At their August 5 regular meeting, the Houston School Board made the decision to recommend the wearing of masks in school buildings. Superintendent Mary Morem reported that the Section 1 COVID infection rate was currently the highest in the state with Houston, Winona and Fillmore Counties all in the high risk category for infections. Decisions on mask wearing and all COVID … [Read more...]
Caledonia finances in good shape
At their regular meeting July 27, 2021, the Caledonia City council heard from Finance Officer Stephanie Mann that the city was doing “well for midway of the year.” She commented that “nothing jumps out,” several times as she presented the second quarter report. With the first half of property taxes and the first half of LGA totaling $528,000 coming in, the monthly balances … [Read more...]
R-P School Board readies for the 2021-2022 school year
In a relatively short meeting July 19, 2021, the R-P School Board made necessary decisions prior to the start of the new school year. This included approving a new Athletic Training Outreach contract with Winona Health. The same trainer will be serving R-P schools again; students will be familiar and comfortable with the trainer as a result. The long term facility maintenance … [Read more...]
Geneva’s Hideaway — same name; new owners
As of May 1, Geneva’s Hideaway in Peterson has been under new ownership. May was already a busy month for new owners, Matt and Jenny Helgemoe; it was planting time for farmer Matt, while Jenny was busy wrapping up her 19th school year at Rushford-Peterson as a counselor. When the couple learned that previous owner Terry Highum was ready to sell Geneva’s, however, they decided … [Read more...]
Rushford Village quickly takes care of business
At a very short July 20, City of Rushford Village Council meeting, Planning and Zoning Administrator Jon Pettit presented the four new planning and zoning permits for CRV. Jeremy and Nicole Williams will be replacing a fence, Moonyeen Holle will be building a new garage, Darrel and Ellen Highum will be building a new house, and David and Marnie Brown will be reroofing and … [Read more...]
Mary Morem takes the helm at Houston Schools
Mary Morem attended her first Houston School Board meeting as the new superintendent July 15, 2021. During the Old Business section of the meeting, Mary addressed some of the items the board had chosen to wait to discuss with her. Morem opted to wait on a decision to hire an onsite instructional coach at this time. She wants to gather more information and knowledge of the … [Read more...]
Noise study approved for Houston’s OHV trail
Once again, the proposed OHV trail took center stage at the Houston City Council meeting July 12, 2021. With many anti-OHV trail citizens in attendance, the council decided to proceed with the planned noise study for the trail. Both the council and the anti-OHV group agreed that the noise study needed to be done to provide solid data about the effect the trail would have on the … [Read more...]
Will a car charging station be in Peterson’s future?
Kent Whitcomb of MiEnergy visited the regular Peterson City Council meeting July 14 to offer a level two car charging station to the city. The level two charger would be able to charge two cars at a time at a rate of 30 to 50 miles range per hour. The charger valued at $5,139 would need to be installed by the city at a location of their choosing. Installation costs would range … [Read more...]
Driftless Trading Post – outdoor convenience store
Peterson, Minn., has a new “outdoor convenience store” as co-owner/operator Zach Lind refers to his new business. At Driftless Trading Post, you can order a flatbread or panini, pick up some beer or wine, rent a canoe, kayak or tube, and grab a souvenir! Lind’s family was really into the concept of “local food” before COVID hit; the family owned and operated Grandpa Don’s … [Read more...]
Positive review of CRV 2020 audit
At the City of Rushford Village regular council meeting on July 6, 2021, auditor Bill Sherry presented a positive review of the 2020 audit. Sherry reported the accounting procedures of the city were good. The city had $964,000 at the end of the year with $723,000 of that invested in CDs. The city showed $1.1 million in debt with no new debts and regular standard payments being … [Read more...]