At the February 18 Houston County Commission meeting, the board approved hiring Decorah, Iowa resident Brent Parker as the county’s new Human Resources officer. His official start date is March 3. Interim Administrator Carol Lapham introduced Parker to the board. He has a 20-year career as a police officer and returned to college to earn his Master’s in Public … [Read more...]

Spring Grove City Council members met Tuesday, February 18 at 168 West Main Street in room 100. Mayor Bryan Wilhelmson called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. then led with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present included Mike Hagen, Trent Turner, Heather Edgington, and Morgan Buckland. City Administrator/Clerk Jana Elton was also present. The council unanimously … [Read more...]

The city of Rushford Village discussed the next steps necessary for the recently installed solar energy system at the Jim and Debbie Kitchens’ home at its regular February 18 city council meeting. The Kitchens have installed a 13.056 kilowatt solar system which should have had a public hearing before the installation due to the size of the system. The system does meet all the … [Read more...]

The Preston City Council, at their February 18 meeting, discussed the Fillmore County ordinance that regulates the sale of hemp and cannabis products. The county recently approved this ordinance at its February 11 meeting. City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton noted the ordinance is effective for the entire county; the city is automatically covered by the county ordinance. … [Read more...]

The February 11 Harmony City Council meeting opened with the consent agenda. It was approved and included the minutes of the January 14 meeting, the claims and January checks, the cash in CD, cash balances, and the MPCA compliance evaluation inspection report. The council reviewed an agreement with the property owner of 160 2nd Ave SE. The home needs to be repaired or … [Read more...]

The Canton City Council tackled several items at its February 12 meeting.  The first order of business was a public hearing on the rezoning of a property owned by Devry and Tina Kerns at 401 W Hwy 52, from Residential to Commercial.  One resident spoke to express concerns about the limited amount of buildable land in the city limits, and the potential loss of future residential … [Read more...]

On February 10, the Caledonia City Council unanimously approved a motion to identify a suitable location in the town’s North Park for the installation of a 3-D painted boulder honoring Caledonia’s veterans. They also authorized contracting with David Carlson as the town’s first Entrepreneurial Navigator. The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. followed by the Pledge of … [Read more...]

The February 10 Rushford Council encompassed a short agenda in general, but several topics were discussed, particularly updates to several grant programs. During reports, the council learned the city is a finalist for the University of Minnesota (UMN) Empowering Small Communities grant program. The final award amount could be $20,000-50,000 and would help guide the focus on … [Read more...]

The Peterson City staff is changing once again. At the February 12 meeting, the council considered staffing changes for the city clerk and public works director. The change of roles began at a November 25 special meeting to discuss the proposed resignation of Public Works Director Tim Hallum. Hallum had tendered his resignation with City Clerk Chris Grindland, effective … [Read more...]

Dan Scruggs of DEED’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services visited the Houston February 10 city council meeting to seek approval for a student placement. Scruggs works with 27 schools throughout Winona, Wabasha, Houston and Fillmore Counties. The Houston student Scruggs was representing was interested in doing manual labor; Scruggs found that the Nature Center could use … [Read more...]

Representatives from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture attended the February 10 Whalan City Council meeting to discuss a spongy moth management proposal for 2025.  Present at the regularly scheduled Whalan City Council meeting were Mayor David Hallum and council members Thore E. Johnson, Kim Berekvam and Sheila Higbe, along with City Clerk/Treasurer Teresa Grossell.  … [Read more...]

Eitzen Mayor Jeff Adamson announced at the February 11 city council meeting that the March deadline to complete Eitzen’s Habitat for Humanity house is quickly approaching. Adamson emphasized that “they have been working over there a lot.”  In reference to the Habitat house, Adamson said, “That’s coming along. Hopefully that will be wrapped up, with flowers in the … [Read more...]