The Spring Valley City Council meeting on February 11 was led by Mayor Pro tem Mike Hadland, due to Mayor Tony Archer being absent. Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, John Dols, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer were also in attendance. The council heard a request from Greg Melartin, following up on an email he’d sent to the city on February 6, regarding the Fins and Films … [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!"
Mabel sets clean-up day
On February 13, the Mabel City Council held a regular city council meeting. Members in attendance included Gary Morken, City Clerk Karen Larson, Mayor Jim Westby, and Terry Torkelson. Kirsten Wyffels and Adam Wilder were absent. The council chose to set citywide clean-up day for Saturday, May 11, from 8 a.m. to noon. The event will run as in years past. Council members … [Read more...]
Kingsland Operating Levy mulled
The Kingsland School Board held a monthly “work session” meeting on February 4, with all members present (Board Chair Jackie Horsman, Kyle Rader, Maranda Emig, Natasha Howard, Tiffany Mundfrom, Leah Stier, student board member Zachary Queensland, and Superintendent James Hecimovich). As usual, no formal action is taken on most items during a work session meeting. Items will … [Read more...]
Spring Valley Council approves Bobcat purchase
Spring Valley City Council met held January 28. All council members were present (Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, Mayor Tony Archer, John Dols, Mike Hadland, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer). No citizens had signed up to address the council. Regarding plans for the city to purchase a Bobcat “Toolcat” vehicle, Zimmer said, “This is actually a budgeted item,” but she … [Read more...]
Canton preps for “The Big One”
Residents of coastal California have long been worried about “The Big One,” referring to the fears that a major earthquake will eventually cause catastrophic damage to the population there. In the small Minnesota town of Canton, residents are preparing for a different type of “big one.” Every August, Canton holds their annual “Day Off” celebration, and every fifth year, an … [Read more...]
Ostrander Care & Rehab feels like home
There’s been a nursing facility in Ostrander for approximately 50 years, but the staff there can tell you that it’s not “business as usual.” Janice Howe, administrator of Ostrander Care & Rehab explains, “We are a family-owned company, the owners are Grant and Andrea Thayer, out of Batavia, Ill. They own five facilities in Wisconsin, and then this facility. And Grant was … [Read more...]
MinnWest Bank: Ag roots, tech growth
People in the Spring Valley and Wykoff areas have probably noticed that Security State Bank is now MinnWest Bank. The merger official happened on September 21, 2018. Market President Dwayne Ostrem recently sat down for an interview to explain what this change means to customers. Ostrem explained that the Security banks in Spring Valley and Wykoff were branches of Security … [Read more...]
Rindels retiring from Preston Dairy & Farm
Terry Rindels and Tom Greiner recently sat down to discuss the changeover of leadership occurring at the Preston Dairy & Farm Association. Although there will be a new manager, they assure their customers that very little else is expected to change. Regarding his tenure at Preston D & F, Rindels stated, “I’ve done it as manager for 13 ½ years, and been here for 26. … [Read more...]
Spring Valley Ambulance crew honored
Spring Valley City Council’s initial regular meeting of the year was held January 14. Council members present included Luan Ruesink, Chris Danielson, Mayor Tony Archer, Mike Hadland, and City Administrator Deb Zimmer. No citizens had signed up to address the council. The council gave certificates to the ambulance crew members who exceeded 1,300 hours of service in 2018. … [Read more...]
Keyless entry at Wykoff City Hall
The Wykoff City Council met in regular session on January 14, with all council members in attendance: (Lyle Morey, Mary Tjepkes, Mayor Al Williams, City Clerk Becky Schmidt, Mary Sackett and Richard Gleason). Also attending was Assistant Clerk Luann Hare. The council discussed the pro’s and con’s of installing a keyless entry pad at the Wykoff Municipal Building (city … [Read more...]
Mabel Fire Department awarded grant
On January 9, the Mabel City Council held a regular city council meeting. Members in attendance included Gary Morken, Adam Wilder, City Clerk Karen Larson, Mayor Jim Westby, Terry Torkelson, and Kirsten Wyffels. The newly elected council members took the oath of office. Prior to approving accounts payable, council members asked about several of the items listed, and Larson … [Read more...]
Dan Hellerud joins Ostrander council
On January 8, the Ostrander City Council held its first regular meeting of the new year. All members were in attendance (Stephanie Start, DJ Start, Vernon Thompson, Mayor Pam Kunert, and City Clerk Wendy Brincks). Kunert started by thanking the citizens of Ostrander for entrusting her to fill the position of mayor. She added that, “We’re going to have a more formal setting, … [Read more...]
2019 Kingsland board gets to work
The Kingsland School Board held its initial 2019 meeting on January 7. In the first item of business, Jackie Horsman swore in new board members Kyle Rader, Maranda Emig, and Natasha Howard. Also present for the meeting were Tiffany Mundfrom, Leah Stier, student board member Zachary Queensland, and Superintendent James Hecimovich. The board then elected a board chair … [Read more...]
Valley Laundry up and running
Craig Seabright hadn’t been expecting or planning to move his laundry business in Spring Valley. Craig explained, “I’ve had the laundry down there by the BP (gas station/convenience store) for the last 14 years. And then (landlord) Tom told me that he was looking to sell the building, so he thought it was best for me to find a new place to go.” Craig also is the owner of … [Read more...]
Kingsland approves tax levy
Kingsland school held the annual Truth in Taxation public hearing on December 17, just prior to the regular board meeting. All members were present (Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Jackie Horsman, Tiffany Mundfrom, student representative Zachary Queensland, and Superintendent James Hecimovich). Approximately 40 citizens were in the audience. Doug Plaehn started by … [Read more...]