Spring Grove Herald

Lion boys collar Cougars quickly, clip 'Canes in overtime

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 12:08pm

Spring Grove trailed by five points with 48 seconds to play, but the Lions scored five points within eight seconds to force overtime and eventually win at Houston, 63-58. 

That dramatic 38th consecutive victory over the Hurricanes on Dec. 6 came after a much more comfortable 64-25 20th straight win against visiting Mabel-Canton on Dec. 2.

Caden Grinde scored 29 and 22 points in the two games while John Koch had 20 rebounds and came up with a game-saving steal at Houston. The Lions boys thus improved to 2-0 (2-0 SEC).

SG 64, Mabel-Canton 25

Girls rally versus Vikings, but no contest against Hurricanes

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 12:06pm

The Spring Grove girls staged a second-half rally before finally succumbing to Decorah (Iowa) 47-38 on Dec. 3. But the Lions were swept away early during a sensational 81-23 performance by Houston in the conference opener on Dec. 5. 

In both of those home games, Spring Grove (0-4, 0-1 SEC) was still shorthanded with key players - Marie Petersen, Piper Thompson and Addyson McHugh – all out of action while on the injured/illness list. An additional injury sidelined another Lion starter during the second half against Houston

Decorah 47, SG 38

Shorthanded gymnasts improve scores

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 12:04pm

The Caledonia/Spring Grove/Houston gymnasts opened the season at home on Dec. 5 versus Stewartville. The Tigers outscored the shorthanded Warriors, 118.85to 99.325.

On Dec. 7, the team score improved as the girls finished fifth among the five teams at the Byron Invitational.

Stewartville

“Overall, the girls pulled off a pretty good meet considering it was the first meet of the season," said coach Jackie Johnson.  

Annual Cookie Walk supports art at local gallery

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 12:02pm

Along with the artwork displayed at Bluff Country Artists Gallery, the cookies themselves are a sight to see, and then, at the annual Cookie Walk for the arts.

The gallery hosts this event on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. Cookies are mostly sold by the pound, with a few exceptions.

“It’s hard to find a greater variety of cookies,” coordinator Mary Zaffke said. “The people who are donating really practice the art of cookie baking and put a lot of thought into what they donate.”

Lucille Wilhelmson, 95, of Spring Grove

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 11:57am

Lucille Helen Wilhelmson, age 95 of Spring Grove, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 at Gundersen Tweeten Healthcare in Spring Grove.

She was born on Aug. 23, 1924 in Hettinger, North Dakota to Peter and Bertha (Mestad) Peterson.

Lucille graduated from Hettinger High School. She later moved to La Crosse, Wis. and in 1945 moved to Spring Grove.

On June 18, 1948 she married Rognald (Rags) Wilhelmson in Austin, Mn. The couple owned and operated the Spring Grove Recreation Bowling Alley for 25 years. 

Programs could help veterans become next generation of producers

Published by rkramer@bluffco... on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 11:56am

With the average age of a U.S. farmer at nearly 60 years, and millions of acres expected to change hands over the next few years, military veterans have a key role to play as the nation looks for the next generation of producers.

To do so, veterans will need assistance overcoming barriers, such as accessing land and the lack of assets or cash flow to purchase land, equipment, and farm inputs.

Access to credit is an important component of most farming operations, especially for new and beginning producers.

Phillips: How would you spend your surplus?

Published by rkramer@bluffco... on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 11:53am

What would you do if you found out you had an extra $1.33 billion? Would you spend it, invest it, save it for a rainy day — or do all three? Most of us would never dream of having to make this kind of decision, but, in a way, all of us in Minnesota did find out we had this amount of “extra” money last week.

At least that’s what Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) announced in its November budget forecast. After fully funding state government for two years, there will be a $1.33 billion surplus available in the fiscal year 2020-21 biennium.

legal notices

Published by Herald on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 11:05am

Sealed bids will be received until 10:00 a.m. on January 7, 2020 by the Houston County Board of Commissioners for the following county printing for year 2020: Official Paper, Miscellaneous Notices, Publication of the 2019 Financial Statement, and Publication of the Delinquent Tax List. Bids must be submitted on the official bid form which is available at the Houston County Administrator’s Office. The Board is requesting that only competitive bids be submitted.

Waukon girls limit Lions in second half

Published by Herald on Wed, 12/04/2019 - 12:54pm

Spring Grove led for most of the first 11 minutes by as many as eight points, 15-7. But the Lions added only one field goal in the final half of the first half and only 12 more points all night in a 53-27 home loss to Waukon (Iowa) on Nov. 26.

The Indians scored the first basket but did not regain the lead until late in the first half on the way to a 26-19 halftime advantage. 

For the second time in two games, Spring Grove was limited to single-digit scoring during a frigid-shooting second half.

Two titles, many contenders in SEC boys basketball

Published by Herald on Wed, 12/04/2019 - 12:51pm

More teams, maybe most teams in the conference can be considered legitimate title contenders as the Southeast Conference basketball boys launch division races this week. Throw in a dark horse or two, and both division cage races appear to be up for grabs in 2019-20. There are two division championships with no overall champion.