By Karen Reisner At its August 11 meeting, the Fillmore County Board approved a document that details categories and amounts of COVID related expenses. Commissioner Mitch Lentz was not present in-person, but participated via phone. Fillmore County received a distribution of over $2.5 million of CARES Act funding to be used on COVID related expenses. The document was … [Read more...]
Submit your photos from Historic Bluff Country
Thanks to Steve Sagen of Harmony, Minn., for sharing this photo of eagles hanging out at their nest, keeping an eye on their surroundings. We encourage readers to submit pictures that capture the unspoiled beauty of Historic Bluff Country (The Dritfless Area). Photos can be sent to info@visitbluffcountry.com and will be considered for publication in the annual Fillmore … [Read more...]
Rushford preps for CARES Act funds
Like every municipality in the state, the City of Rushford is in the midst of determining needs for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds and how best to apply them. “It’s less solid and factual, but more of a moving target about where and when it can be used,” explained Mayor Terri Benson at the August 10 council meeting. The city received more than … [Read more...]
Seeds, COVID requests, community center, and HNC
By Wanda Hanson The Houston City Council dealt with an unusual request as they kicked off their August 10, 2020, regular meeting. Dan Smith proposed that he would like to be able to harvest native plant seeds at Trail Head Park. In return, he would take care of maintenance of the area. City Administrator Michelle Quinn noted that it took special knowledge to collect the … [Read more...]
City of Canton continues utility rate increase discussion
The regular August 12, 2020, Canton City Council meeting required dealing with several unfinished business items, including utility service rate increases. Multiple options were presented by Mayor Johnson for potential water rate increases and the resulting effect on city reserve funds. Current sewer and garbage rates are meeting budget needs, although Richard’s … [Read more...]
Harmony to begin Small Cities Grant process in 2021
As part of the economic development authority’s monthly report at the Harmony City Council, on Tuesday, August 11, council members and staff learned that the city would be starting another Small Cities Grant cycle for rehab of residential and rental housing and commercial properties. Mayor Steve Donney and Councilman Steve Sagen, both of whom also serve on the EDA, reported … [Read more...]
Whalan City Council receives noise complaints
The Whalan City Council discussed noise complaints and minors driving recreational vehicles unsafely on city streets recently. It is believed that these individuals were staying at a nearby short-term rental. The regularly scheduled Whalan City Council meeting took place on August 10, 2020, at 5 p.m. at the Whalan City Hall. The meeting was also available via Zoom. … [Read more...]
Primary election results for Fillmore and Houston counties
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, ballots were cast in Fillmore County and Houston County, both with commissioner seats up for grabs. In Houston County, the seat for County Commissioner for District 1 was on the ballot, and there were a total of 688 registered voters exercising their right to vote. With 27 precincts reporting, Dewey Severson took more than half of the votes … [Read more...]
Grants available for Mabel businesses
All members were present during Mabel’s regular City Council meeting on August 12. The council discussed CARES Act funding available to the city. According to City Clerk Karen Larson, Mabel has just over $58,000 available, which comes as a part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Larson explained, “So this is going to cover some of those unexpected expenses that cities have … [Read more...]
COVID-19 update as of August 13, 2020
Since worldwide tracking of COVID-19 began on January 23, 2020, there have been 20,624,316 total cases with 749,421 fatalities — 3.63% of total cases. In the United States, there have been 5,294,541 total cases resulting in 168,310 deaths — 3.17% of total cases. Among Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, there have been a combined total of … [Read more...]