The Mabel-Canton School Board held a regular monthly meeting on March 15. Members present included Jason Marquardt, Diane Wilder, Cristal Adkins, Traci Livingood, Chris Miller, and Mark Wiedeman. Student Representatives Matt McClimon and Emily Carolan each gave a verbal update on student activities and happenings. The board discussed Mabel-Canton’s efforts to find a … [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!"
Kingsland looks ahead to busy testing season
During the Kingsland School Board meeting on March 7, the board discussed the upcoming testing season. Superintendent Jim Hecimovich’s written report to the board stated, in part, “April showers may bring May flowers, but Minnesota brings a hail storm of testing. Both Scott (Klavetter) and I are beginning the early stages of coordinating the Minnesota Comprehensive … [Read more...]
Ostrander Fire Department Staffing Shortage Mulled
During the regular Ostrander City Council meeting on March 2, the council heard concerns from Fire Chief Jason Rice. Council members present included Stephanie Start, Vernon Thompson, and Mayor Pam Kunert. City Clerk Wendy Brincks also attended. Rice reported that there had been one situation earlier in the day, in which firefighters were paged to respond. He said the … [Read more...]
Kingsland sets calendar for next school year
Kingsland School Board held a regular meeting on February 23, with all members present (Jackie Horsman, Natasha Howard, Maranda Emig, Gwen Howard, Pam Freet, and Kyle Rader) along with Superintendent James Hecimovich. The board reviewed and discussed the draft of the academic calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. The proposed calendar shows classes beginning on September 6, … [Read more...]
A busy guy in Grand Meadow
Grand Meadow resident Travis Warmka is a busy guy, but that’s how he likes it. As owner of three local businesses (J & S Repair, JCB, and Featherlite Graphics), Travis never has to worry about sitting idle and bored. He recently took a few minutes to answer some questions about how he stays busy. Travis is the owner of J & S Repair, which operates from locations in … [Read more...]
Mabel mulls munitions memorabilia
Mabel’s city council met on February 9. The bulk of the meeting time was spent on two issues the council has previously discussed. First, the council discussed the annual Trees Program. The owners of Plant Lady Landscapes (Jessi and Joe) addressed the council with their proposal to provide trees for the program. Jessi stated, “The trees that we are going to be sourcing are … [Read more...]
School Board ponders Kingsland food service spend down
Kingsland School Board held a work session meeting on February 7. Judy Tart’s Food Service report included that, “MDE (Minnesota Department of Education) sent notice that Kingsland Foodservice has an excess fund balance again and needs to spend down $92,633.49.” Board members discussed various equipment that Kingsland may wish to purchase to appropriately use these funds. … [Read more...]
Kingsland Board sets administrative path forward
The Kingsland School Board held three meetings during the week of January 17-21. A regular meeting was held on January 19, sandwiched between special meetings on January 18 and 21. The only agenda item on January 21 was for the board to decide upon a plan for how to structure Kingsland’s administrative staff positions, in light of the upcoming retirement of Superintendent … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton to consider options for superintendent
The Mabel-Canton School Board held a regular monthly meeting on January 18. All members were present (Jason Marquardt, Diane Wilder, Cristal Adkins, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, Traci Livingood, Dustin Tollefsrud, Chris Miller, and Mark Wiedemann). Also participating were Student Representative Emily Carolan, Principal Michelle Wiedemann and Lisa Halverson. Kuphal led a … [Read more...]
Mabel to offer tree program again in 2022
Mabel’s City Council met on January 12, with all members participating (Adam Wilder, Corey Wilson, Kirsten Wyffels, Terry Torkelson, and City Clerk Karen Larson). Mayor Jim Westby participated via phone, so Wilder led the meeting. Also in attendance were Deputy Clerk Kendra Spalla and Jeff Rein. Spalla addressed the council, saying, “I just want to say thank you to the council … [Read more...]