Looking Back: 2021 in Review

Another year has come and gone. As the final curtain draws 2021 to a close, the Steele County Times has picked its top 10 news stories.
The worldwide pandemic that has been raging since March 2020 continued to grab the headlines for much of 2021. We thought we were on the track to getting back to normal for good earlier in the year only to find out later in the year that COVID-19 isn’t ready to leave any time soon. It undoubtedly will continue to be a big part of our lives as we go into the new year.
In addition to the top news stories featured here, the Times also compiled a more comprehensive list of the year in review in the second section beginning on Page B3.
Here is the top 10 list for 2021:
 
No. 1- HIGHWAY 14 FINALLY COMPLETED 
It had been a dream decades in the making. Finally, after what some said had been 40 to 50 years in the works, Highway 14 opened as four lanes from Owatonna to Dodge Center, completing the entire stretch from Mankato to Rochester.
The roadway officially opened in November with local, state and federal dignitaries joining in with the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new road.
“It’s over 50 years of people’s hopes, dreams and hard work of getting this accomplished,” said State Rep. John Petersburg.
During that time, many lives were lost in motor vehicle crashes on the two-lane stretch.
 
No. 2- COVID-19 HOLDS ON
 
The worldwide pandemic that began in March 2020 continued its nasty hold throughout the year. Things seemed to get better at different times throughout the year, but they ended in a downward spiral again.
Throughout 2021, 29 people lost their battle in Steele County alone from complications of COVID-19.
In March, students at schools in the county returned to in-person learning, after nearly a full year of distance or hybrid learning.
The area’s top public health official who had been on the forefront of guiding residents through the worst pandemic in a century left her post in November. Amy Caron took a new job with Planned Parenthood of North Central States.
 
No. 3- GOOD NEWS FOR AREA SCHOOLS
 
In May, Owatonna Schools broke ground on the new $104 million high school. The 88-acre site is located on the south end of Owatonna by Highways 14 and 218. Voters approved the new school in 2019. 
Completion and opening of the new high school are set for the 2023-24 school year.
And in November, voters in the Blooming Prairie School District approved a $34 million referendum. The money will be used to reduce crowding in a growing district. Construction is expected to begin in 2022.
 
No. 4- NEW DAYCARE ACADEMY FORMED
 
In what is believed to be the single, largest gift in Blooming Prairie’s history, Craig and Robyn Kruckeberg donated commercial buildings, land and money for a new daycare center to serve the region. The former corporate office building of Minimizer, a company founded by Craig’s father, Dick Kruckeberg, more than 35 years ago, and a nearby storage building, along with the surrounding land, are appraised at $850,000. With a monetary donation, the gift pushed the $1 million mark.
Along with the donation, a new non-profit organization, Leo Augusta Children’s Academy, has been formed. Former NRHEG Elementary Principal Doug Anderson, who retired from the school in June, took over as new director of the academy.
 
No. 5- BIG BUSINESS CHANGES
 
Owatonna began revitalizing its downtown area. Groundbreaking took place on a project that will bring a new hotel and apartments to the downtown, renovate a historic restaurant and change the look of the streets. Several current buildings were demolished to make room for the revitalization.
A century-plus tradition came to an end in Blooming Prairie. Farmer and Merchants State Bank was sold to MBT Bank based in Forest City, Iowa. MBT took over in September. Included in the deal were banks in Hayfield, Dodge Center, Mantorville and Austin. F&M had been a fixture on Blooming Prairie’s Main Street since 1904 when Oscar Habberstad led a group of individuals in opening the bank.
In another transaction, Cargill acquired Arkema in Blooming Prairie in December for $38.8 million. Arkema began operations in the late 1960s.
Also highlighting the business changes was Minimizer. In March, the long-time manufacturer in Blooming Prairie completed its move to a new facility in Owatonna. Minimizer, which began about 35 years ago, decided on Owatonna because it’s business-friendly and had ample room for current requirements and future growth.
 
No. 6- HELP FOR DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
 
A new coalition was formed in Blooming Prairie to handle what the top leader of Steele County’s United Way called an epidemic that’s out of control. Annette Duncan led an effort to facilitate positive change within the community in regard to teenage drug and alcohol use, which is at least twice as high as the state average.
Blooming Prairie was awarded a $1 million grant from the Positive Community Norms over five years that will be dedicated exclusively to Blooming Prairie Schools. Aron Welch was hired as a full-time prevention coordinator at the high school.
 
No. 7- WE ALL PLAY
 
Owatonna will begin drawing people from all over the region to come play at the its new inclusive playground and Miracle League Field, which were completed in 2021. We All Play’s goal is to create intergenerational playground for people of all ages and abilities.
The $1.1 million project was funded by grants and donations.
 
No. 8- CRACKING THE $1M MARK
 
The Blooming Prairie Education Foundation (BPEF) raised about $60,000 at its annual auction, bringing the organization’s total funds raised to $1 million over 18 years.
Foundation leaders said hitting the $1 million mark is a significant milestone. “It shows how they can make a big difference in one small community,” said Karen Fouarge, president of BPEF.
In September, Paint the Town Pink in Blooming Prairie topped the $1 million mark. The fundraiser benefiting cancer started 20 years ago when Eunice Coughlin started the event by raising $1,700.
 
No. 9- A HISTORIC MOVE
 
A section of the mural that graced the walls of the iconic Jerry’s Supper Club in Owatonna for 50 years was saved by the Steele County Historical Society. Officials raised $18,000 in short order to complete the move to the History Center and reassemble it within the walls of the center. The mural is now hung on the wall overlooking the atrium in the center.
Jerry’s, meanwhile, is being remodeled as part of the redevelopment project that will include construction of a 106-unit hotel in the 200 block of north Cedar Avenue.
 
 
No. 10- FIRE DESTROYS DAIRY OPERATION
 
An Owatonna area dairy farmer watched helplessly as his operation went up in flames in April. Fire destroyed Brian Seykora’s century-old dairy barn located south of Owatonna. Eight milk cows and about 3,000 bales of straw and alfalfa hay were lost in the blaze.
“I was numb at the time,” Seykora told the Times.
Family and friends rallied around the Seykoras and helped him get the rest of his cattle to safety. Seykora later sold the herd to a farm in Wisconsin, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibly of rebuilding his dairy operation as one of his sons is interested in taking over.