The Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Department released the following accident reports:
On February 17th the Westbrook Police Department took a report of a missing 53-year-old male that was last seen in the City of Westbrook on February 15th. The family stated that they had been searching the area, but were unable to make contact with him. On the 18th, while searching north of Westbrook, tire tracks were located along 330th Avenue and what was believed to be parts of the missing person’s vehicle. The area was searched and a vehicle was located in Westbrook Township section 17. It appeared that the vehicle had turned off of 330th Avenue and drove west through a field along a fence line. The vehicle had driven approximately a half mile when it struck a tree and started on fire. The driver of the vehicle was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Center for an autopsy and identification. This case remains under investigation. The Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Westbrook Police Department, Westbrook Fire Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
On the 19th at approximately 11:28am Cottonwood County dispatch received a report of an injury accident at the intersection of County Road 13 and County Road 5. The reporting party stated that the accident involved a pickup and a semi. Storden Fire, First Responders and the Westbrook Ambulance were paged to the scene. Upon investigation, it was determined that a 2018 GMC Sierra pickup was westbound on County Road 13, when a 2022 Kenworth with trailer was northbound on County Road 5. The GMC pickup failed to stop at the stop sign and struck the semi trailer. The GMC Sierra pickup driver, identified as 55-year-old Kenneth Meyer of Eau Claire, Wisconsin was deceased at the scene. The driver of the semi received no injuries. Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Windom Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Storden Fire and First Responders, Westbrook Ambulance, and the North Memorial Air Ambulance.
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It has come to our attention that one of our own part-time employees- Eric Heggeseth was nominated for The ExCel Award through Windom Area High School! So we wanted to not only celebrate this awesome honor but brag on him for his accomplishments. Windom Area High School Juniors Eric Heggeseth and Harriet Lohse were both nominated by a committee of Windom Faculty that includes the Activities Director, a representative from Fine Arts and a Representative from Athletics. Only two students one male and one female are nominated from the entire Junior Class which then are considered for recognition at the state level. The ExCel Award stands for Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership. It is a unique recognition program designed exclusively for Minnesota High School Juniors who are active in school activities, leaders in their schools and who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service. This award is sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League’s Corporate Partner Wells Fargo. According to Windom Schools Activities Director Jacob Johnson, All recipients receive a plaque and certificate. In our listening area there were three nominees selected at the State Level which were Blake Schultz Edgerton, Keeley Runge-St James and Skyla Dauer Springfield. KDOM congratulates ALL the Juniors that were nominated and those that were selected at the State Level.
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Care and Share Shop to Award Local Giving Grants
The Care and Share Shop of Mountain Lake invites local groups or organizations to apply for Local Giving Grants in amounts up to $5000. This grant program is a new initiative to support Mountain Lake-area initiatives intended to improve the lives of underserved and underrepresented groups.
Application forms may be picked up in Care and Share Shop at 218 10th Street N, Mountain Lake, or by email request to careandsharemn@gmail.com. Completed applications must be returned to the store or by email by May 1, 2024.
Micro-grants will be awarded to selected groups in June 2024, in amounts from $500 to $5,000.
Applicants do not need to have a religious affiliation or mission. However, they must function in a manner consistent with the mission of Care and Share Shop and its umbrella organization, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which is to respond to basic human needs and work for peace and justice.
The Care and Share Shop is a non-profit started by volunteers in 1980 as a way to raise money for MCC through the sale of donated items and to support the fair trade artisan network that is now Ten Thousand Villages. Currently more than 50 volunteers are actively involved, and the Sweet Fields coffee shop is an integral part of the shop. In 2023, Care and Share sent more than $90,000 to MCC for relief, development, and peacemaking projects in places such as Ukraine, Israel, Palestine, Congo, and the U.S. More specific information is available at mcc.org
“Our shop is successful thanks to the volunteering and donating of folks in our local communities, and we want to return some of that support to relief and development projects right here,” said Elisabeth Harder Schrock, business manager at Care and Share Shop. “Starting this year, we’re designating 10 percent of our giving for local initiatives that improve the lives of chronically underserved groups in almost any way – education, the arts, physical or mental health, documentation support, access to technology, transportation, and so on. We invite any established group to apply for a Local Giving Grant.”
The application process is designed to be simple, and Care and Share Shop staff are available to help fill out applications. Grant recipients will be chosen based on impact of their project, scope (how many and which people will be impacted), and geographic area, with preference for Mountain Lake-area beneficiaries.
For more information about the Local Giving grants, please contact Elisabeth Harder, business manager, Care and Share Shop, 218 10th Street N, Mountain Lake, MN; phone (507) 427-3468 or e-mail careandsharemn@gmail.com . The store is also on Facebook.
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There will be a Firearms Safety Training in Lakefield with Classroom Dates on Mondays March 11th through April 22nd. Classroom times will be 6-8pm with a field day April 27th at 9am. To register or for questions contact instructor Paul Cihak at 507-920-7538 or email paccihak@frontiernet.net Parents need to be at the first class for registration and are welcome to attend all classes. There is a fee of $7.50 that is due with the registration and another $7.50 that is paid online after the completion of the class. Participants MUST BE 11 years of age before class starts on March 11th in order to be eligible to take this class.