The Mabel City Council held a public hearing on October 9 to hear citizens’ feelings about a possible increase in the city’s water and sewer rates. No citizens asked questions or voiced an opinion on the matter, so the public hearing was closed, and the council then went into their regular monthly city council meeting. All members were present (Adam Wilder, Mayor Jim Westby, … [Read more...]
Rich Wicks
Reporter
rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
What's an Iowegian doing writing for the Journal? That's a mystery. All
we really know is that Rich lives in Cresco (Iowa), and when he's not
working, he can often be spotted chasing his wife and kids around the
neighborhood, hollering, "Uff da, slow down!"
Samantha Payne looks to grow 4-H in county
Since May 30, Samantha Payne has served as the interim 4-H Extension Educator for Fillmore County, working at her office in the Fillmore County office building on Houston Street. As of September 26, the word “interim” has been removed from her title, and she says she’s eager to work in this role for a good, long time. In describing her background, Samantha stated, “I grew … [Read more...]
Ostrander Fire Chief resigns
The Ostrander City Council held a regular meeting on October 1, with all members present (Stephanie Start, Dan Hellerud, DJ Start, Mayor Pam Kunert, Vernon Thompson, and City Clerk Wendy Brincks). No citizens had signed up to address the council. Mayor Kunert read aloud a letter from Dustin Johnson, explaining that he and his family will be moving out of the fire … [Read more...]
F-C Dairy Judging Team wins nationals
Fillmore Central School in Harmony has some national champions in their midst, as the FFA Dairy Judging team competed on September 17, and came away winners. The team consists of Klaudia and Kelsey Biel (daughters of Kevin and Kelly Biel), Krista Jorgenson (daughter of Archie and Cheri Jorgenson), and Morgan Wingert (daughter of James and Randi Wingert) along with their … [Read more...]
Spring Valley sidewalk and junk complaints
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session on September 23. Mayor Archer was absent, so Mike Hadland led the meeting. Other members in attendance included Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, John Dols, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer. Bryan Owens was present, and the council discussed the issue of negotiating an easement regarding his property at 412 West High … [Read more...]
Be a monarch’s best friend
Newburg Vintage Home & Garden Store hosted two sessions in August for anyone interested in learning about monarch butterflies, and their unique life cycle and migration. On August 21, approximately 25 people attended, and heard an informative talk given by Irene Fishburn, who along with her husband Glen owns and operates Newburg Vintage Home & Garden. In … [Read more...]
’58 Cardinals, winners still
Back in 1958, the Harmony High School Cardinals football team achieved something extraordinary. The team had a perfect 9-0 season. And it’s even more extraordinary when the circumstances are considered. Team member Richard Kiehne coordinated a reunion of the team and cheerleaders, and their spouses. The get-together was held at his home in rural Harmony just before they … [Read more...]
Kingsland approves sports uniform contract
The Kingsland School Board met on September 16. Board members present included Board Chair Jackie Horsman, Maranda Emig, Natasha Howard, Tiffany Mundfrom, Leah Stier, and Kyle Rader. Also attending were Principal Scott Klavetter, Jason Thompson and Business Manager Amber Uhlenhake. Superintendent James Hecimovich was absent. No members of the general public had signed up … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton, Mabel and Canton meet
A joint “brainstorming” meeting was held September 18 involving the Mabel-Canton School Board and representatives of the cities of Mabel and Canton. Mark Wiedemann, Jason Marquardt, Traci Livingood, Chris Miller, Principal Michelle Weidemann, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, and Diane Wilder were in attendance, so the school board had a quorum. Only two representatives each were … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton okays door lock and PA systems
The Mabel-Canton School Board met in regular session on September 17. All members were present (Mark Wiedemann, Jason Marquardt, Traci Livingood, Chris Miller, Principal Michelle Weidemann, High School Secretary Lynette Donald, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, Diane Wilder, Board chair Cristal Adkins and Chris Loppnow). Superintendent Kuphal asked the board to consider two … [Read more...]
Chronic Wasting Disease in SE Minnesota
The Eagle Bluff Learning Center in rural Lanesboro hosted an educational talk September 8, on the topic of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The speaker, Peter A. Larsen, PhD, works at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, he leads a CWD diagnostic development team. Having grown up in South … [Read more...]
Wykoff to test for water leaks throughout town
The Wykoff City Council held a regular meeting on September 9. All council members were in attendance (Lyle Morey, Richard Gleason, Mayor Al Williams, City Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett and Mary Tjepkes). Kingsland School Board Chair Jackie Horsman addressed the council, stating, “As you probably heard, Kingsland is putting up an operating referendum in November, and I … [Read more...]
Spring Valley drone purchase approved
The Spring Valley City Council met in regular session on September 9. All members were in attendance (Mayor Tony Archer, Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, John Dols, Mike Hadland and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). Two public hearings were held immediatey prior to the council meeting. The first hearing was regarding Spring Valley Senior Living’s request for the city to … [Read more...]
Mabel sets public hearing on water/sewer rates
On September 11, the Mabel City Council held a regular city council meeting. All members in attendance included Adam Wilder Mayor Jim Westby, City Clerk Karen Larson, Gary Morken, Terry Torkelson, and Kirsten Wyffels. Larson explained that it appears the city needs to consider raising water and sewer rates, to cover the costs. She pointed out that rates had not been … [Read more...]
Community Chests keep it local
Nowadays, some people only associate “Community Chest” with yellow cards in the game “Monopoly.” But in the real world, Community Chests have long provided a great deal of financial support to local charitable causes. The Fillmore County Journal reached out to the townships within Fillmore County, and although most do not still have a functioning Community Chest, two local … [Read more...]