The Brown County Sheriff’s Office in New Ulm reported a major scam going on. The Sheriff’s Office has been receiving multiple reports claiming that Chief Deputy Jeremy Reed was attempting to contact members of the community and leaving a message to call him back. The caller has a distinct southern accent and the number that is being left to recontact is NOT associated with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office or with Chief Deputy Jeremy Reed himself. The Brown County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind you that law enforcement will NEVER ask you for your social security number, banking information or any personal identification over the phone or e-mail. SCAMS are getting tricker, keep your private information confidential do not give out personal information without first validating the situation at hand.
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The Jeffers City Council met on the 23rd. After citizen June Glander spoke to the council and requested the City Utility Assessments be waived on the property she purchased at the tax forfeiture auction the council approved to waive the city assessments on the property located at 308 N Deaver Avenue. The Council then accepted and approved the donation of land from Elton and Susan Goeman in the SE ¼, Sec 19, T107 N, R36W of Amboy Township. The clerk explained that once the parcel of land is owned by the City of Jeffers, the attorney will proceed with the annexation into the city of Jeffers for the proposed fire hall. The clerk presented the First Responder Pay for the 2022-2023 year.
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The City of Windom will be having a changing of the guards soon. Finance Director/Controller Cheryl Ulferts who has been with the City of Windom for the past 2.5 years and 17.5 years prior to that with the City of Lakefield as the Finance Manager, will be retiring and Kim Armstrong will be taking over. It became official earlier this month when the City Council approved the hiring of Armstrong at their regular board meeting. Armstrong comes to the city with plenty of experience as she was the Chief Financial Officer for Windom Area Health for 19 years and then transitioned her role at the hospital to Compliance and Foundation and Auxiliary. Armstrong stated “I’ve enjoyed my time at Windom Area Health. We have excellent staff that provides quality patient care. I’m looking forward to using my financials knowledge and skills at the City of Windom as the Finance Director/Controller.” Armstrong’s last day at Windom Area Health will be Friday October 27th and she starts with the City of Windom on Monday, October 30th.
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Forest Nursery is accepting orders for spring 2024 seedlings beginning Oct. 25, 2023. With approximately 3 million seedlings available for the spring planting season, this is a great opportunity for landowners to reforest their property to create wildlife habitat, shelterbelts, or a woodland oasis.
Since 1931, the Minnesota DNR’s State Forest Nursery has developed techniques to ensure the highest-quality seedling stock. The State Forest Nursery offers 26 species of native bareroot trees and shrubs. However, seedling selection and availability decreases after the first few weeks of sales. Visit the State Forest Nursery seedling ordering webpage (mndnr.gov/forestry/nursery/ordering.html) to view the available species and access the tree seedling order form.
A minimum order of 500 seedlings is required when purchasing from the State Forest Nursery. This is roughly the number of seedlings needed to plant one acre of bare land. Orders can be tailored in increments of 100 for each species. Prices vary depending on species, with the price as low as $195 for 500 seedlings. The State Forest Nursery also offers two pre-selected seedlings packets, simplifying the decision-making process. The conifer packet includes 250 white spruce and 250 red pine seedlings to add more greenery to woodlands in winter. The fruiting trees and shrubs packet features a mixture of chokecherry, black cherry, nannyberry, hackberry, and wild plum to create a pollinator-friendly habitat.
Landowners can receive assistance identifying the trees and shrubs best suited to their property and woodland management goals by reaching out to a local DNR forester (mndnr.gov/woodlands/cfm-map.html).
Seedlings must be planted within Minnesota. The last day to order seedlings is Friday, March 29, 2024.
Landowners interested in planting fewer than 500 seedlings are encouraged to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District (maswcd.org) to learn if they offer a tree sale program. Some SWCDs also offer planting services.