Not terribly surprisingly, Rushford Village Mayor Gordon Johnson expressed disappointment at the handling of recent council action in the City of Rushford. At the November 13 meeting, the Rushford Council approved a study of a piece of property owned by Lorraine Woxland, abutting Rushford borders, which is situated within the City of Rushford Village’s jurisdiction. The study … [Read more...]
Kirsten Zoellner
Reporter
kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Kirsten has been a reporter for Fillmore County Journal since 2008. No awards to date, but her mother finds her articles riveting. She enjoys shining a light on the great people and events in the county and has aspirations to someday write a novel about them. A native of Rushford, she is a member of Root River Community Church, co-founder of Odyssey Homeschool Association, and was the founder for the Rushford-Peterson Valley Farmers' Market.
When not writing, Kirsten happily spends her time raising a family alongside Joel, her husband of 18 years. She homeschools their six children (Evin, Lauren, Logan, Ada, Kathleen, and Emelia) and does her best to ensure domestic bliss. Kirsten is an advocate for conservation and homesteading and operates Liten Dal Farm, where the family raises dairy goats, pastured poultry and hogs, alpacas, a few steers, and horses. Hobbies other than juggling include the outdoors, reading, vegetable gardening, cheesemaking, fermenting various things in Ball jars, and making everything from scratch despite the fact that it probably costs more.
Kirsten and her family proudly reside in rural Fountain on her great-great-grandfather's farm.
You can follow more about Kirsten on the family's Facebook page, Liten Dal Farm, or their blog: ourprairienest.wordpress.com.
R-P Board approves e-learning guidelines with concerns
In its second year, e-learning days are prompting concern from some parents and some on the school board. At the Monday, November 20 Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting, the new guidelines for the program were presented by the district for approval. Superintendent Chuck Ehler reiterated that concerns were incorporated when the new guidelines were drafted. The program was … [Read more...]
Rushford approves assessments; looks to property study
Eight property owners attended the November 13 public hearing regarding assessments. Engineer Brian Malm, of Bolton & Menk, was on hand to detail the final assessment and address concerns. Three properties received service credits, as opposed to adjusted assessment rates, for work recently done that needed to be replaced as part of the project. “I want to thank the … [Read more...]
Small Business Saturday boosts businesses
It’s that time again; time to avoid the mall, back away from your laptop shopping cart, and step into your small town businesses. This Saturday, November 25 is the seventh annual Small Business Saturday and it’s the local equivalent to the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, rallying communities to support their brick and mortar stores. Although the most visible part of … [Read more...]
Peterson passes utility assessments
After months of efforts to get past due utility balances paid, the City of Peterson has certified the past due balances to the county for addition to property tax rolls. The problem has been an ongoing source of frustration for the city. In October 2016, the council voted in favor of assessing of delinquent utility bills to property taxes at a rate of 4%. Last November, the … [Read more...]
Rushford Village signs off on landowner request
At the Tuesday, November 7 council meeting, City Clerk Mary Miner presented a property owner petition from Dan and Mary Jo Grimsrud. The item was added to the agenda. The petition is seeking detachment from the City of Rushford of two parcels equaling 10.99 acres. The parcels have two buildings and as stated in the petition documents are rural in character and are not … [Read more...]
Rushford writes in new councilors
Rushford is the only municipality in Fillmore County, and one of only 28 municipalities in the state of Minnesota, to hold off-year elections for two of its four council seats. Even more of an oddity, this year the seats up for grabs had no candidates on the ballot. The Secretary of State’s Office shows 1,075 registered voters in Rushford’s precinct. Yesterday, just 152 … [Read more...]
A veteran’s service – American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars remember
We see them marching, flags held high while commanders call out drill commands. We see them somber at the funerals for soldiers who’ve passed on; standing with the color guard, trumpeting out a bugle’s song, firing the heart stopping three-volley salute. We see them, but who are they and what do they represent? At current count, there are 13,807 American Legion posts … [Read more...]
Honor Flight journey worth the wait for local vets
Since its inception in 2005, the Honor Flight Network has flown an estimated 159,000 thousand veterans to Washington, DC to view their respective war memorial. While the number may seem staggering, organizers can’t get flights fast enough. More than 29,000 veterans are on the ever-increasing waiting list. Recently, two Rushford American Legion members had the privilege of … [Read more...]
Fountain reviews options for rate increase
The Fountain City Council considered the results of a utility rate analysis at the Wednesday, November 1 meeting and it could have some substantial changes for the city. An analysis by Minnesota Rural Water Association provided the city with four options. Currently, properties are charged a base rate of $30 per 3,000 gallons for sewer service and an additional $20 base rate … [Read more...]