At the August 24 meeting of the city council Interim City Administrator Michelle Marotzke was given the go ahead to look into a possible Purchase Option Agreement with the Fillmore Central School District. The Swimming Pool Committee has recommended looking into the possible purchase of land north of the ball field (soccer field) at Fillmore Elementary School. Marotzke made … [Read more...]
Farm Winery CUP Considered
At the August 20 meeting of the Fillmore County Planning Commission Nathan and Katie Drewitz of Chatfield Township requested a conditional use permit for a farm winery. The couple has a business plan for the future Chosen Valley Winery. They currently have rows of grapes on about a half-acre. They have plans to grow their acreage and their business. There were no comments … [Read more...]
Chatfield Revises Utility Billing Policy
At the August 24 meeting of the city council, proposed revisions to the residential utility billing policy were approved. Councilors Mike Urban and Josh Broadwater were absent. The billing policy approved in 2017 was revised to include updated provisions; the revised policy will supersede the policy adopted on March 27, 2017. Residential customers will be billed monthly for … [Read more...]
Somber Kingsland School Board Hears Facility Updates
The Monday, August 19, 2026 Kingsland School Board meeting began on a somber note as the board took a moment to observe the loss of senior Nathaniel Drees. “As a school and a community we are hurting right now,” Superintendent Scott Klavetter expressed. “It has been a challenging few days since Nathaniel’s passing. We will be keeping him with us in spirit throughout the year. … [Read more...]
Houston County Librarians Share Their Stories
The five Houston County librarians – Jana Halverson of Spring Grove, Stephanie Eggert of Caledonia, Gina Herman of Hokah, Jess Witkins of La Crescent and Beth Peterson-Lee of Houston — along with SELCO Executive Director Krista Ross, presented their annual report, “Why Libraries Matter,” during the 9 a.m. August 25 Houston County Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners in … [Read more...]
Harmony Data Center Ordinance Changes
Another joint meeting of the Harmony City Council, Planning and Zoning and EDA was held August 26 after written comments and questions from the public about the proposed data center ordinance were collected over the past two weeks. A total of 42 submissions were sent to the group. City Attorney Greg Schieber and City Administrator Alissa Stelpfug organized the input and … [Read more...]
Rushford Falls Victim to Fraud
As the schemes and chance of being victim to fraud continues to rise, the city of Rushford is the most recent hit. At the August 24 meeting, City Administrator Hayden Stensgard broke the news publicly, providing details of the type of fraud and what’s been done to recover the funds totaling $252,716. On August 16, city hall was made aware of the wire fraud on one of its … [Read more...]
Houston County Fair Board Praised by Caledonia Council
The Houston County Fair Board received numerous accolades during the August 24 Caledonia City Council meeting. Council members Bob Klug, Amanda Ninneman, David Fitzpatrick and John Rauk were present, along with Mayor Leis. During the opening public comment period, Caledonia business owner and resident Bryan Spier praised the fair, saying he attended the rodeo, demolition … [Read more...]
Spring Grove School Board Approves Updated Student Handbook
The Spring Grove School Board unanimously approved the 2026-2027 Spring Grove Student Handbook during its August 17 meeting. Principal Matt Rosaaen said the handbook was updated to reflect new dates and staff changes. He also noted that the Table of Contents and Appendix, which had been removed the previous year, were added back based on feedback from parents. Rosaaen said … [Read more...]
R-P Changes MS Cell Phone Policy
The Rushford-Peterson School Board approved the handbooks for both the MSHS and the elementary school at their regular monthly meeting August 17. The board had tabled the handbooks last month pending further research with parents. MSHS Principal Brent Olson reported to the board that he had sent out 290 surveys and received many replies. Parents of middle school students … [Read more...]