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.

- Kwik Trip approached the city of Belle Plaine with a concept plan for a gas station. 

- Last month, the Minnesota Four Wheel Association and staff from the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources continued volunteer cleanup work in the Minnesota River. During the past decade, 330,000 tires and other pieces of refuse have been pulled from the river and its backwaters near Belle Plaine. 

- First Presbyterian Church in Belle Plaine celebrated its 150th anniversary.

- Members of the Berger family -- including Michael, Emily, Megan, and Becca Berger, James Duenow, and Kelsey Koepp -- rode their horses to school on the final day of classes.

- A photo of a gas station sign touting a gallon for $4.09 made the front page of the June 11 issue of the Herald.