The November 13 Fillmore Central School Board meeting opened with the 2023-2024 audit report from Jason Boynton of Smith Schafer. An unmodified clean opinion was issued for the report. Boynton noted that funding for the district is driven by the average daily membership, which has decreased by 50 students overall since 2017. The revenues for the general fund was higher than the … [Read more...]
Ostrander Council Grapples with Rising Truck Prices, Approves Liquor Licenses, and Addresses Sewer Rate Increase
By Zech Sindt The Ostrander City Council convened for their monthly meeting on November 7 at 6:30 p.m. All council members were in attendance, including Lyn Massey-Mills, Dan Hellerud, DJ Start, Vernon Thompson, Mayor Pam Kunert, and City Clerk Wendy Brincks. The acquisition of a new truck for the city dominated the discussion, a topic that has been a recurring theme … [Read more...]
Chatfield Board Votes to Proceed with Facility Bond Election
At the November 13 school board meeting, board members Jill Harstad, David Sovinski, Katie Priebe, Mark Johnsrud and Tom Keefe were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, elementary Principal Shane McBroom, and high school Principal Eric Nelson. Student council members present were Aspen McBroom and Amelia Sladek. Board member Josh Thompson attended remotely from the … [Read more...]
Rushford Gets Emergency Services Funds
A swift November 12 Rushford Council meeting saw just two general business agenda items and both will bolster the city’s emergency services. The first item is a $15,000 donation from the Rushford Fire Relief Association to the Rushford Fire Department. The department will utilize the funds to purchase equipment. Specifically, this includes two portable radios with … [Read more...]
Fountain Street Change in Future
At the November 6 meeting, MnDOT’s Paul Zager notified the council that the department will be looking to modify the intersection of Highway 52, Third Street, and County Road 8. Currently, the city street and county road both intersect the highway at angles with limited visibility. MnDOT says safety is the primary concern. The department is considering various options, but … [Read more...]
Trump Wins Again – What About the Local Races?
The Presidential race was another one for the history books. In 2016, when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, Trump prevailed with 304 electoral college votes compared to Clinton’s 227. In that race, Trump won the electoral college but had fewer popular votes than Clinton – a point of contention among some voters. Trump had 62,984,828 compared to Clinton’s 65,853,514 … [Read more...]
Fillmore County to Hire Additional Public Health RN/LPN
At the November 5 meeting of the county board, Lindsi Engle, human resources officer, asked the board to consider the hire of an additional Public Health RN/LPN to the roster for the 65-plus team. The cost of the additional hire was in the 2025 Public Health budget. Engle said the team is consistently busy. County Administrator Bobbie Hillery explained that they are getting … [Read more...]
DEED Awards $4.6 Million in Redevelopment Grants
PAUL, MN – Today, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced $4.7 million in land redevelopment grant funding for eight projects statewide and one blighted land demolition loan. The grant funding will create or retain 278 jobs, collectively increase local tax bases by $1.28 million and leverage $174.7 million in private investment. The … [Read more...]
There’s a New Teacher at St. John’s Lutheran School
St. John’s Lutheran School in Caledonia, Minn., has a new 7/8 grade teacher. Welcome Daniel Zabel! St. John’s Lutheran School offers classes from Pre-K through eighth grade. The school’s mission is to provide quality education in the light of God’s truth. The school is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) congregation in Caledonia. Daniel’s parents … [Read more...]
Houston County Commissioners Push Forward on Cannabis Ordinance
At the Houston County Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting on November 5, no action was taken on a proposed cannabis ordinance for the county. Chairman Eric Johnson promptly called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. It is normal to see all Houston County commission members present at regularly scheduled commission meetings, and … [Read more...]
Chatfield Welcomes Six New Teachers
Michael Christie is teaching seventh grade American History and eighth grade Geography at the middle school in Chatfield. He is a graduate of St. Charles High school and Winona State University with a bachelors in Social Studies Education, grades 5-12. He also has a Masters from Mankato State University in Teaching and Learning with history specialization. He went into the … [Read more...]
Preston Accepts Proposal for City Hall/Library Window Replacements
City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton discussed the deterioration of the windows/frames on the east and north side of the building at the city council’s November 4 meeting. Throckmorton presented two quotes submitted by Pella and La Crosse Glass and Door to replace the windows with aluminum framed commercial windows. The lower quote from La Crosse Glass and Door in the amount … [Read more...]
Lanesboro Continues Partnership with SMIF
At the November 4 Lanesboro City Council meeting, Philanthropy Director of SMIF Aaron Johnson reviewed what SMIF does for Southern Minnesota with the council, noting that $14 million has been invested in Fillmore County so far. SMIF supports entrepreneurs, early childhood development, and community vitality. Johnson thanked the city of Lanesboro for its support over the years … [Read more...]
Meet the New Fillmore Central Teachers
Belle Berg, the new Third grade teacher at Fillmore Central, graduated from Chatfield High School and earned a degree in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement from Luther College. She was inspired to become a teacher by her late grandmother, Linda Schulz, who was Berg’s elementary school secretary. “She touched so many lives, and I can only hope to make a difference … [Read more...]
Rushford Transitions GIS
At the October 28 meeting, the Rushford Council welcomed City Engineer Derek Olinger of Bolton & Menk. Onlinger discussed the mandatory migration of the city’s Global Information System (GIS). The proposal transitions Rushford’s current web GIS platform to ESRI’s ArcGIS cloud-based server. According to Olinger, the city currently has a corporate subscription through … [Read more...]