At the May 1 meeting, the Fountain Council unanimously approved the purchase of electronics to effectively set up office for Public Works Director John Hanson at the wastewater treatment plant. Having recently earned his Class B wastewater operator certification, Hanson will now fully take over management of the plant. “Since John is taking over all the test reports that he … [Read more...]

The Historic Campus & Riverfront Masterplan committee met for the first time in late 2021. At the April 29 meeting of the Preston City Council, Charles Aug, steering committee member, said the former Dairy & Farm building is a good place for a permanent home for the Preston Historical Society (PHS). He suggested the plan is feasible and has good support from the … [Read more...]

Spring brings showers, green grass, flowers and road construction.  Some projects are already in progress. Road and bridge improvements are more than welcome, but delays and detours not so much. Let’s ensure worker safety during construction projects by complying with construction related signage. Planned project start dates are not set in stone, but subject to change due … [Read more...]

The regular session of the Brownsville City Council convened on Wednesday evening, May 1. Mayor Jean Meyer called the meeting of the Brownsville City Council to order at 7 p.m. with Councilmembers Barb Hurley, Pam Walhovd, Bill Fitzpatrick and Tim Klug in attendance, constituting a quorum. A motion to approve the consent agenda including the meeting agenda as amended, … [Read more...]

St. Paul - Minnesota posted strong job and labor force growth in March, according to information released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The state gained an estimated 11,000 jobs in the last month on a seasonally adjusted basis, up 0.4%, with the private sector up roughly 8,000 jobs, up 0.3%. Minnesota’s labor force increased … [Read more...]

The Caledonia City Council unanimously approved the purchase of tasers, body cameras, and police car cameras for the city’s police department at its regularly scheduled city council meeting on Monday, April 22. The city was presented with a quote of $130,108.70 from Axon Enterprise, Inc. payable over five years. Initially, the first two payments amounting to $52,043.48 will … [Read more...]

At the Houston County Commission meeting on April 23, there was a 4-1 vote in favor of Sheriff Brian Swedberg’s proposal to include an eight-day Juvenile Detention Center within the county jail. Chairman Eric Johnson cast the only dissenting vote. Chairman Johnson called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. and led his colleagues and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. In … [Read more...]

At the April 23 meeting of the county board, issues with the zoning permit application process were discussed. Jay Squires, land use attorney, joined the meeting to answer questions. Land use director Blake Lea noted by state statute there is a 60-day timeline to act on an application once it is complete. Squires said the timeline can be extended an additional 60 … [Read more...]

Last year the Spring Valley Business Alliance asked the Spring Valley City Council to allow them to try temporary seating areas at the end of each block downtown in order to ease the flow of traffic, prevent wrong way driving and to beautify the downtown. After a successful concept test last year with temporary barricades, the city and the alliance have been moving forward … [Read more...]

HARMONY, MN – The Harmony Economic Development Authority (EDA) is pleased to announce a golden shovel groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction extending the Harmony-Preston Valley state bike trail.  The event will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024, in Harmony, Minn.  A reception will follow the groundbreaking, in the warehouse at Harmony Spirits, … [Read more...]

At the Monday, April 22 meeting, the Rushford Council discussed at length a request from the Department of Natural Resources to sign off on survey results they conducted. The land, now held privately, is being sold to a land conservancy which will transfer the ownership and management of the land to the State of Minnesota/DNR. The land abuts the Rushford Municipal … [Read more...]