Lisa Miller addressed the Harmony City Council at their July 12 meeting about her utility bills from the month of May. She owns six properties in Harmony and typically receives her bills via email and then a mailed late notice if they are not paid promptly. However, in May, she said that she did not receive any notifications at all about her bills. She didn’t realize it until … [Read more...]
Articles by Hannah Wingert
Reporter
hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Fillmore Central repairs elementary school roof
Superintendent Heath Olstad gave an update on the elementary roof project to the Fillmore Central school board members at their regular June 28 meeting. The project is going well so far. Olstad and board member Jim Love were able to go up on the roof last week to see what was being done up there. It was discovered that the weeps, which are ropes placed through the masonry to … [Read more...]
Harmony Council welcomes new member
A resolution accepting the resignation of council member Tony Webber was adopted at the June 14 Harmony Council meeting. A notification had previously been put out asking any Harmony residents interested in filling his seat to send a letter of interest to the city and several letters were received. “I want to thank everybody who applied,” Mayor Steve Donney said, noting that it … [Read more...]
Popcorn stand memories
“Peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks!” Della Marie Jetson Mehaffey can still hear her Grandpa Linstroth calling out those words to attract customers to his popcorn stand. “I’m not sure where the cracker jacks came from,” she laughed. She remembers the popcorn and the peanuts, but doesn’t recall him ever selling cracker jacks. Francis Linstroth grew up in Preston and moved to … [Read more...]
Lanesboro approves food truck ordinance
At the June 6 regular city council meeting, Lanesboro resident Sarah Pieper from the Old Village Hall Restaurant addressed the council about her concerns with proposed ordinance 113.11 regarding food trucks. She requested that the annual use license be removed from the ordinance and that the price for single use licenses be increased. She also asked whether the council had … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central Board addresses peanut allergy concerns at high school
At the May 24 Fillmore Central School Board meeting, Superintendent Heath Olstad reviewed an email from a student’s parents regarding her severe peanut allergy and addressing ways to keep their daughter safe at school, as she will be moving to the high school building in the fall. They had visited the April council meeting to discuss the matter as well. Board member Shelly … [Read more...]
Preston woman shares memories of growing up on the railroad
Not many people remember a time when trains ran through Preston, but for life-long Preston resident Ila Mae Olstad, those memories are near and dear to her heart. “My dad worked on the railroad. He was section foreman here in Preston,” Ila Mae explained. Her parents, Art and Melda Noel, moved to Preston around 1921 and she was born 10 years later. Ila Mae’s father had a … [Read more...]
Seat opens up on Harmony City Council
At the May 10 regular city council meeting, the Harmony Council accepted a resignation from council member Tony Webber effective June 1. A resolution regarding his resignation will be voted on at a special council meeting on May 19. Anyone interested in filling Webber’s term, which ends this year, should submit a letter to the city by the regular June 14 meeting. Tom Olinger … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central parents address peanut allergy concerns
Fillmore Central parents Aaron and Emily Scheevel addressed the school board at the April 26 meeting to discuss concerns regarding their daughter’s peanut and tree nut allergy, especially as she transitions to the high school next year. “Everyone has been super supportive in the school and in the community,” Emily said, adding that she’s thankful that her daughter’s classmates … [Read more...]
Harmony Council reviews property tax change requests
The April 12 Harmony City Council meeting opened with the Board of Equalization and Appeals. Fillmore County Assessor Jason McCaslin gave a presentation to the council explaining how property taxes and assessments work. The role of the assessor is to ensure that the property tax burden is distributed equitably and according to Minnesota statutes. Physical property inspections … [Read more...]