Hartland, MN Events and More

Retirees Say This Charming Minnesota Town Is So Cheap That Social Security Is All You Need

There’s a town in southern Minnesota where the cost of living is so reasonable that retirees actually laugh when they check their bank accounts, and not in the sad way. Austin, Minnesota has been quietly doing everything right while the rest of the country has been busy making housing unaffordable and grocery bills terrifying.

Austin, MN · 5d

hoodline.com

Albert Lea Care Facility Expands Water Testing After New Legionnaires' Cases

Two residents of St. John's Lutheran Community in Albert Lea have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease since the facility identified its first case in July, and the senior care campus has responded by restricting water use and expanding testing across its water system. The facility detected Legionella bacteria in samples from portions of its water system, according to a statement from the organization.

Albert Lea, MN · 14h

Owatonna People's Press

New Richland is ‘out of the crisis’ after September floods

After about 700 square miles of south and southeastern Minnesota was flooded with 6 inches or more of rain in 24 hours, senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, along with Rep. Brad Finstad, asked President Donald Trump and his administration to approve the state of Minnesota’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance. Gov. Tim Walz’s request for disaster assistance for the period of Sept. 18-20 covers Fillmore, Houston, Steele and Waseca Counties. New Richland, a city of 1,200, was flooded with about 9 inches of rain, which forced evacuations during the Sept. 19 flood. The Waseca County Board of Commissioners had declared a state of emergency after the flood. “In the city of New Richland alone, more than three-quarters of homes are damaged and residents of a skilled nursing facility were evacuated and unable to return to the facility,” the Democrats and Republican wrote in a letter to Trump on Nov. 3. “This storm event has been assessed as at least as destructive as the July 2026 mega-rain that many of these communities experienced and were recovering from just months prior.” Minnesota Realtors and the REALTORS Relief Foundation announced in October that a $70,000 grant was available

New Richland, MN · 2d

KAAL ABC 6 NEWS Minnesota Iowa

Albert Lea City Council approves financial assistance to help local business

(ABC 6 News) — The Albert Lea City Council approved a resolution that could bring new jobs and more tax dollars to the community. The council approved financial assistance for D & S Holdings to expand Pro Manufacturing on 209th St. The company makes, coats and delivers steel products. The assistance includes a ten-year tax […]

Albert Lea, MN · 3d

KAAL ABC 6 NEWS Minnesota Iowa

Customer files human rights complaint after Faribault Burger King blackface video

(ABC 6 News) — A woman has filed a discrimination charge after her viral video showing a white employee at Burger King in Faribault, Minnesota was serving customers in full black makeup. It happened back on October 31st at a Faribault drive-through, Shavelle Devine has now filed a charge with the Minnesota Department of Human […]

Faribault, MN · 1d

Owatonna People's Press

Moore says Fry slandered her, county is negotiating in ‘bad faith’

When the Steele County Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 25 to pursue a contract with Dr. Kellyanna Moore, who has filled the coroner role since 2009, it appeared the Steele County coroner saga was close to a resolution. However, the negotiations between Moore and Steele County Attorney Robert Jarrett seem to have hit an impasse. The commissioners went into closed session, which the agenda cited as being protected under attorney-client privilege, following Tuesday’s board meeting and reconvened for the subsequent open session to publicly discuss the coroner contract structure. The discussion was spearheaded by Jarrett. His position was that the current services agreement as outlined provided no coverage options for claims related to coroner services—such as body transportation and workers’ compensation suits for those currently employed through Moore’s office—and that the Minnesota County Insurance Trust could not offer coverage. It was his belief that the gap in coverage could leave the county open to litigation in the future. As such, he said he refused to sign off on the services agreement as proposed. Moore contended that no claims have been made against her office during her time as the Steele County coroner and that her insurance as well as that

Steele County, MN · 20h

KAAL ABC 6 NEWS Minnesota Iowa

partner publisher · 901 followers

U.S. Capitol holiday tree to stop in Albert Lea on way to Washington

Minnesotans have a chance to see The People’s Tree on its journey to the U.S. Capitol when it makes its only Minnesota stop in Albert Lea on Thursday.

Albert Lea, MN · 22h

Waseca County News

HAPPY BUT NOT SATISFIED: Bluejays once again enter state playoffs with top south seed

After a thrilling comeback victory in the Section 3AAA championship, the Waseca Bluejays were obviously ecstatic making a return trip to the state tournament. But senior captain Brady McKenna made it clear in the huddle after the game: "I'm happy, I'm not satisfied. We got a lot of work to do." The Jays' season looked to be in doubt in the section title game against the Tri-City United Titans on Friday, Nov. 6 in New Ulm. They were trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, but they ended up scoring 14 unanswered points to punch their return ticket to state and get revenge over TCU in dramatic fashion. The Titans handed the Jays their only defeat in the regular season. Waseca's second straight 3AAA championship comes after a remarkable 2025 season that saw them go undefeated in the regular season and finish the season as the Class AAA runners-up. Now, there is no doubt that Waseca looks to continue their season for a few more weeks, hoping to make it back to the state championship game. "I'm really happy," McKenna told the Waseca County News after the section championship about the teams' goals past that. "We got a plan, it's just

ohsmagnet.com

Owatonna Football ends their season in a heartbreak loss

The Owatonna Huskies football team saw their 2026 season come to an end after a heartbreaking 25-20 loss to Rochester Century in the section semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 31. After putting together a strong season finishing with a 7-1 record in the regular season, the Huskies were hoping to continue their season with another playoff win. However, Century came out on top, ending Owatonna’s season and bringing a tough ending to what had been a successful season.

KAAL ABC 6 NEWS Minnesota Iowa

6 INSIDE: The cost of phantom billing

(ABC 6 News) — An Austin woman claims fake medical companies are billing her Medicare each month for orthotics devices she doesn’t need and was never prescribed. 68-year-old Linda Gibeau said she first noticed the problem back in April, when she was checking her explanation of benefits and saw a claim for a back brace […]

Austin, MN · 2d

wasecacountypioneer.com

Polka Service finds new tunes for familiar liturgy

About 75 people enjoyed a meal of sausage, sauer kraut and fried potatoes after attending a “Polka Service” at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Waseca the evening of Saturday, Nov. 7. There were no lederhosen or traditional German dresses, but the elements of the evening’s liturgy were sung...

KAAL ABC 6 NEWS Minnesota Iowa

Gov. Walz authorizes disaster assistance after flooding in southern Minnesota

(ABC 6 News) – Gov. Tim Walz authorized state disaster assistance Wednesday for four counties in southern Minnesota after historic September flooding. The aid will support Fillmore, Houston, Steele and Waseca counties after intense rainfall caused flooding, mudslides, road closures and damage to homes and property. The governor said he was grateful to the emergency […]

Minnesota · 1d

KIMT

No ID needed: Free turkey drive-through in Austin Nov. 14

AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods Corporation is teaming up with Hy-Vee, the United Way of Mower County and local organizations to give away thousands of turkeys to help families prepare for the holidays. The Hometown Turkey Takeover will happen Saturday, Nov. 14, starting at 9 a.m. at the Mower...

Austin, MN · 2d

Owatonna People's Press

An overview of Steele County’s $4.8 million construction efforts this year

Steele County Engineer Jacob Rezac updated the Steele County Commissioners on their 2026 County Construction projects and an outlook on projects on the horizon for 2027 on Tuesday. Rezac’s presentation included construction windows and an itemized cost for each project which in total incurred a bill of $4,764,000. The first project subheading included retrofitting various culverts in the county. A 10 by 8 box culvert was installed in Havana Township at 64th Street NE under bridge 74J33. The approximate cost was $185,000, which came in at 26% under budget. The project’s duration was from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28 and issues faced included utility conflicts and relocation. A pair of box culverts measuring 16 by 8 and 16 by 9 respectively were installed in Summit Township under bridge 74J37 at 19th Street SE. The approximate cost came in at $468,000, which was 32% under budget. The project’s duration was from Sept. 4 to Sept. 28. Issues faced included high water due to rain. A 12 by 8 box culvert was installed at CSAH 18 under bridge 74J36 at an approximate cost of $437,000, which was 49% under budget. The project’s duration was from Aug. 10 to Sept. 15. Issues faced

Steele County, MN · 15h

ohsmagnet.com

Balancing School and sports as a Student Athlete

Dealing with school and sports can be a very challenging experience for student athletes. Having to worry about tests and assignments while knowing you have a big game or contest ahead of you later in the day can negatively affect your performance in class or in your sport. While you may have multiple responsibilities that you have to take care of in the classroom and on the court or field, finding a balance between the two is essential to being successful.

Owatonna People's Press

‘Proactive not reactive’: Planning commission moves forward with ordinance amendments

After being asked 100 questions by Owatonna, Northfield and Pine Island residents about data centers, the Owatonna Planning Commission moved forward with recommending its proposed ordinance amendments, including defining and regulating data centers. “It’s a 0.001% area of what we’re doing,” Community Development Manager Greg Kruschke said about data centers during the open house before Tuesday’s planning commission meeting. “The code was last updated in the ‘80s. There’s been updates through there, but the last major overhaul (was in the 1980s).” Changes to the Zoning Ordinance include cutting about 50 pages, updating zoning districts, adding a shoreland ordinance and modernizing home occupation standards, among others. Data centers were defined as “A facility used for the storage, processing, management, and distribution of digital data and information, consisting of servers, networking equipment and supporting infrastructure such as cooling systems, backup power generation and electrical equipment.” The definition was further broken up to major and minor data centers; major data centers have a capacity threshold of “greater than 5 MW of totaled designed IT load (often expanding to 100+ MW),” while minor data centers have “up to 5 MW of total designed IT load.” During the open house, Planning Specialist Emma Bransford said

wasecacountypioneer.com

County Board encourage courthouse security scanning

During their Nov. 3 meeting, members of the Waseca County Board directed county department heads to investigate the staffing and procedures that will be needed to begin consistent security screening of people entering the county courthouse starting the first week of 2027. Grant funds awarded to the county more than...

Waseca County, MN · 23h

wasecacountypioneer.com

Caregivers look at empowerment through health

People attending the Waseca Area Caregiver Services (WACS) educational session titled “Empowerment of mind and body as we age” the afternoon of Nov. 2 heard from two presenters. Dr. Jay Bulfer of Growing Roots Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture and More offered information about choosing a chiropractor and the types of treatment chiropractors typically provide. Linda Grant, a massage therapist, reiki master, and life coach is associated with the local Healing Hands Group.

wasecacountypioneer.com

Council moving forward on west water tower

The State of Minnesota awarded Waseca a $1,000,000 bond to begin work related to the West Water Tower. The State of Minnesota also awarded an $8,900,000 bond to continue work related to Inflow and Infiltration and reconstruction of the Nelson Lift Station on 13th Avenue northwest. The council will convene at 6 p.m. the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Waseca City Council Chambers to review the election returns, verify the results, and formally declare the candidates elected to municipal offices.

Owatonna People's Press

Mike Keller is Federated Insurance’s next president

Mike Keller, Federated Insurance’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, was named as the company’s next president starting Jan. 1, 2027. Since joining Federated Insurance in 2003, Keller has held leadership roles in company’s financial operations and on its executive team. He has had a hand in important Federated acquisitions over the years, and will continue to do so in his new role. As president and chief financial officer, Keller will also support the chairman on mergers, strategic planning and board matters. “Mike has an impressive 23 years of leadership and financial stewardship at Federated Insurance, along with over a decade of experience in public accounting and consulting, including auditing prominent insurance companies at Ernst & Young and leading insurance industry benchmarking at Ward Group,” said Nicholas Lower, Federated Insurance chairman, president and CEO. “He has been instrumental in strengthening our financial position, diversifying our operations, and deepening our investment in employees, clients and the community.” Keller, a 1992 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, will continue to lead the company’s financial and facilities operations, along with non-traditional investments such as real estate and venture capital. Outside of Federated, Keller and his wife, Nancy, are active in the Owatonna