It all started with a cup of coffee. One night after a concert in La Crosse, where they were living at the time, Rich and Barb Bottorff decided to stop by a coffee shop. To their surprise, the place was packed. “I looked at Barb and I said, ‘You know what? This is a good business to be in,’” Rich explained. When the former Bank Haus building in Rich’s hometown of Wykoff came up … [Read more...]
Harmony Telephone Company receives award totaling $5.4 million for rural high-speed broadband Loan-grant combination to connect 577 households in Harmony’s rural exchange
Harmony, MN, January 17, 2020 — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky announced Harmony Telephone Company as a recipient of a $5.4 million Reconnect Program award. “When Americans are connected to high-speed internet, productivity and prosperity skyrocket,” Censky said. “This task of providing rural Americans with broadband is of the … [Read more...]
Easy ways to volunteer and give back to your community
Millions of people across the globe volunteer every day. Without the selfless efforts of volunteers, many charities would be forced to cease operations. In fact, a 2017 study from the charitable community membership organization Independent Sector estimated that the labor provided by volunteers is worth roughly $193 billion per year in the United States alone. But … [Read more...]
Find many job opportunities at the Houston County Career Fair February 12
Are you interested in exploring a new career opportunity? Join Houston County businesses for a career fair on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the La Crescent Area Event Center, 595 Veterans Way, La Crescent, Minn. Houston County is home to an array of businesses, who will be represented at the career fair. Meet one-on-one with a variety of businesses … [Read more...]
New OMC Pharmacy the best medicine for Chatfield
It was a hard pill for Chatfield residents to swallow when the former Weber & Judd Pharmacy in Chatfield, Minn., closed its doors back in late November 2018. To the delight of area residents, Olmsted Medical Center had just the prescription. The new Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) Chatfield Pharmacy began greeting customers on January 2, 2020. The OMC Pharmacy location … [Read more...]
Urban Artifacts creates new from old
It all started with a dining room table. About 15 years ago, Martin and Kathleen Rinnhoffer were in the market for a new table, but they couldn’t find an authentic wood one that they liked. So instead, they purchased an old wooden table, and Martin refinished it himself in their garage. That was all it took for the couple to catch the creative bug. After that first project, … [Read more...]
Minnesota Unemployment at 3.3% Job gains up 0.2% year over year while the labor force participation rate held at 70.3%
Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rose a tenth of a percent during November to 3.3%, according to data released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November fell a tenth of a percent to 3.5%. Minnesota gained 5,911 jobs from November 2018 to November 2019, a 0.2% … [Read more...]
Harmony Legion Auxiliary celebrates 100 years of service
The Harmony American Legion Auxiliary celebrated 100 years of service on November 10, 2019, with an open house at the Old Legion Hall in Harmony, Minn. The American Legion was formed on March 15, 1919, in Paris, France. At that time, Minnesotans had started their own veterans’ organization called the Loyal Legion, but they quickly changed their name to the American Legion … [Read more...]
The family that plays Spoons Buzz together, stays together
Anyone who uses a smartphone understands what is meant by the phrase “There’s an app for that,” as it seems there is an app for just about anything one can imagine. Five brothers from Spring Valley have launched their own game app, and it appears to be catching on. The Noble Bros are Philip (20 years old), Thomas (23), John (25), James (28) and Andrew (33) Engesser, and their … [Read more...]
JLD Enterprises, LLC enters second year of business
When Jim Davis bought his snow removal and lawn care business in September of 2018, he jumped in with both feet. That winter was unusually intense with a blizzard in late February and another big snowstorm in April, bringing him lots of business removing snow. The following spring and summer were very wet, which provided him with an abundance of lawn care work. “It was a good … [Read more...]