BrianJodie Steffensmeier Congratulations
Douglas Deborah Brandl Congratulations, nice to have you back at St Marys
The Sleepy Eye Education Association honored Sleepy Eye High School social studies teacher Gloria Nachreiner as their 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. Above SEEA president Mindy Berkner presents Gloria the award.
Gloria was ready to take the picture of this year’s Teacher of the Year…but then her name was called.
Sleepy Eye ONLINE’s Shari Hittesdorf was honored as a nomination for the Minnesota State High School League Media Award. Hittesdorf has covered sports for over 18 years, starting in 2000 as the Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch’s Sport Editor. She created Sleepy Eye ONLINE in 2011.
Over the course of her career, she has photographed/reported at 30 state tournament including visits by Sleepy Eye High School and St. Mary’s High School teams as well as River Valley wrestling.
Hail or Sleet? Friday morning a thunderstorm warning was issued for Sleepy Eye. It produced what meteorologist call graupel (soft hail or snow pellets), leaving a layer over sidewalks and streets.
By Friday afternoon, the winds had picked up, sending “tumbleweed” rolling and geese and ducks hanging tough in a small area of open water on Sleepy Eye Lake. The factor missing was the snow to create the blizzard conditions…that came Saturday after raining on and off during the night.
Noon Saturday
Noon Saturday
5 p.m. Saturday
Highways were once again open Sunday morning but as of 11 a.m. travel was still not advised.
Local residents began the clean up Sunday despite the snow still falling.
Snow Totals
Snow Totals
St. Mary’s School has announced former teacher and coach, Peter Roufs, will return to his previous place of employment in the role of high school principal. Effective July 1, Roufs will replace current principal Andrew Bach who has resigned effective the end of the school year.
Roufs has experience as a principal at a parochial school after having worked at New Ulm Cathedral for five years, resigning that position in August 2013. He also has experience working at Lafayette Charter School and is a current board member for River Bend Education District.
Based on Facebook responses, he will receive a great welcome back!
Deanne Ibberson Congratulations!
Susie Kral CONGRATS..soo AWESOME 
👏!
👏!LeAnn Rae Yay!!! That is awesome, welcome back!
Rob Henjum Nice to see him coming home.
Steffanie Dietz What a gift! Congrats!!
Marie Guggisberg Congratulations!
Nicole Steffl Fuchs Sad to see Mr. Bach go, but his is awesome! Happy to have Mr Roufs back.
Bev Ibberson Congratulations
Jennifer Blick So excited to have you back!
Ashley Mathiowetz Schieffert So exciting for St Marys!!!
Linda Seifert Yay!!!!!
Angie Beranek Foster Congratulations!
Becky Schroepfer Wilfahrt Congratulations! Well deserved!
Deanna Schwint Congratulations! This is great news for St. Mary’s.
Sadie Brown One of my favorite teachers at sms… congrats!!
Colin Nelson Congratulations to you, Mr. Roufs! I’m pulling for you.
Renee Dietl Hildebrandt Awesome!!!!!!! Welcome back!!!
Sandy Neid Congratulations
Jerry Neubauer Happy for St Mary’s and for Peter. He was a great employee and even better person. Wishing him only the best.
Cassie Monroe Schwartz Awesome! Congrats!!
Jill Berdan Congratulations!
Karen Warta Sellner Congrats and welcome back to Sleepy Eye saint Mary’s! 
Denise Helget Congratulations! Excited to see you again at St. Mary’s.
Monica Wurtzberger Wonderful news! Congratulations!
Amy Kral Congratulations! Excited for Mr Roufs to be back… sad to see Mr Bach go tho!
Bill Tschida Okay, that is a pretty good hire! Congrats Pete!
Holly Simonsen Thank you Mr. Bach! Best wishes for your future endeavors. Welcome
Raina Klisch This is AMAZING news! Welcome home, Mr. Roufs! Congratulations!
Heidi Sellner Thank you Mr. Bach for being part of St. Mary’s School. Our family wishes you well with you next adventure! And Mr. Roufs – Welcome Back!
Brianna Mages Jensen Mr. Roufs!!! Total….body….stretch. Do I remember you always saying this??!!
Phyllis Stoneberg Congratulations
Cindy Hyacinth Rieke Yeah! Welcome me back Peter!! 
😍
🎉
🙏🏻🙏🏻😍. Excited for you and SMS!
😍🎉🙏🏻🙏🏻😍. Excited for you and SMS!Sue Severson Welcome back Mr. Roufs!
Lavon Kielkucki Good for everyone God bless you Peter
Nancy Benz What a great hire!!!!! Congrats Peter!
Molly Millerbernd Congratulations Pete!! Praying for you as you transition to this new job!!
Jerry Herrley Congratulations Peter from Cousin Rolayne (Roufs) Herrley!
Missi Schweizer Meyer That is fabulous news!!
Sheri Liebl Awesome choice…congrats Peter
Dan Stifter Congratulations Pete! Good Luck with the new position!
Randy Braun Extremely excited to hear about this hiring.Congratulations Mr. Roufs and everyone at St. Mary’s. This man had a great impact on my life personally and I’m excited for everyone involved. Welcome back Mr Roufs.
Diane Ibberson Congrats Peter!! Welcome back!!
Dee Surprenant Oh, yeah! A newbie who is an oldie and goodie.
Eileen Hirsch Great guy! Glad to have him back!
Beth Vait-Kosel Congrats Peter! St. Mary’s is so blessed to have you back!
Deb Deibele Braulick Awesome news! Will be great having him back!
Amy Sellner Ostermann I was from one of the first classes Mr. Peter Roufs taught at St. Mary’s in 7th grade Phy Ed class! Welcome back!
Spring just does seem to want to come this year. Cold temperatures and an 8″ snowfall on March 24 already had the community white. Add another several inches of new wet snow followed by a drop in the thermometer has Sleepy Eye and a good part of the state reeling again.
The calendar says April 3 but reports earlier this week still had over 20″ of ice on Sleepy Eye. The annual Easter Egg Hunt was moved to the Event Center due to snow cover at Allison Park. Spring high school sports teams have yet to begin competing, many of the participants not even having the opportunity to practice outdoors. And, the way things looks today, coupled with a single digit temperature expected tonight and only near freezing temperatures predicted for the next week….it’s going to be while!
Sleepy Eye Schools Parking lot.
Hwy 4 / Burnside St.
Sleepy Eye Lake
Summit St. SW
Babe Ruth Dedication – August 2016.
Leavenworth Girls Softball Reunion- Summer 2015
Sleepy Eye lost a great one March 20 when the legendary Duke Cook made his way to the big ball park in the sky. The lives he touched were countless in so many areas, but he was most influential on the ball field…baseball and especially softball.
Pictured above is just a small handful of the lives he touched with his coaching talents at Leavenworth. In 1956 Duke started a girl’s fast pitch softball team in the small community and coached up until the end. He also helped with the Sleepy Eye High School softball squads for many seasons. Duke coached all ages of girls with patience and precision.
He also had a great love for the game of baseball. His talents earned him an induction into the Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Duke was the inspiration for the Baseball and Softball Museum in the former parochial school in Leavenworth. He was very proud of all the pictures, news articles and memorabilia that he had put together.
He was avid fan of sports in general and loved following all the local high school sports, attending games on a regular basis to show his support for the youth of not only this community
but the surrounding area as well.
Duke was also a proud veteran, a U.S. Marine from 1953-1956, who attended every Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day ceremony.
Below are just a few comments found on Facebook about how special Duke was:
Bev Petersen Oh what a guy he was !! The whole Sleepy Eye community will miss his presence at ALL their sporting events !!
Holli Pederson Hansen So sad! He will be missed.
Karla Bauer Duke I will NEVER FORGET YOU !!!! You were the greatest coach EVER !!! So sad:(.
Lynn Mathiowetz Hoffman Such fond memories playing under his coaching… God bless him and all he brought to the community throughout his life! So many blessed because of him!
GayLynn Harmace One of a kind! No one will ever take his place. Rest In Peace Duke
Suzanne Holland Very kind man, RIP Duke!!!!
Robert P. Carlson Such a nice man
Sarah Bruggeman So sad 
You will be greatly missed Duke! Lots of memories coaching our softball team!
You will be greatly missed Duke! Lots of memories coaching our softball team!Barbie Walden Gruenhagen Duke was one of a kind! Here’s to playing ball in heaven!
Linda Weber A quiet, unassuming man. But oh what influence he brought to alot of his players and others who were not his players. Never a harsh word. Kind and gentle. There were a few of your players at heaven’s gate to welcome you home!
Sylvia Ruiz He was a great person. He will be missed. He gave it all to the youth of the area!!! What a gift we had
Ann Marie Sturm-Leshovsky He was the best. No doubt in my mind. Rest peacefully, Duke!
Kienlen Sellner This world would have less problems if there were more Dukes in it. RIP to a wonderful person!
Dohn Schroepfer My neighbor for part of my childhood, and all of my adult life. THE nicest, most genuine man I have ever known. And the most supportive sports fan in history, ANYWHERE!!! My condolences to all his nieces and nephews. Such a special man.
Lana Grunst I met Duke when he assisted with SE 7th/8th grade girl’s softball. What a great guy!
Mary Groebner Oh, condolences to his family and friends. He was such a constant known in my life when growing up, always so kind. I hope he’s in heaven catching my dad (Bill) up to what he missed since his passing many years ago.
Amber Thom He was a wonderful man! Loved by all.
Linda Seifert He will be missed for sure!!!
Willy Schauman A true gentleman and sportsman! RIP Duke.
Gregg Mathiowetz What a great guy! Once of the nicest guys to all the players. We are all better people because our lives were touched by Duke!
John-Carol Falk Such an Awesome Guy!!! And so much passion for the game!!!
Carrie Prechel He was a kind, gentle man. Will be missed greatly.
Jane Vidlund Juntunen He meant so much to so many…
Laura Kuebler Horman Best ball gamer around! Still remembered me playing softball 25 years after the fact! God bless you Duke!
Janet Kramer Such a sweet, loving man!
Karen Voge RIP Duke A very special man to so many!
Dorinda Roiger 
you will be missed by many
you will be missed by manySandy Brinkman The ballparks and gymnasiums won’t be the same…such a kind soul.
Linda Hesse Mark & I are sad to hear that Duke is gone!
Martin Sellner Everyone I think can say that there is only great memories from this great person!! He will be sadly missed!!!
Garrett Freeman Such a great man can remember him from my Dad coaching softball and sisters playing…he could be found in any area small town watching or helping coach these young girls with a game he truly loved. RIP Duke
Michelle Schaeffer No one better or kinder. We were all for fortunate for having known him. A man who truly only knew how to be kind.
Sara Lee Evers RIP a fan and so encouraging to so many kids
Gloria Lendt I remember him at games and his coaching. Rest In Peace Duke
Joleen Price He thaught me how to throw a softball overhand back in the 60s……he followed and supported girls softball for so many years….Rip Duke
Catherine A. Haala Duke … thank you for being a wonderful loving man, softball coach and life coach … the world needs more of you! 
Charlotte Wheeler So many wonderful memories playing ball for Duke. I’m glad to have known him!
Marie Fredrickson I know. He knew everyone’s name & was always so kind
Pixie Wegner He will certainly be missed
Nicole Helget I have visited Duke’s museum in Leavenworth. Along with being a great fan and supporter of baseball and softball in southern Minnesota, he was a historian and archivist. His collection is a treasure trove of baseball and softball artifacts: newspaper articles, photographs, balls, gloves, tickets. It belongs at the Minnesota Historical Society for a special viewing.
Nancy Kissner A sports legend!
Shawna Turbes Sellner He was always so kind, supportive, & friendly. He won’t be forgotten.
Christi Gemmill He is one extraordinary guy for sure. We will all miss him but what a field to be playing on he has now
Beth Zuhlsdorf He sure enjoyed the sports! Great coach and fan!
Emily Johnson Oh Duke sorry to hear he has passed. He was the absolute best!
sorry to hear he has passed. He was the absolute best!Kaitlin DuChene He was a wonderful person who had so much love for everyone. His passion for sports and coaching reached so many people. I feel very lucky to be receiving end of his softball tips when I was little playing Hanska to high school. The many players he cheered for and took the time to know as people should feel blessed to have an example of kindness and what it means to be a good person.
Amber Waibel So sorry to hear of Duke’s passing! What a great guy he was!
Heather Haala What a great guy all around!!
BrianAlexa Krzmarzick He was the sweetest guy ever! Always remember him during summer softball handing out little ornaments to us!
Chelsey Karow Duke was seriously one of the nicest guys! And always our number one fan! So sorry to hear about you, and your families loss.
Douglas Deborah Brandl a huge loss for Leavenworth and surrounding communities… he was a great guy…. had a hi and s smile for everyone …he will be missed
Colleen Braun What a wonderful Life!
Geri Lynn Swenstad 
I’m so sad to hear this!! One of the best humans I’ve come across! He literally was an icon! I’m so sorry for you and your family’s loss 
Stephanie Trevino Duke was one of a kind and will always be remembered along with ur grandpa
JudyandJim Sellner Duke was a AWESOME man and great neighbor. Always thought of the kids in every sport he was there. He will be greatly missed. Hugs
Tina Jones Meine One of the greatest men I have ever known!
Love and hugs to all of you!
Love and hugs to all of you!
Holly Miller What an amazing man that touched so many lives!
Jessica Suker Weilage He was such a good guy. Glad to have known him!
Casie Braulick He lived such a good life! What an amazing man. You’ve got another angel in the outfield!
Lacey Braulick He was such a nice man!!! Always had a smile on his face!
Samantha Leite Duke interrupted so many of Darla Remus’s practices and always made them more fun
Duke interrupted so many of Darla Remus’s practices and always made them more funLaurie Zuhlsdorf Great man everyone loved. He will be missed.
Suzanne Jensen I am so so sad for all of SE but happy for his reunion in heaven! Thank you Cook’s for sharing him with our community. One of a kind.
Paula Ziegenhagen So sorry for ur family loss. He was a great n friendly man. Love seeing him at games n saying hi to
Nancy Windschitl He was a true sports fan and an amazing school coach to so many girls in SE. Truly one of a kind. RIP Duke
Deanna Johnson Prayers for you & your family. You couldnt find a nicer guy then him!
Michele Borth He was such a great fan!
Samantha Saenz I can literally hear his laugh at his picture. What a sweet guy he was
Mary Lou Mathiowetz All of these comments are so true; he definitely was a great man!!
Julie Schumacher We will miss him dearly! He was so wonderful, always helping get young kids envolved in ball!
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One of Sleepy Eye’s biggest advocates, Jim Broich, died Sunday (3/11).
Broich served as mayor for the community from 1992 to 2016. He was a city councilman prior to holding that position.
He served the city of Sleepy Eye in so many other ways during his lifetime including volunteering as an EMT for nine years and as Fireman for 34 years.
He also served on the board of Minnesota River Area on Aging and a term as Chair & Vice Chair, MNDOT District 7, ATP, as vice chair, South Central EMS board and Region 9 Revolving Loan Committee. Jim was active in the Lions Club, Legion, Disabled Veterans and the Sleepy Eye Collectors Club.
Anyone who new Jim also knew of his passions which included fishing, hunting, gardening, wine making, bee keeping and craft shows.
The vehicle being loaded onto a flatbed truck following the incident
Five Sleepy Eye High School students escaped injury Tuesday night when their vehicle went out of control on icy roads and rolled into a field.
The five teenagers, Jake Lang (driver), Josie Lang, Jake Berg, Cassidy Hoffmann and Palmer Hittesdorf were returning from the sub-section championship basketball game Tuesday night when, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the vehicle they were traveling in came upon an ice covered stretch of Highway 14 just west of New Ulm (near CR 12). The car went sliding then air-bound, landing on its roof in a field on the north side of they road. The youth were left hanging upside down with their seat belts holding them snugly in place.
All were able to exit the vehicle safety. They were examined by Allina Ambulance staff with no one needing transport to a hospital.
The community breathed an extra sigh of relief with this accident as it occurred one day shy of the four-year anniversary of a similar type of crash that left four local young men dead and a fifth seriously injured.
The teens took to Twitter following the incident to express their gratitude:
