Wednesday evening The Windom Fire Department were on scene for a house fire at 1421 2nd Ave. Firefighters had the scene cleared in a little over two hours. According to Fire Chief Ben Derickson, there were no injuries and everyone was out of the house when the Fire Department arrived on scene. Derickson went on to say that all pets were rescued from the home. There was heavy damage to the home and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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Motorists traveling Hwy 14 between Sanborn and Springfield can expect a detour beginning Monday, May 9, weather permitting, as crews resurface over 8 miles of Hwy 14, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The project will include resurfacing the roadway, upgrading pedestrian ramps and sidewalks in Springfield, adding school crossings at Cass Street and at East End Ave. in Springfield, adding centerline rumble strips, adding intermittent shoulder rumble strips throughout the corridor, and adding structural snow fence in two locations to control blowing snow.
Hwy 14 from the west side of the Sanborn four-corners intersection to the eastern limits of Springfield will be closed and traffic detoured during construction. Traffic will be detoured south from Springfield to Brown County Roads 3, 23, 2, 21 to Cottonwood County Road 11 and Hwy 71 during construction. Access will be maintained for local residents and businesses. Construction is expected to be complete in early August, weather permitting.
Benefits of the project include improved pedestrian accommodations, smoother road surfaces and increased safety along the corridor.
Visit the project website for more information and to sign up for email updates. Information will also be shared on the MnDOT South Central Minnesota Facebook group and the MnDOT District 7 Twitter account.
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The Windom Fire Department could be seeing new Turnout Gear this summer. Turnout gear is the fire suits that firefighters wear on scene it is heavy-duty fire-retardant material that includes helmets, gloves, boots, jackets and pants. According to Windom City Administrator, Steve Nasby a grant that has been applied for sponsored through a USDA grant. The gear costs between $100 to $110,000. The grant would be between $50 to $55,000 from USDA. Nasby stated that it is a 50/50 match grant. The majority of the Fire Departments existing gear is at right at 10years old, which is near the end of its manufacturer’s life, according to Nasby. The USDA pre-application was done in December 2021. Nasby went onto say the funds are currently earmarked for the project but the City still needs to go through the public hearing and submit final application materials. Nasby is hopeful they get release of funds by June 2022.
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Fulda City Council will hold their Regular Council meeting Monday May 2nd at 5pm at Fulda City Hall.
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Mountain Lake City Council Meeting will be held on Monday May 2nd at 6:30pm at the Mountain Lake City Hall. On the agenda will be the 6-month performance evaluation of the new City Administrator that will be closed to the public.
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The Murray County Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday May 3rd at 8:30 am in the Murray County Government Center. If you would like to call in to listen or join via zoom you can find further information on the Murray County Home Page.
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Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners will met Tuesday May 3rd at 9 am in the Cottonwood County Courthouse. The meeting will begin with two public hearings for the Housing Initiatives and Resolution for Tax Abatement for the properties located at 1901 and 1903 Bud Road respectively.
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The Jackson County Board of Commissioners and The Drainage Authority will meet Tuesday May 3rd at 9am at the Jackson County Resource Center Cafeteria.
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Windom City Council will be meeting Tuesday May 3rd at 6:30pm in the City Council Chambers.
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So I am not necessarily a cat person because I have always had dogs my whole life but today is National Hairball Awareness Day. There is this super sweet looking little kitty that has been perusing my back porch this week, so of course I was all about learning about National Hairball Day. Did you know this Awareness day falls on the last Friday of April every year and it aims to promote awareness of our pet’s health and happiness. Hairballs are predominantly a concern for cats, rabbits and cattle. If that doesn’t trip your trigger then I am happy to report that it is also National Arbor Day. America’s first Arbor Day took place toward the start of the 1870s — right around the time Congress established Yellowstone National Park. Today gives you cause to Celebrate nothing less than humanity’s endearment toward nature.
AND I would be irresponsible if I did not mention National Zipper Day is today also. We take many things in life for granted and the incognito zipper is one of them. Have you ever paused to reflect on how zippers play a huge role in our daily lives… Zippers show up in all different types of apparel, purses, boots, tents.. I could go on for days.. They are incredibly useful. Take a moment and Zip your mouth and open your mind to the celebration of the zipper…