OWATONNA — Don’t put out a rocking chair for Katie Smith any time soon because, retirement or no retirement, she’s not likely to sit in it, let alone rock.

OWATONNA — “Gold? Yellow?” asks artist Gail Gates, trying to pin down the exact hue of a sunset. “Nah, too common.”

OWATONNA — About a year and a half ago, all Amanda Gislason could think about was how in the world they would even start getting the word out about a specific dream for the entire community.

HOPE — Commuters on Interstate 35 may have noticed a cloud of black smoke rising from the eastern side of the freeway Wednesday evening, the result of a car catching fire at the Straight River Rest Area outside of Hope.

OWATONNA — The Polar Vortex of February 2019 is still fresh on the minds of many Midwesterns, especially for those in Steele County who experienced the unbelievable cold temperatures sandwiched between record-breaking snow falls.

OWATONNA — The Owatonna Soccer Association scored a winning goal this week, claiming victory for the area youth.

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — Earlier this month, students and staff at Blooming Prairie High School came together to unpack and install an entire fleet of new equipment for the school’s weight room, courtesy of the Blooming Prairie Education Foundation.

Two more people were charged in West Virginia Tuesday with the first-degree murder of John Thomas McGuire, an Owatonna father of six.

OWATONNA — School district officials and state legislators held a press conference Tuesday to discuss a recently increased tax credit that would subsidize farmers’ contributions to school building bonds, including the soon-to-be-voted-on Owatonna High School building bond.

OWATONNA — For more than a year, the Steele County Safe and Drug Free Coalition has been running an aggressive campaign to dissuade teenagers from picking up the highly addictive and recently lethal habit of vaping.

OWATONNA — Being a parent is no easy task. It’s an around-the-clock job that involves mood swings, attitude adjustments, never-ending messes, immense responsibility, incessant worry, lack of energy, and constant juggling.

OWATONNA — As residents raise flooding concerns at the site of the proposed new Owatonna High School, the school district and the City of Owatonna seek to assuage doubts prior to a Nov. 5 bond referendum that will determine the fate of the planned building.

OWATONNA — A Steele County business that had been homegrown in Blooming Prairie for the last three decades took another step toward moving 20 miles up the road as a handful of employees tossed the first chunk of dirt on what would be their future home.

OWATONNA — It will still be a month before the final numbers are in, but organizers of the annual Chubb’s Brew-BQ Savor the Flavor Fundraiser are keeping their fingers crossed that it will be the biggest year yet as far as dollars raised.

OWATONNA — It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood when Pablo and Tania Del Valle move into a picturesque, historic area of Washington, D.C. Their new neighbors, Frank and Virginia Butley, have lived in the area for years and are delighted to have permanent tenants next door.

MINNEAPOLIS — Steele County residents were among the thousands who gathered downtown Minneapolis Thursday night for President Donald Trump’s campaign event, as the current head of state, and 2020 reelection hopeful, addressed supporters inside Target Center Oct. 10 even as demonstrators prot…

OWATONNA — Local organizations that set to out to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Steele County residents are about to get a little help themselves.

OWATONNA — Students pursuing a technical or nontraditional college path have until Oct. 25 to apply for the upcoming round of Owatonna Foundation post-secondary scholarships.

OWATONNA — All week long the talk throughout the Midwest has been the surprisingly early first snowfall of the season, predicted to dump up to 12 inches in some areas.

STEELE COUNTY — A unique public-private-nonprofit collaborative with a mission to combine agriculture, conservation, and economics to help improve water quality within the Cannon River Watershed has been formed.

OWATONNA — During what would have been first and second period on Oct. 9, Owatonna High School students were putting on hearing protection and gearing up to tour Pearson’s printing facilities.

As the crow flies, Tom and Elaine Trotman live about ¾ of a mile from the house he grew up in and the house that has been in his family for well over a hundred years, but in many ways they are even much closer than that.

OWATONNA — The annual Owatonna Foundation Legacy Luncheon drew a record crowd Oct. 9, bringing nearly 150 residents together to celebrate donors and to honor Edith and Jean Zamboni with the Spirit of the Community Award.

OWATONNA — Engaging. Willing. A true leader.

OWATONNA — One of the very special parts of Owatonna’s unique and rich culture are the various people who dedicate their lives to enriching their community.

OWATONNA — A new high school in Owatonna will be located in the southeast corner of the city under a proposal released by the school district on Tuesday.

OWATONNA — Nine years after the former Steel County Highway Operations Complex was damaged by flooding, a replacement facility along Hoffman Drive in Owatonna is complete and open to the public.

OWATONNA — Like most teenage girls, Justice McGuire didn’t always have the best relationship with her father. Sometimes they disagreed, sometimes they fought, and sometimes they wouldn’t speak to each other, but they never let that come between them.

OWATONNA — “You know how when you do a fall or spring cleaning in your home and everything is fresh and clean and you just feel good?” asked Shirley Schultz. “The same thing happens in a downtown.”

OWATONNA — Residents at Valleyview of Owatonna may recognize local centenarian Swanhild Anderson, or “Swani,” by her singing voice.

OWATONNA — Three people have been arrested after the remains of an Owatonna man missing since February were found last month following a tip led West Virginia investigators to a shallow grave.

OWATONNA — “Have you ever seen $14 million in cold, hard cash?” Dan Brewster asked coyly before breaking out into laughter. “Well, I have!”

OWATONNA – The “backbone of the non-profit ecosystem” gathered Thursday night to celebrate those known throughout Steele County for their generous hearts and selfless hours of volunteerism.

OWATONNA – Rewind to one year ago, and the students at St. May’s School in Owatonna spent an entire day cleaning up their community after a big storm that developed small tornados swept through the area and left behind ample destruction.

OWATONNA — The streets were alive with with blue and silver pride on Friday as the Owatonna community came in droves to watch the 2019 homecoming parade.

A former Minnesota Correctional Facility-Faribault correctional officer has been charged with having sex with a man she met during his stay in prison.

OWATONNA — Some days it feels like it’s been 40 years, other days Amy Villarreal can’t believe it’s already been four whole years since her husband died.

Hy-Vee, in a Thursday press release, provided additional information about the payment card incident first reported Aug. 14. This following information further explains the incident, the measures the company has taken, and some steps customers can take in response.

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The business community of Blooming Prairie is about to grow by adding a manufacturer company that is a global leader in its industry.

OWATONNA – They are safe for another year, but South Country Health Alliance isn’t out of the woodwork just yet after the Minnesota Department of Human Services cancelled their requests for proposals that almost resulted in the local organizations shutting their doors for good.

OWATONNA –The boardroom at the Steele County Administration building was filled to the brim as people desperate to save their ash trees learned more about the most recent threat to the county.

FARIBAULT — River Bend Nature Center hosts its 38th annual River Bend Ramble on Saturday. And with an artisan market, live music, drawing and more, this year’s edition of the Ramble promises plenty of fun.

OWATONNA – It’s been almost three months since 24 residents of a local senior living facility had to evacuate due to a flash flood, temporarily relocating to either the homes of relatives or another Owatonna facility.

OWATONNA — For three decades, Don Overlie worked as a teacher in Owatonna. Clearly showing a passion for helping the youth in his community, it was no surprise when he decided to devote part of his retirement to helping the local Toys for Tots organization.