Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) recently approved nine grants totaling $90,000 to support inclusive and equitable initiatives in SMIF’s 20-county region. The Inclusive and Equitable Communities Grant supports projects which grow racial diversity, equity and inclusion opportunities in the area of entrepreneurship for southern Minnesota. The Inclusive and … [Read more...]

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for a new grant program to help strengthen Minnesota’s food supply chain. The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program offers competitive grants for Minnesota businesses and organizations operating middle-of-the-food-supply-chain activities that support local agricultural products. … [Read more...]

Motorists on Interstate 90 and Highway 52 southeast of Rochester should be alert for crews who are clearing trees from the work zone to prepare for this summer’s I-90/Highway 52 interchange reconstruction, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Trees in the work zone are expected to be cleared by late-February. Vehicles will need to travel through narrowed … [Read more...]

Minnesota families who have owned their farms for 100 years or more are invited to apply for the 2024 Century Farm Program. Produced by the Minnesota State Fair in conjunction with the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, the Century Farm Program was created to promote agriculture and honor historic family farms in the state. More than 11,000 Minnesota farms have been honored … [Read more...]

The Mabel Area Promoters held its first annual membership meeting, hosted at Joe’s Pizza Palace and Pub in Mabel on January 20, 2024. President Jessi Jablonski presided over the meeting, commencing at 6:37 p.m. She disclosed that the Mabel Business Association (MBA) voted to dismantle the association and undergo a rebranding process, resulting in evolution of the Mabel Area … [Read more...]

The Fillmore County Planning Commission held its first meeting of 2024 on January 18. Land use director Blake Lea called the meeting to order and asked for nominations for a chairman. Trinity Johnson was elected chair and Steve Duxbury was elected vice chair for 2024. Meetings will continue to be held on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. A public hearing was held … [Read more...]

At the January 23 meeting of the county board, costs and timing associated with the transition to a new state flag and seal were discussed. A letter has been drafted to send to the governor, local legislators, senate majority and minority leaders, the speaker of the house, and the minority leader in the house. The letter emphasizes that there will be costs, especially in … [Read more...]

On January 23, the Houston County Board of Commissioners directed Public Health Director John Pugleasa to work with the county’s planning committee, Environmental Services Director Martin Herrick and County Attorney Sam Jandt to draft an ordinance for the recreational use of cannabis. All the commissioners agreed that there were a lot of unanswered questions and that they … [Read more...]

The Caledonia City Council passed a resolution opposing the new Minnesota state flag and seal at their January 22 regularly scheduled meeting. In addition to Houston County, Caledonia is the third town in Houston County to publicly voice their opposition to the new flag and seal. The other towns are Brownsville and Eitzen. The vote was four to one with Councilor Amanda … [Read more...]

“Good morning,” I told myself. A guy I used to know said, “Morning.” No adjective added. He figured if the morning was good or not was up to the person he had greeted. It had been a significant storm. It was apparent that I hadn’t agreed to winter’s terms and conditions. I’d just clicked “yes” without reading. I endeavored to dodge the slings and arrows of winter. The … [Read more...]