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The Prairie Dunes neighborhood is located just east of the Grey Cloud Dunes SNA and south of NorthPoint in southwest Cottage Grove.

Cottage Grove City Council approve street assessments

The Cottage Grove City Council addressed a wide range of municipal business at its Wednesday, Oct. 7 meeting, with major items including special assessments for street improvements, the next phase of …

Park High School principal sees destination school future

For new Park High School Principal Brian Boothe, leading the Cottage Grove school represents more than a professional milestone. It is an opportunity to serve a community with deep family connections …

Hastings Journal 2026 Election Voter Guide part 1

Editor's note: The Hastings Journal invited all candidates in the races featured in this voter guide to answer questions about issues affecting Hastings and the surrounding communities. Candidates in …

Isabella Stagno earns Rotary Student of the Month honors for service and quiet leadership

For Hastings High School senior Isabella Stagno, making a difference does not always mean standing in front of a crowd or being the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes it means decorating a …
Spring Valley President Theresa Linder has vacated the position, with Trustee Nate Pelz set to fill in until the April election.

Pelz to fill vacant SV President position until April election

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley Board Trustee Nate Pelz was voted to fill the vacant village president position left by Theresa Linder. Pelz is filling in pro tempore, meaning he will fulfill the …

Hager City man gets 25 years in prison for child sex assault

Editor’s note: This article may contain disturbing content not suitable for children and/or those who are survivors of sexual or domestic violence. Please take care when reading. A Hager City …
Pictured with the new signs that will go on the wall by the computers and on the door to the private use area are Library Board President Deb Smith, Owen Mayor Scott Jalling, Owen Library Director Loralee Petersen, and Prevail Bank Owen Branch Manager Carrie Heltsley.

Prevail Bank donates to Owen Public Library

Prevail Bank donated $5,500 to the Owen Public Library to help make new resources a reality. The computers have been moved out of the room where they were and placed in an area for public access. …

Owen-Withee is host to two foreign exchange students

The halls at Owen-Withee High School are being shared with two foreign exchange students this year. Amy Siemon is 16, from near Frankfurt, Germany and is staying with Patricia Steiner. She has two …
Bonus, web-only content

Self-Employed and Can’t Get a Mortgage? The Loan Type May Be the Problem

Many self-employed borrowers who are told they do not qualify for a mortgage are not actually unqualified. They are applying through a loan type that measures income in a way that works against them. …

Massachusetts Appraisal Rules Change in November. Buyers Who Wait to Prepare Will Lose Deals.

Most Massachusetts homebuyers will not think about new appraisal rules until those rules delay their closing. By then, according to Colleen Barry of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, the …

A Seller’s Strongest Negotiating Position in Fairfield County, CT Starts Before the First Showing

The Fairfield County, Connecticut housing market heading into fall 2026 doesn’t fit neatly into a single headline. Some homes are drawing multiple offers above asking. Others, in the same county …

Columbus, Ohio Has 2.23 Million Residents and Barely 6,000 Homes for Sale

A metropolitan area of 2.23 million people should have a deeper housing market than what Columbus, Ohio is showing right now. According to Central Ohio MLS data cited by Barbara Gale of the Gale …

Mortgage-Dependent Buyers Are Being Squeezed Out of the Florida Keys

There is a growing divide in the Florida Keys housing market, and it runs along a single fault line: whether a buyer needs a mortgage. Cash buyers – many of them retirees and business owners from …

Housing Is the Largest Asset Most Americans Own. It’s Also the Only One They Don’t Diversify.

Stock portfolios get diversified. Bond holdings get diversified. Even alternative investments get spread across categories and geographies. But the single largest asset on most American household …