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At the May 7 meeting of the county board, a resolution authorizing the execution of the MnDOT Grant Agreement for airport improvement excluding land acquisition was approved. Pam Schroeder, airport office manager, explained the county did receive a grant from the state which can be used for three pieces of equipment for the airport. The total amount of the grant available is just over $55,000. Invoices will need to be submitted to the state for any portion of the grant to be used by the county. Any unused portion of the grant will remain with the state. Three bids were obtained for each piece of equipment. The state will pay about 70% of the cost and the county will be responsible for the other 30%.

More than 50 people turned out on May 3, 2024, on a beautiful spring afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony. Construction on the Harmony-Preston Valley Trail extension to the Iowa state line will begin next week. It will include a half mile spur to Niagara Cave. The Stateline Trail will be ADA compliant.

St. Charles Meet (RPH’s guys (116) took second to St. Charles (187) with LFCMC (101) taking third. The Saint girls (120.5) topped Waseca (104) with Chatfield taking third (99), LFCMC fourth (80), and RPH fifth (68). L-A and Hayfield’s girls also competed. Chatfield girls’ firsts: Jaelyn LaPlante (100 > 13.38; High Jump > 5’0”), the 4×100 (51.80 > Lauryn Daniels, Savannah Peterson, Evy Goldsmith, LaPlante), and 4×200 (1:49.65 > same). Peterson added a second (200) and a fourth (Long Jump). Adia Evans (400) and Lexi Kivimagi (1,600) took second. Rebecca Copeman took third (Triple Jump), fourth (300-hurdles), and fifth (100-hurdles). Jake Stevens (Shot Put > 45’7”) had Chatfield’s only guys’ first. LFCMC girls’ firsts: Kammry Broadwater (800 > 2:33.49; T-Jump > 33’0”) and the 4×800 (10:29:53 > Kyla Hellickson, Sahara Morken, Brooklyn Simon, Autumn Rakosnik). The 4×400 (Simon, Morken, Olivia Rindels, Lillyan Kiehne) took second. Kiehne (1,600) added a third. LFCMC boys’ firsts: Jayce Kiehne (400 > 49.99), Luke Ruen (800 > 2:04.84), Lucas Nikoloski (Discus > 142’8”), and the 4×200 (1:35.88 > Mason Howard, Henry Liew, Michael Rein, Greg Kennedy). Boston Wright (Pole Vault) and Brody Niemeyer (Shot) took second. Liew added two thirds (Long Jump, T-Jump). Howard added a third (200). RPH girls’ only first (tie) was Lauren Honken (P-Vault > 8’6”). Aubry Boldt took second (100-H) and third (L-Jump). Ava Helgemoe took second (T-Jump) and third (800). Jorja Meyer took second (Discus) and fourth (Shot). RPH’s boys’ firsts: Quintin Betthauser (110-hurdles > 15.93; 300-H > 43.13) and the 4×400 (3:37.97 > Q-Betthauser, Tyler Betthauser, Hunter Rislov, Ryan Prinsen). Prinsen added a second (800) and a third (P-Vault). Gregg Gile had two seconds (200, T-Jump) and a fourth (L-Jump). The 4×800 (Aaron Ploetz, Matthew Sprague, T-Betthauser, Prinsen) took second. Casey Herek (110-H) took third and fifth (300-H). T-Betthauser (1,600) and Ploetz (3,200) added thirds.)

The new terminal will give pilots a place to recharge on long flights. Funding came from the 2021 Infrastructure law. Fillmore County Airport unveils new aviation terminal. To celebrate their new aviation terminal the Fillmore County Airport had a ribbon cutting ceremony.

David and Lynn Susag of Lanesboro, Minn., share their love of Nordic handcrafts with the local community and upper midwest through Trailside Folk Art, where they specialize in Nordic handicrafts and ancient techniques. Over the years they have demonstrated paper cutting and hand sewing as well as knife making, but their main focus is demonstrating and selling wooden dishes turned on a spring pole lathe and skinnfell items.

The Lanesboro City Council heard from several residents including Anna Loney and Phil Dybing regarding the Lanesboro Library during the public comments section of its May 6 regular meeting. Loney gave an update on library events, noting that there are a number of SELCO sponsored events coming up along with several things being planned by the Friends of the Lanesboro Library. Dybing asked that the issue at the library be resolved quickly so the library can continue going “as the wonderful asset it is.”

Once again, policy 404 which deals with Employment Background Checks was on the agenda at the May 8 meeting of the Lanesboro School District. This was the third reading of the policy which had been tabled at a previous meeting. Superintendent Matt Schultz had done exhaustive research and prepared a...

At the May 8, 2024 school board meeting, board members Jill Harstad, David Sowinski, Josh Thompson, Katie Priebe, Tom Keefe and Mark Johnsrud were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, Elementary Principal Shane McBroom, and High School Principal Eric Nelson. Shane McBroom reported that Kindergarten Round-Up was very successful...

A few Sundays ago, April 21, was “Good Shepherd Sunday,” the day in the Easter Season focused on images of Christ as our shepherd. There’s a story about a seminary professor who told his classes that in the Holy Land a shepherd went in front, and the sheep, knowing his particular voice, dutifully followed.

2024 budgeting for the city of Rushford Village is sitting comfortably. At least much better than last year, according to City Clerk Mary Miner. At the May 7 meeting, Councilor Rick Ruberg asked about the current standing after Miner presented the month’s financial report. Last year, as the village waited for the tax payment from the first half of the year from Fillmore County there was a large bond payment and several unexpected costs that pulled the purse strings notably tighter.

ROCHESTER, Minn. – A man arrested after a violent confrontation with deputies has pleaded guilty. Andrew Joseph Fogan, 28 of Stewartville, was arrested on September 20, 2023, after a traffic stop in the 6500 block of Highway 52 in Olmsted County. The sheriff’s office says Fogan and the female driver were acting suspiciously and deputies determined Fogan had committed a domestic assault in the vehicle.

At the May 8 meeting, the Peterson council, led by Mayor Chris Stenzel, discussed the results of the annual walkabout. Each councilor reviewed properties within city limits to determine non-compliance with the Junk Ordinance. The ordinance was enacted in 2022 to curb the accumulation of visible junk or clutter on properties after years of dealing with no response from several properties.

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...