“It’s going to be a learning curve,” Kiel Anderson said about his retirement. After 27 years, Anderson is retiring from his job as insurance agent for American Family Insurance and passing on the torch to Spring Grove native Jeff Ellingson. Anderson’s wife, Kristi recently retired from her job at Foremost Farms as well. “She’s liking it (retirement), so I’m sure I will too,” … [Read more...]
Henrytown congregation comes back home
It was a joyous day on Sunday, January 29, 2017 as the new Henrytown Lutheran Church and it’s congregation opened the doors to welcome all of God’s children inside to see and appreciate their new house of worship. After the loss of Henrytown Lutheran Church to a fire on April 16, 2015 the congregation drew strength from God and each other to begin looking forward without … [Read more...]
Wetterlings speak at MNA Conference
On Thursday, January 26, 2017, Fillmore County Journal Assistant Editor attended the Minnesota Newspaper Association Conference in Bloomington, Minn. While at the conference, Ellen Whalen listened to presentations from Pulitzer Prize winners from the newspaper industry, along with a presentation relating to editorial content management and audience engagement. On Friday, … [Read more...]
New name and location for Shear Class in Chatfield
It was two months of hard work, but it was worth it. Vanessa Bren, owner of Meraki Salon and Spa in Chatfield, formerly known as Shear Class, recently changed both the location and name of her salon. Bren and her husband Dustin, both Chatfield natives, have two children, four-year-old Alaina and two-year-old Beckett, and are expecting another daughter on March 1. The family … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Sheriff’s Department upgrades technology
“Having the benefit of advancement of technology is good for our staff and for our community,” Sheriff Tom Kaase said about the new laptops or “mobiles” in the squad cars. In the fall of 2016, laptops were installed in each of the 19 squad cars across Fillmore County. The laptops are manufactured by Panasonic and are specifically made for law enforcement with programs that … [Read more...]
Craig Mensink receives Minnesota Pork Distinguished Service Award
It’s safe to say that Preston native Craig Mensink knows his stuff. Mensink has been in the pork industry for two decades now and was recently presented with the 2017 Minnesota Pork Distinguished Service Award. “It has been a true privilege to help Minnesota pig farmers have a voice,” Mensink said. Mensink first began working with the pork industry in the mid-nineties … [Read more...]
Broadband grant awarded to Lanesboro area
On January 11, Lt. Governor Tina Smith announced Border to Border Broadband Development grants which will help fund the expansion of broadband in rural Minnesota. One of AcenTek’s two grant applications was awarded. A grant of about $1.78 million will help AcenTek build the infrastructure (last mile) to connect 431 unserved households, 42 unserved businesses, and one community … [Read more...]
Faith, family and friends matter most after house fire
If not for faith, family and friends, the Meier family of rural Peterson, Minn., do not know how they would have coped with the devastating fire that took their home on December 27, 2016. As it was just two days after Christmas, Evan and Shannon Meier had all three of their children at home that day on winter break from school. The family was going to spend some time with … [Read more...]
Active PT takes over where Fillmore County Physical Therapy left off
For years, the residents of Preston had to travel out of town for their physical therapy needs. Then, Physical Therapist Lisa Stensrud opened Fillmore County Physical Therapy in downtown Preston and began a thriving business serving the people of Preston and the surrounding towns. When Stensrud decided to move out of state, she knew she couldn’t just leave her patients high … [Read more...]
The B&B Olympic Bowl: one year later
It’s been a year since that fateful New Year’s Day fire that decimated the B&B Olympic Bowl in Preston. At first, owners Paul and Shelly Hanson weren’t sure they would rebuild, but then they decided to go for it. “The last year has been stressful, but has actually gone pretty good,” Paul said. “Trying to figure this out when we’ve never done it before - that’s been the … [Read more...]