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The Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s Knights take basketball state title

The Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s Knights girls basketball team won the Class A State Girls Basketball Tournament for the first time in program history last weekend, capping off a 32-1 season. The Knights are just the second girls area team from the Tomahawk to win a state title in history, the first being Wabasso in 2004 in the Tomahawk Conference. The Knights are now a Tomahawk Division team playing in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference. St. Marys’ win was also head girls basketball coach Bruce Woitas’ fifth state championship win during his time at St. Mary’s as he coached the Knights’ baseball program to state championships in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

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Spring might actually be here

Friday was officially the first day of spring and the temperatures reflected that change, peaking at 65 degrees. Saturday is expected to be even warmer, possibly reaching 85 degrees. This is a complete turnaround from last weekend in which the entire state was under a blizzard warning. Most of the snow that fell during the blizzard is already gone, save for a few larger snowbanks. Temperatures are expected to remain above freezing for the next week. It is possible the weather could turn cold again in April, but it is nice to have a timely reprieve from winter.

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Hermann restoration has an estimate

After years of discussing plans for the restoration of Hermann Monument, the City of New Ulm finally has the documents detailing the necessary project phases to dismantle and reconstruct the monument along with a cost estimate. A report prepared by MacDonald & Mack Architects estimates the full project cost at $11.6 million, which is close to what city staff predicted, but now the figures are based on firm research.

Though the cost to disassemble and rebuild the monument is relatively high, it does give New Ulm a target. With the documents and estimates the city can start looking for potential funding sources. The document also includes a step-by-step phase for how the project would work. It is a valuable aid for securing the future of Hermann Monument.