At the January 7 Houston County Commission meeting, the board approved a three-year contract with Justin Rohrer, Wildcat Creek Management LLC, to operate Wildcat Park. Interim Administrator Carol Lapham reviewed the contract and explained the major changes as compared to last year’s contract. Compensation increased from $52,000 to $54,000 and online reservations will be … [Read more...]

The January 6 Lanesboro City Council meeting opened with newly elected mayor Alicia Pearson, returning council member Kathryn Wade, and new council member Joe Cullen all taking the oath of office. A handout was available for the public explaining what the open meeting laws are and why the council uses Robert’s Rules of Order. Lanesboro resident Phil Dybing welcomed the new … [Read more...]

By Zech Sindt The City of Ostrander rang in the new year with a productive city council meeting on January 7 at 6:30 p.m. All members were present, including the newly elected mayor, Stephanie Start, Council members Dan Hellerud, DJ Start, Lyn Massey-Mills, newly-elected Jimmie Dean, and City Clerk Wendy Brincks. With a full agenda, the council tackled a variety of … [Read more...]

Mayor Adam Wilder called the first Mabel City Council meeting of 2025 to order at 6 p.m. on January 8 in the city hall meeting room. As required, Mayor Adam Wilder and newly elected council member Kelly Sand took the oath of office at the beginning of meeting. Re-elected council member Kirsten Wyffels took the oath of office on December 27, 2024, since she was unable to … [Read more...]

The County Board met for the first time in 2025 on January 7. Auditor/Treasurer Heather Broadwater led the newly reelected commissioners in their oath of office. Mitch Lentz, district 1, Larry Hindt, district 3, and Marc Prestby, district 5 repeated the oath of office. Prestby was elected board chair and commissioner Randy Dahl was elected vice-chair for 2025. County … [Read more...]

The City of Peterson held a Planning Commission meeting on January 7 to discuss Brian Olson’s request for the ability to construct grain bins and dryers on his 16.29 acres. The property, which sits north of homes along Mill Street/County Road 25, abuts the Root River levee on the east and north. It is zoned Agricultural 1, which prohibits bins and dryers. The purpose of the … [Read more...]

The Preston City Council met for their first meeting of 2025 on January 6. Three newly reelected councilmen, Dean Aug, Steve Hall, and Mayor Kurt Reicks repeated the oath of office for newly elected officials. City Administrator Ryan Throckmorton led a discussion on the possible purchase of the Harmony Ag site. A discussion with Harmony Ag has been ongoing about a possible … [Read more...]

The Rushford Council tackled several agenda items at the December 23 meeting, including one added item relating to City Administrator Tony Chladek. Mayor Terri Benson provided the council with a recap of the recently conducted annual performance evaluation for the administrator. The Personnel Committee of Benson and Councilor Jim O’Donnell evaluated Chladek. There are areas … [Read more...]

The Houston County Board of Commissioners wrapped up the year with a full agenda for their final meeting on December 31. Chairman Eric Johnson called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. and led both the board and the standing-room-only audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners present included Dewey Severson, Chairman Eric Johnson, Robert (Bob) Burns, Bob Schuldt and … [Read more...]

The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) will open applications for Individual Artist Grants on December 28, 2024, with submissions due by January 28, 2025. In a significant change to the application process, SEMAC has eliminated the Letter of Intent requirement based on feedback from its recent Needs Assessment Survey. These competitive grants support artists in … [Read more...]