When Jim Davis bought his snow removal and lawn care business in September of 2018, he jumped in with both feet. That winter was unusually intense with a blizzard in late February and another big snowstorm in April, bringing him lots of business removing snow. The following spring and summer were very wet, which provided him with an abundance of lawn care work. “It was a good … [Read more...]
Harmony resident raises concerns over splashpad location
Harmony resident Samantha Grabau brought her concerns over the proposed location of the splashpad to the Harmony City Council at their December 10 meeting. Grabau’s home borders the trailhead park and, while she supports the idea of building a splashpad in Harmony, she has doubts about the trailhead being the best location. She noted that there is already an increase in traffic … [Read more...]
L&L Volkman Auto Body Repair finds new home
Leigh and Kayla Volkman owned and operated L&L Volkman Auto Body Repair in Rushford for four and a half years before an opportunity came up that they couldn’t turn down. They had been discussing the possibility of moving their business to a better location for some time and were thinking about building, but when they heard that a place was for sale in Rushford, their plans … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Ambulance Service in dire need of volunteers
At the December 2 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Ambulance Director Deane Benson asked the council for permission to hold a town meeting in February or March of 2020. If the ambulance service does not get more volunteers to help staff it, there is a danger of losing its Advanced Life Support license. If that happens, the ambulance staff would only be able to perform triage, … [Read more...]
Fillmore Central grad raises concerns about ADA accessibility
Fillmore Central graduate Taryn Raaen attended the November 26 Fillmore Central School Board meeting to discuss the lack of accessibility to the weight room. She pointed out that the school is not ADA compliant because of the stairs leading to the weight room. Raaen suggested that it be moved to the stage area in the old gym and the theater department be moved into its own … [Read more...]
Vacant seat on Lanesboro School Board filled
At the November 21 Lanesboro School Board meeting, Sarah Peterson was nominated to fill the vacant seat on the board left by Lolly Melander. Melander resigned in September after serving on the board for nearly nine years. A roll call vote to appoint Peterson passed unanimously. Steve Storhoff was nominated and appointed as the board treasurer to replace Melander. The … [Read more...]
New consignment business opens in Harmony
It all started when Harmony native Becky Hoff started downsizing the contents of her closet by selling some of her clothes on online marketplace apps such as Poshmark and Mercari. Then, she started finding pieces while out browsing estate sales and thrift stores. “And I thought, I could sell that,” she said. The next thing she knew, she was in business. She stayed busy prepping … [Read more...]
Harmony council approves playground equipment purchase
Harmony resident Dan Dornink attended the November 12 Harmony City Council meeting to discuss the plans for the proposed playground. “It has come to my attention that we’re talking about putting a new playground outside the community center here. I would like to ask the council to reconsider the location as this side of town is already well served by playgrounds,” he said, … [Read more...]
Lanesboro council urges citizens to be aware of radon
The City of Lanesboro recently worked with Fillmore County to test all of its public facilities for radon. All of the buildings except for two fell under the average of 5.81 for Fillmore County. The basement of the museum tested only slightly over the average, but the fire department was very high. Two tests were conducted in different areas of the building, and they came back … [Read more...]
Whalan mayor reminisces about time in Navy
“I wasn’t ready,” Marlys Tuftin of Whalan said. While Tuftin was studying at Winona State, her college roommate asked her to join the Navy with her on the buddy system. Tuftin wasn’t interested at the time and ended up turning her down for a job in civilian nursing, but five years later, she had second thoughts. “I decided to try it for three years,” she said. Those three … [Read more...]

Reporter





