Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office reported 40 calls in the week of March 10th to March 16th. Deputies conducted 13 Civil Processes, handled 2 noise complaints, had 1 Suspicious Vehicle Calls and conducted 1 Traffic Stop. A full listing of all calls in the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office Weekly Citizens Report is available by clicking the link below.
Weekly Citizen Report March 10th-16th
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The Windom and Mountain Lake Fire Department will soon be receiving lifesaving fire suppression devices thanks to a generous donation from the Prudence Lodge No. 97 of Windom. These small devices fit easily into any first responder vehicle. They can dramatically reduce fire and water damage in enclosures such as houses, garages, stores or sheds. They are lightweight and easy to deploy; just “pull the pin and throw it in”. Within 35 seconds, the fire is suppressed and the temperature inside the enclosure drops over 1,000 degrees, making it a safer environment to extract trapped citizens or firefighters. According to Fire Chief Ben Derickson, these devices have been around for many years but will be new to the Windom Fire Department. After being approached by Al Peterson, Secretary of the Prudence Lodge, Derickson stated they did some research and decided it would be a great tool to have.
Peterson stated these devices will help save lives, and the Masonic Lodge is proud to donate these to help make each community a safer place. A presentation for the new devices will be done in Mt. Lake at 5:00 p.m. on April 27th at their firehall during a Burger Feed Fundraiser for the high school’s prom and Windom will be presented their devices at the Annual Fireman’s Dance on April 27th at the Windom Arena.
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Meetings today include:
- Murray County Board of Commissioners at 8:30am in the Murray County Government Center. If you would like to listen in by calling or view the meeting via zoom you can find the information on the Murray County Homepage.
- Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the Drainage Authority at 9am in the Jackson County Courthouse, Commissioners Board Room
- Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners at 9am at the Cottonwood County Courthouse. First item of business on the Agenda is the Farmers Market.
- The Windom City Council at 6:30pm at Windom City Hall in the City Council Chambers
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Red Rock Central School District Board of Education will be meeting on Wednesday March 20th at 5pm in Lamberton.
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Warm, dry winter heightens drought concerns
Year-round water conservation is beneficial
With less than half the average snowfall across much of the state and extraordinarily warm winter temperatures, drought conditions in Minnesota have persisted through the winter. Abnormally dry conditions exist throughout the state and about half of Minnesota is in moderate or severe drought.
Minnesota has experienced significant drought conditions each year since 2021. The 2021 drought was the most severe in Minnesota since at least 1988. Drought in 2023 was generally less severe, but some areas of the state experienced conditions comparable to or worse than 2021.
“While climatologists don’t issue forecasts, we want everyone to recognize that, without substantial precipitation this spring, a continuation of widespread drought conditions in 2024 is likely,” State Climatologist Luigi Romolo said.
Sixty-five surface water appropriation permits remain suspended due to last year’s low streamflow conditions. These locations and other watersheds will be monitored closely to support decisions on suspending or reinstating surface water appropriation permits. Surface water appropriation suspensions are implemented when streamflows drop to a low level measurement called the Q90, which is a flow that is exceeded 90% of the time. Weekly streamflow reports typically resume the first week of April.
Recent drought events in Minnesota highlight the importance of year-round efficient water use and conservation. The DNR website has information about what individuals, families, businesses and communities can do to conserve water.
More information about drought is available on the DNR drought webpage.