping around on a bouncy house-surface playing field or riding a tricycle on a track with tight turns might seem inappropriate on Senior Citizens Day for a guy my age.

OWATONNA — Among the most prized guests at the Steele County Free Fair are the horses, who eat, sleep, and compete — with their human counterparts — throughout the week at the northeast end of the grounds.

OWATONNA — Continuing to excel and grow, Dr. Teri Wallace of Owatonna has taken the next step in her career as an academic leader dedicated to supporting others through education.

OWATONNA — As the workforce shortage in trades like carpentry and construction continues to deepen, Project Build Minnesota is attempting to raise awareness about career opportunities in those fields, and the non-profit helped Steele County Free Fair attendees construct bird feeders Friday.

OWATONNA — Would you be surprised to learn that the man who handles the Steele County Free Fair’s taxes doesn’t do his own?

OWATONNA — The 5K run that has become a local tradition on the Saturday of Steele County Free Fair week will again be contested that morning at Owatonna High School, but with a new name and a new cause this year.

OWATONNA — In between the polka music and geriatric stand-up comedy at the fair, the Steele County Exchange Club took a moment to recognize two vital members of their community.

OWATONNA — It has been a process that has taken years to complete, but on Thursday the residents at Koda Living Community were able to embark on the first of many adventures.

I suppose it’s my ego kicking into to overdrive, but I’ve always fancied myself something of a Renaissance man. Yet, what the Steele County Free Fair has shown this week is that I’m not — or at least not the high-caliber Renaissance man that I always hoped I would be.

A new bench in loving memory of Jim Gleason, the former manager/secretary of the Steele County Free Fair, has appeared outside the fair office. Gleason, who died after a brief battle with brain cancer in April, has been missed by many at the fair this week, but possibly missed the most by hi…

MEDFORD — Students in Medford’s Spanish department traveled to Spain in June to immerse themselves in local culture, learn the country’s illustrious history, and, of course, practice their language skills.

I’m told that in years past — long before I was born, so you know it was a long time ago — the People’s Press used to have a building out on the Steele County Fairgrounds where the reporters and editor would do their work. And, it’s said, that others from the community would hang around the …

OWATONNA — Family members became irate and staff members began to shed tears as the Steele County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the sale of Park Place Assisted Living and the empty Cedarview Care Center to Bradford Holdings, solidifying the eventual relocation of 50 Park Place …

OWATONNA — Perhaps the most obvious cosmetic change fairgoers have noticed this week at the Steele County Free Fair is the northeast quadrant of the grounds, where the north part of the racetrack has been removed, opening up an area that was often previously congested.

OWATONNA — Though the number of rabbits at the Steele County Free Fair decreased slightly this year, the overall trend points upward, with more bunnies on display the past three or four years than any before that stretch.

OWATONNA — As the fairgrounds buzzed with excitement and vendors focused on setting up for the inevitable large crowd, the Steele County Free Fair took a moment to recognize prominent players in the local agricultural community.

OWATONNA — Fairgoers had a slight scare on Tuesday afternoon that the Steele County Free Fair would be closed down before it even officially began when a severe weather alert — including a tornado warning — popped up around 3:45 p.m.

OWATONNA — While the free shows, carnival rides, and people watching are all instant highlights of any fair, there is one element that seems to draw the out the largest crowd to the Steele County Fairgrounds.

OWATONNA — After a $116 million bond referendum for a new Owatonna High School narrowly failed in May, the Owatonna school district will bring the issue again to voters in November, this time with a lower cost and a second question related to the future of the current OHS site.

OWATONNA — Martina Wagner, the district’s coordinator of educational equity, detailed changes, improvements, and growth in Owatonna’s migrant education program during a school board work session Monday night.

OWATONNA — A haven is defined as a place of safety or refuge, typically for wildlife. It is meant to described a place where people or animals can feel safe, secure, and most importantly — happy.

OWATONNA — After an onerous winter and exasperating spring, the Steele County Free Fair managed to beat the odds and get all of its ducks in a row just in time for the 2019 event.

OWATONNA — The City of Owatonna is on the cusp of joining 40 Minnesota communities that have raised the legal minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including those used in e-cigarettes or vapes.

OWATONNA — There’s perhaps no better way to appreciate history than a visit to the nation’s capital, with its bevy of museums, memorials, and monuments, and 33 students who completed their seventh and eighth-grade years at Owatonna Middle School were able to do that in early-June on a trip t…

At all levels, law enforcement agencies of all types are increasingly using drones to conduct their work. Outside of established protections established in the Bill of Rights and freedom of information laws like Minnesota’s Data Privacy Act, few restrictions currently exist on the use of dro…

OWATONNA — The Pony of America named “Unforgettable” lives up to his name.

OWATONNA — In a surprising Facebook announcement, Sterling Drug alerted the Owatonna public that its convenience store and gift shop will be permanently closed come the end of the day Saturday.

OWATONNA — In an unusual, if not unique, situation, firefighters took more than two hours to fully extinguish a fire — without water — at an Owatonna manufacturing plant on Wednesday evening.

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — Jake Schwarz, who was already familiar with Blooming Prairie due to the fact his children attend school in the district, is now getting to know even more as he takes over as elementary principal.

MANKATO — Polite conversation was the norm for the most part, but it didn’t take long for “the elephant in the room” to appear: the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade war with China.

ST. JAMES, Minn. — Harold Wolle has grown corn and soybeans on his farm near St. James in southwest Minnesota since 1976. Lately, Wolle has been growing brome grass, too. But it’s not for sale.

OWATONNA — Neighborhoods throughout the city hosted annual Night to Unite block parties on Tuesday to bring the community together with public safety agencies in the area.

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — Since being named Blooming Prairie’s school superintendent this spring, and officially taking over that role July 1, Chris Staloch has spent the vast preponderance of his time “listening and learning,” he says, because “I want all voices to be heard as we craft our vision …

OWATONNA — Owatonna’s summer concerts-in-the-park series, 11@7, will close out this Thursday with Scott Jasmin, who has not previously played this venue.

OWATONNA — Tom Meagher, STEM coordinator for Owatonna Public Schools, has been working for years to forge ties between this district and several education institutions in Japan, and he took another step toward that goal this week.

WASECA — Members of the Steele/Waseca Drug Court recently attended a national training in Washington, D.C., with more than 6,000 participants.