St. James CFS mill is making progress

On April 18, 2022, the digging started on the new CFS mill in St. James, and even though the rain has played a role in the progress, we are still on track to complete the project in the fall of 2023.

Madelia Health Foundation awards scholarships

Madelia, Minn. – The Madelia Health (MH) Foundation has awarded three scholarships to area students who are pursuing degrees in health care. All MH Foundation scholarships are renewable, providing multi-year support to area students.

See you in the fall

Before next week’s paper comes out and all the loyal Plaindealer subscribers and readers see my name missing from the articles, I wanted to let everyone know that I will not be writing or acting as Editor for the paper the remaining weeks of the summer.

Mary Shupe

 Mary Shupe, 75, of St. James passed away on Sunday, June 26,…

Education Beat: Stopping the Slide

Summer is a time for kids to kick back, take a break from routine, and enjoy lazy days. It also, in many cases, is when learning loss- aka “The Summer Slide” can take place. Summer setbacks are nothing new regarding academics and the phenomenon has been researched by educators since the beginning of time. On average, student achievement can decline over the summer by up to a third of a prior year’s learning gains. Loss is usually greater in mathematics than reading, and higher grade leveled students are more noticeably affected than younger learners. The summer slide can be measured in both social skills and classroom discipline, in addition to academics.

The Railroad arrived and St. James was established 152 years ago

St. James was a railroad town in the true sense of the phrase. The community was named by the Minnesota Valley Railroad in 1867, some three years before the railroad’s arrival and the town’s existence. It was planned to be a division point and crew change location. In the summer of 1870, lumber was hauled in by wagon from the newly established railhead at Lake Crystal to construct the first depot at St. James. Track was laid from Lake Crystal to Madelia by August 26, 1870, and reached St. James on October 12th.

Summer Rec Baseball enjoys changes to format

A desire to increase participation and make schedules more family-friendly created changes to the design of summer recreation baseball. Adam Schroeder, SJA teacher and coach, leads the program and shared benefits of the changes.

Dream of owning business comes to life

A childhood dream of Femin Agustin Juavez came to life on Saturday, June 18, for him, his wife Adelina Ambrocio Gabriel, and daughter Heidy Augstin Ambrocio. From the time he spent walking to school in Guatemala to working and moving to St. James, Agustin Juavez dream of opening his own business stayed with him.

Ticket info, deadline approaches for annual St. James Wrestling Hall of Fame Banquet

The 50th anniversary continues for a magical winter in the St. James community when the Saints stood alone above all teams in the state for both the wrestling and basketball championships. The St. James Wrestling Hall of Fame will honor both the 1972 wrestling and basketball teams on July 16th, along with seven inductees, with several options remaining to get a ticket but time is running out.