Many farmers and custom applicators will soon apply anhydrous ammonia (NH3) after harvest. Even with a rush against time and the weather, safety should never be compromised. Accidents involving NH3 have proven how dangerous and deadly the fertilizer can be when not handled properly. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) offers the following tips to farmers, … [Read more...]
What Consumers Can Do to Support Local Farmers
Farming has never been a vocation for individuals looking for easy work. Farmers typically work long hours, braving the elements regardless of how unpleasant the weather may be. All that hard work ensures individuals who live in rural, urban and suburban communities have constant, readily available access to healthy foods. Such devotion merits support, and thankfully there … [Read more...]
Motorcycle Accidents on the Rise in Southeast Minnesota
By Zech Sindt Motorcycle accidents across the state are on the rise this year. So far there have been 71 fatal crashes in Minnesota, compared to 64 fatal crashes last year. In just two days, on October 19 and 20 this year, there were six accidents in southeast Minnesota. One of them was fatal. At 5:18 p.m. on October 20, Robert Allen Markwardt, 60, was riding a Harley … [Read more...]
Major Road, Stormwater, Sewer and Water Improvements in Store for Wykoff
By Zech Sindt The Wykoff City Council meeting came to order at 7 p.m. on October 17. Mayor Ryan Breckenridge, City Administrator Becky Schmidt, Administrative Assistant Luann Hare, and city council members Kaleb Himli, Lyle Morey, Barbara Fate and Jeffrey Hare were all present. Rick Whitney from the wastewater treatment plant discussed the city’s need for, and the … [Read more...]
Fillmore and Houston County Police Reports
Caledonia Police Department Jeffrey Lavern Twite, 65, Caledonia, Minn., 4/29/2024, Disorderly Conduct - Offensive/Abusive/Noisy/Obscene, Fine $50, Total Fees $125. Chatfield Police Department Alicia Lorene Bonum, 34, Chatfield, Minn., 5/6/2024, Unregistered Motor Vehicle or Trailer, Fine $100, Total Fees $190. James Kenny, 45, Chatfield, Minn., 7/14/2024, Driving … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – The Importance of Freedom of Speech
By Davian Koren Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.) Meaning of Freedom of Speech Freedom of … [Read more...]
Mervin Sears
Mervin Sears, 83, of Harmony, Minn., died on Wednesday, October 21, 2024, at Gundersen Tweeten Care Center in Spring Grove, Minn. Mervin Edward Sears was born June 9, 1941, in Grinnell, Iowa, to George Sears and Ardith Knoll. Through his school years, he was big into 4-H and involved in FFA. He grew up on an Ayrshire dairy farm and showed Ayrshires for many years at State … [Read more...]
Betty (Klimesh) Shimek
Elizabeth (Betty) Shimek, 88, of Plainview, Minn., (formerly of Rochester and Harmony, Minn.), died on September 20, 2024, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Betty spent her final summer doing what she loved most, spending time with family and visiting the casino. Betty (Klimesh) Shimek was born January 19, 1936, the eighth child of Joseph and Albina Klimesh in … [Read more...]
John Wayne Westby
John Wayne Westby, age 70, of Mabel, Minn., lost his short battle with esophageal cancer at his home on October 20, 2024, surrounded by family. John was born August 28, 1954, at Waukon Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, Iowa, to Kenneth and Ruth (Ruroden) Westby. The family lived on a farm between Dorchester and Spring Grove where he attended local country schools and … [Read more...]
Sharon Marie Dexter
Sharon was born April 14, 1934, and grew up on the west shore of Long Lake, Minn. She was the daughter of Dorothy Nelson Dexter and Everett Dexter, and had one younger sister, Lane Ann Dexter, all of whom predeceased her. She lived in and around the Twin Cities area until moving to Southeastern Minnesota in 1999, then to Western North Carolina in 2021. On September 25, … [Read more...]