The monthly weather statistics have been reported for the city of Windom in January. The information is compiled by a local weather observer and reported to the National Weather Service Office in Sioux Falls.
January was a wetter month than in 2021, reporting 1.29 hundredths of an inch of precipitation and only 12.3 inches of snowfall verses 8.4 inches in 2021.
The high temperature was 47 degrees on January 12th and 13th with the average high for the month being 23 degrees. The low for the month was -15 degrees on January 25th and 26th. The average low for the month was minus 1.6 degrees.
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Windom Police Department reported in the month of January 2022 they covered a total of Eight Accidents with only one reported injury.
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Windom Area High School has their opening night tonight for the whimsical and fun production of Anything Goes. Students in grades 9 through 12 make up the 31-student cast. The play is directed by Joni Fischenich and assisted by Rachel Axford. Performances will be held Tonight and Friday at 7pm and on Saturday there will be two performances a matinee at 2pm and a final performance at 7pm. If you would like to get tickets, contact the Windom Area Middle High School Office by stopping by or calling 831-6901. Tickets are $8 for adults.
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The Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, February First. The Commission approved Amendment Number 1 to the Minnesota Clean Water Partnership Project Implementation Loan Agreement to extend the end date to May 2023 and add an additional $150,000.
Conditional Use Permits were approved with conditions for Elmendorf Hutterian Brethren for a Manufacturing Facility (PRO SHED) in Mountain Lake Township, Section 12, for Midco to construct a Monopole (Broadband Internet Tower) in Springfield Township, Section 16 and in Ann Township, Section 3.
Approval was made to Rezone a portion of parcel number 11.260.0020 from agricultural to residential due to findings of it was hooked up to city sewer, it was adjacent to city properties, and it is taxed as residential.
Low Bids were approved for
- Midwest Contracting, LLC in the amount of $1,315,078.00 for bridge replacement projects 017-606-027/017-611-017 (Contract 202110)
- R & G Construction Company in the amount of $344,916.08 for bridge replacement projects 017-598-007/017-598-008 (Contract 202109)
The Board accepted the wellness proposal from the Wellness Committee, and it was approved to allow per diems for Commissioners attending solar or wind tower meetings that pertain to Cottonwood County and this was made retroactive as of January 1, 2022.
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January 31 to February 4 is Identity Theft Awareness Week and it’s the perfect time to safeguard your important information and strengthen your security to protect against risks.
Identity theft occurs when someone obtains key pieces of someone else’s personal information, including, Social Security number, home address, date of birth or bank account data, and uses it for fraud or other illicit purposes. It is widespread, and getting more so: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fielded ‘nearly 1.4 million complaints about identity theft in 2020, more than double the 2019 total.
Identity thieves have a range of tactics to collect personal and/or financial information that enable them to commit ID Theft. Many of these tactics are executed digitally – including scrapping information that is compromised as part of a data breach of banks, schools, retailers, and other companies that often collect large amounts of consumer data.
Due to the nature of technology and the internet, your personal information is always at risk. If you’re not carefully monitoring your credit and online accounts, you may not notice you’ve been victimized until the damage is already done.
Here are 5 keyways identity thieves can get ahold your data & how to protect yourself:
- Data Breaches
- A data breach happens when someone gains access to an organization’s data without The most common types of information stolen in data breaches include email addresses, passwords, full names, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers. In 2021, data breaches reached an all-time high of 1,862, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) 2021 Annual Data Breach Report, which is more than 68% increase over 2020.
- Phishing and Spam Attack
- Scammers can use email, text messages, social media, and other forms of electronic communication to trick people into sharing sensitive information. The message often looks like it’s coming from a reputable source and asks victims to give up one or more types of information.
- Malware Delivery
- Malware is malicious software that can be designed to steal information. Fraudsters may use malware to collect your data or spy on your mobile device & computer activity without you knowing.
- Wi-Fi Hacking
- If you use your computer or phone on a public network, for example an airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi, hackers may be able to “eavesdrop” on your connection. This means that if you type in a password or credit card number while connected to an unsecure Wi-Fi network, a bad actor may be able to gain access to that information.
- Password Compromise
- When a company suffers a data breach, often your login credentials (your email and password for the breached service), can be exposed to thieves. If you also use the same password for other accounts, hackers can quickly try these same passwords to gain access to other accounts as well. If you use weak passwords that are easy to guess, that can also put your online accounts at a high risk of compromise.
There are ways to protect yourself.
- Be proactive and learn if your personal information may be compromised and take steps to protect your identity.
- There are free e-mail scan tools available to get a report of any data breaches associated with your email and online accounts
- If your email has been leaked, it’s important to change passwords to the account immediately
- For an added layer of protection- enable two-factor authentication to protect your account. This helps protect your account even if the account credentials are compromised.
- Monitor your credit regularly. Keep an eye out for strange inquires or suspicious accounts opened in your name.
- Install security software that helps keep your identity and financial information safe by protecting you from the key threats that can lead to Identity Theft.
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