At the April 13 Chatfield School Board meeting, Lanny Isensee, Katie Priebe, Tom Keefe, Jill Harstad, and Matt McMahon were present, as well as Principals Shane McBroom and Eric Nelson, Superintendent Ed Harris, Lorri Lowery, administrative assistant; and Trista O’Connor, business manager. Board member Josh Thompson was not present. Eric Nelson, high school principal, … [Read more...]
Enrollment up at Lanesboro school
Elementary Principal James Semmen spoke at the Lanesboro School Board meeting April 13, to explain the need for hiring an additional teacher next year. When Semmen began as principal in 2000–2001, K-6 enrollment was at 181; administration anticipates an enrollment of 247 in 2022–2023. In the past two years during COVID, there was an increase of 50 students in the elementary, … [Read more...]
Molly B performing at the 2022 Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days
The Mabel City Council met in regular session Wednesday April 13, from 6-7:37 p.m. at the Mabel Community Center. Council members in attendance included Mayor Jim Westby, Terry Torkelson, Kirsten Wyffels (call-in), Adam Wilder, and Cory Wilson. The council unanimously approved the minutes from the March 9 regular city council meeting and the accounts payable report. … [Read more...]
Heather Myhre and Audrey Staggemeyer thanked for their service to Houston County
The Houston County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, April 5, from 9-11:24 a.m. at the historic county courthouse in downtown Caledonia. Commissioners in attendance included Chairman Greg Myhre, Teresa Walter, Robert (Bob) Burns, Eric Johnson, and Dewey Severson. Chairman Myhre called the meeting to order and led the commissioners and the public in the … [Read more...]
Preston City Council has two open seats
Councilman Robert Maust submitted his resignation, due his health and age, effective April 30. At the April 4 meeting two resolutions each declaring a vacancy on the city council were approved, one for councilman David Collett who passed on March 14 and the other for Maust. City hall is accepting letters of application from city residents who are interested in serving as a … [Read more...]
Hawkins spoke of future for region at PACF event
On Monday, March 28, 2022, with a crowd of more than 100 attendees at the Branding Iron in Preston, Minn., the (PACF) Preston Area Community Foundation celebrated 25 years of making a difference in the county seat. The evening started out with casual conversations, bids on the silent auction items, and then a first class dinner was served for a first class event. PACF … [Read more...]
Rushford Village approves insurance option
In January, Rushford Village received a report following the League of Minnesota Cities’ appraisal of all city property. Upon review, there were wide discrepancies in valuations between the league’s and the city’s estimations. The city’s insurance agent, Butch Johnson Insurance, began checking into whether or not errors were made on the figures. At the March council meeting, … [Read more...]
Unemployment falls to lowest level in 20+ years as more people return to work Minnesota gained 5,200 jobs in February as labor force participation rises again
Minnesota’s unemployment rate ticked down two tenths of percentage point to 2.7% in February, according to numbers released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). That’s the lowest unemployment rate in the state since 1999. The decline in Minnesota’s unemployment rate was entirely due to people moving from unemployment to employment, as … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Jail process moves forward
At the county board’s April 5 meeting, a pre-design contract with BKV Group, for the county jail, was unanimously approved. After some clarifications and a few changes, the board took another step forward. Bruce Schwartzman, BKV Group, had met with engineers and some county staff last week to take a critical look at the existing jail building. They determined it can definitely … [Read more...]
Fountain gets property tax update
Fillmore County Assessor Jason McCaslin was present at the April 6 Fountain Council meeting to discuss changes to the city’s tax values. Like many other municipalities in the county, Fountain will see an increase to its building values, largely driven by the spike in housing market sales. The county is required by state statute to value property every year and conduct an … [Read more...]