Articles

Mesko Lee takes the helm as new city administrator

Melanie Mesko Lee is officially Hastings’ new city administrator. She was voted into the position at the council meeting Monday evening.

• Melanie Mesko Lee

Teen rescued from Vermillion River

Hastings firefighter/paramedics rescued a teenage boy from the Vermillion River Saturday evening, shortly before 8 p.m.

Dedicated to tradition: Hastings woman makes fiddles by hand, just like her grandmother

Down in the Ozarks, Amanda Neuharth’s grandmother is practically a living legend. Violet Hensley, now 96 years old, has been nicknamed the “Whittling Fiddler,” the “Stradivarius of the Ozarks,” and the “Fiddle Maker,” and with good reason.

City’s building official makes the most of winter: Tom Bakken aims to ski 58 times this season

Hastings’ building official, Tom Bakken, looks forward to winter every year. An avid skier, he spends much of his free time on the slopes when they’re open. This year, he set himself a goal: ski 58 times – once for every year he’s been alive.

Nick Clare run is Saturday in Hastings

In 2002, the Hastings community joined together to pay tribute to the life of Nick Clare. Clare, a Hastings native, was a senior at Montana State University in Bozeman when he lost his life in a car accident. Following his death, his family and friends organized the first annual Nick Clare Memorial Run. That initial run and those following it have been very successful in helping the Hastings community and high school. This Saturday, May 4, is the 12th annual Nick Clare Memorial Run, and proceeds from the event will go to support programs at the Hastings Area YMCA and the Nick Clare Scholarship.

HHS spring musical is ‘Once Upon a Mattress’

Next weekend, Hastings High School students will put on a show that’s very different from ones they’ve done in the past. This year’s spring musical is “Once Upon a Mattress.” More than 35 students are involved in the cast, technical crew and orchestra.

Celebrating 100 years - Hastings creamery started downtown, making butter

A lot can change in 100 years. The Hastings Cooperative Creamery Association, which last week celebrated its 100th anniversary, has seen several changes of its own, but one thing has remained at its core. “We seek to benefit our farmers,” said Dave Zwart, the plant manager. The co-op is a milk processing and bottling operation that is owned by the farmers who send their milk there. Currently, there are 105 owners, or patrons, as they’re called. Between them, there are about 8,000 cows. The bottling plant can see up to five milk trucks a day, dropping off about 50,000 pounds of milk each, and the plant does about $40 million in sales per year.

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Hailey Lundquist is Athena Award winner

Hastings High School athlete Hailey Lundquist is this year’s Athena Award winner.

42 students inducted into National Honor Society

Hastings High School saw 42 students welcomed into the National Honor Society April 1. The induction ceremony marked the beginning of a year of service for the new members.

All cheered out: Budget cuts mean no more cheerleading at HHS

When budgets get squeezed, it’s inevitable that programs are lost. That’s exactly the case in the Hastings school district this year. Bundled in with a number of staff reductions across the district are the elimination of two high school extracurricular programs: cheerleading and the math team. The cuts are a result of reduced school funding due to declining enrollment. The state pays schools a certain amount per pupil, and fewer students means fewer dollars.

Columns

Former Hastings pitcher Dan Carey battling brain tumor

We’re hoping for successful treatment for Dan Carey, who was recently hospitalized. Carey, a 1967 graduate of Hastings High School, was in a car accident Feb. 27. He blacked out while driving and rolled his car.