At the October 28 meeting of the Houston County Commission, the board recognized retiring Public Health and Human Services Director John Pugleasa with a round of applause and thanked him for his nine years of service to the residents of Houston County. Chairman Eric Johnson called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. He led his fellow commissioners and the audience in the Pledge … [Read more...]
Rushford Explores Options Ahead of Public Meeting
As the year end closes in, the city of Rushford Economic Development Authority (EDA) made plans to update the council on conceptual options for the former Farmers Win Coop site. Planned for the November 24 council meeting, the EDA will review concepts and possible next steps. A community meeting is tentatively slated for December 3 at the Rushford-Peterson High School forum … [Read more...]
Harmony Man Gets Probation for Fatal Drunk Driving Crash
Judge Jeremy Clinefelter sentenced Brian Wayne Nelson, 50, of Harmony, Minn., to 10 years of probation for a fatal drunk driving crash that happened east of Granger, Minn., in August 2024. Nelson was found guilty of one count of criminal vehicular homicide for driving with a blood alcohol level over .08. The court dismissed six other charges as part of the plea … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Focuses on Police and Childcare
Spring Grove City Council members met October 21 at 168 West Main Street in room #100. Council members present included Wilhelmson, Eric Ostern, Trent Turner, Mike Hagen and Morgan Buckland. City Clerk/Administrator Jana Elton was also in attendance. The Agenda and Consent Agenda received unanimous approval. Old Business A Houston County Sheriff’s Contract was … [Read more...]
Judge Sentences Samantha Petersen to Four Years in Fatal Crash
Judge Jeremy Clinefelter sentenced Samantha Jo Petersen, 37, to four years in prison for criminal vehicular homicide and 23 months for criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm. He issued the sentence on October 16 after nearly two years of hearings that followed a September 2023 crash that killed two Amish children and injured two others in Fillmore County. The … [Read more...]
Two New Positions Created at Rushford-Peterson
The Rushford-Peterson School Board approved the creation of two new staff positions at their regular meeting on October 20. The first was a track meet manager position. According to Activities Director Clay Olstad, the school has been holding more and larger track events in recent years. This coming year, eight events will be held at R-P including the True Team meet and … [Read more...]
Spring Grove Schools Share Data and Construction Updates
Spring Grove School District’s school board members met Monday, October 20 at Spring Grove Public Schools in the library. The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. with all board members present. The Consent Agenda received unanimous approval. Laura Moen was hired as a Special Education and Language Arts teacher for the 2025-2026 school year. Principal Matt Rosaaen added … [Read more...]
Houston County Commissioners Hold Regularly Scheduled Commission Meeting
The Houston County Board of Commissioners held its regularly scheduled meeting on October 21, 2025. Chairman Eric Johnson called the meeting to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners present included Cindy Wright, Eric Johnson, Kurt Zehnder, Robert (Bob) Schuldt, and Greg Myhre. The meeting agenda, minutes from the October 7 board meeting and … [Read more...]
Preston Fills Council Vacancy
At the October 20 city council meeting, unanimous approval was given for Jonathan Wood to fill the recent council vacancy, due to the resignation of Flossie Schultz. The term will expire December 31, 2026. It was noted that two people filled out forms expressing their interest in the position. Wood attended the city council meeting and later spoke before the council. He … [Read more...]
Mabel-Canton Receives Clean Audit Report
Riley Knutson with Smith Schafer presented the Mabel-Canton school’s financial summary for the school year ending June 30, 2025, at the October 21 school board meeting. Board members present included Jason Marquardt, Dustin Tollefsrud, Traci Livingood, Amber Tripp, and Mark Weidemann. Diane Wilder was absent. Knutson announced that the school received an unmodified “Clean” … [Read more...]