Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- Anthony Mark Klaseus of Belle Plaine pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the case of his 8-year-old son's death in a hunting accident. The story ran on page 14 of the June 25 issue of the Herald.

- Chase Hentges, drafted last month by the Kansas City Royals, is the grandson of Mike and Shirley Fogarty of Belle Plaine, the grand marshals of the St. Patrick's Day parade in Belle Plaine.

Did you know the Scott County Fair started in the city of Jordan in 1915?

Originally, the county fair was at a park owned by the Jordan brewery. You might know the area as the Mini-Met. The fair later moved to its current location along 190th Street in St. Lawrence Township, near the intersection of highways 282 and 169 in Jordan. 

For more information, go to www.scottcountyfair.com/fairhistory.php.   

Mathias Baden reports:

“A ways out there, but an appealing combination of pastoral and urban.”

Sound familiar, like someone is mentioning a little town you might have in mind?

In the July edition of Mpls St Paul magazine, Brian Lambert, Shawn Gilliam, and Sarah Howard combined to write an article about the best places to live in the Twin Cities, and Jordan made the list of 20 “great neighborhoods.”

The writers took into account crime statistics, school quality ratings, subjective insights of real estate industry professionals, and historical home sales.

Little has changed today in the races for governmental positions representing the city of Jordan or Helena, Sand Creek, St. Lawrence, or Spring Lake townships, according the Minnesota secretary of state’s Web site. Here’s where we’re at:

- Yesterday, U.S. Rep. John Kline filed for re-election. He is a Republican in the Minnesota's Second Congressional District, which includes Jordan. He does not yet have a challenger, according to the Minnesota secretary of state’s Web site, although Steve Sarvi of Victoria has been endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- A "fried squirrel" made the front page of the June 18 issue of the Herald. The animal "made a fatal mistake," the article said, when it touched electrical switches at a substation and shorted out power for more than 1,000 Xcel Energy customers.

- The Belle Plaine City Council hired a firm to design a proposed building for the city's public works department.

Those who work at the Scott County Fair Office in St. Lawrence Township, near Jordan, took the Jordan Independent staff on a tour of the grounds and told about their favorite things at the fair. This year's county fair runs July 23-27. Check out these videos:

Seventy years ago, farmers in Sand Creek and St. Lawrence townships urged their town boards to purchase a fire truck that pumps 200 gallons per minute and house it at the Jordan firehouse.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the July 3 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Ten years ago, Joshua Biese and Ton'ee Boettcher got married in a teepee at the Scott-Carver Threshers Association.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the June 26 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Seventy years ago, the sixth annual graduation ceremony for pupils of rural schools in Scott County took place in Shakopee.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the June 26 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

Here's what's been going on in and around New Prague lately, according to the New Prague Times:

- New Prague allowed Miller's Tap to have a patio in the alley east of
the bar, prompting the planning commission and city council to discuss concerns about the possibility of people walking from bar to bar with alcoholic drinks. New Prague police officers issued six citations during one weekend last month for drinking on city sidewalks. Twice, the police stopped people who turned out to be carrying cups of water.