Sports
The Melrose girls flag football team consists of Abby Klaphake (front, from left) and Ella Erdmann; (second, from left) Avery Braegelmann, Brooke Klaphake, Emerson Malchow and Audrey Waldvogel; (third, from left) Ella Klaphake, Grace Herdering, Lex Vesel, Shantel Gruber and Anika Maus; (back, from left) assistant coach Teague Dusha, head coach Brett Vesel and assistant coach Ike Vesel. The Dutchmen went 8-2 in the inaugural season of Minnesota’s state high school girls flag football league. Not pictured: Kaitlyn Klasen, Hailey Klaphake, Allison Fiedler and Monroe Anderson.

Dynamic debut

Walking off the field following their first girls flag football game, the Melrose Dutchmen knew they were barely tapping into their potential. One of 51 teams ushering in the first statewide …
St. Martin’s Tate Winter (left) tags Spring Hill’s Dylan Gertken out at second base July 11 at Ray Weber Field in St. Martin. The game saw the top teams in the Stearns County League North and SCL South go head-to-head.

St. Martin, Spring Hill hold pitching party

The Stearns County League concluded its regular season July 13 and begins playoffs this weekend. Most of the league will be playing in Class C competition. St. Martin will be playing in Class B …
Freeport’s Ben Millard (left) moves to tag out St. Mathias’ Josh Kossan, ending the first inning July 13 at Blattner Field in Avon. It was the closest St. Mathias came to scoring in the game.

Pitching, defense shine in Black Sox win

The Freeport Black Sox came out on top 1-0 against St. Mathias in a defensive game July 13 at Blattner Field in Avon. “All year, we’ve pitched and played defense,” said Rob …
Columns

The things I’ve learned

Oh, the things I have learned over the holiday weekend. I’ve learned we do indeed live in a great country. We can celebrate our rights and freedoms knowing someone else earned them for us. …

Curbing an epidemic

Albany area’s medical community was concerned — but not panicked — about 75 years ago. In a front-page article of the July 9, 1950, Albany Enterprise, area doctors warned of an …

State law, baseball

It isn’t often that state law is credited with deciding a baseball game. Still, 100 years ago, in a June 25, 1925, Melrose Beacon article, a local amateur team avoided defeat because of a …

Jumping for joy cookie contest winner

Agnes Hemmesch jumped for joy mid-afternoon June 28. I had just told her she won the Riverfest cookie contest with her white sugar with nutella and a fresh strawberry cookie. I have never …
Birth Announcements
Quinnlee Marie Douvier
Austin and McKayla Douvier, of Freeport, are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Quinnlee Marie Douvier, at 7:34 a.m. July 9, 2025, at CentraCare-Melrose Hospital in Melrose. She …
Carson Joseph Schleicher
Justin and Crystal Schleicher, of Freeport, are happy to announce the birth of their son, Carson Joseph Schleicher, at 12:38 p.m. June 23, 2025, at CentraCare-Melrose Hospital in Melrose. He …