Windom Police Department reported on the 6th at 5:32pm a two-vehicle non-injury accident when two vehicles were backing out of parking spots in the parking lot at 1450 Hwy 60. Minor damage to both vehicles. At 8:46pm an officer was on patrol waiting to turn onto Highway 60 near 13th Street when he observed a vehicle drive by with the driver having both hands on her cell phone texting. The officer initiated a traffic stop and after investigation, a citation was issued on a Female from Jeffers for Wireless Communication Device, Engage in Cellular Phone Use.
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Windom Fire Department Fire Chief Ben Derickson reported on Tuesday the 5th the Fire Department was called out for a dryer fire at POET. According to Derickson, they were paged at 11:42am in the morning for a Dryer fire at POET once arrived on scene they started opening up the inspection port, conveyors, and the dryer to extinguish the fire and clearing those areas of burnt corn. Many of the areas that had fire and/or smoldering burnt corn were extremely tight areas and hard to get to. The Fire Department left POET at 8:31 pm and returned to the hall to wash the hose, clean up all of the equipment and truck, restock the truck to be ready for the next call. There were no injuries. At approximately 9:15pm Derickson stated they were finished with the call and had everything stocked and ready for the next call. Assisting on scene was Windom Ambulance, and Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Department.
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The Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners met on the 4th. The Commissioners moved to set the minimum bid for all parcels on the List of Tax-Forfeited Land #25 at $100 and offer parcel 14-002-0203 to adjacent landowner before putting on auction. Then made a motion to allow the Auditor/Treasurer to advertise for bids for the clean-up and/or removal of buildings on tax-forfeited properties, if needed. All hiring and terminations were approved. The Board then moved to accept proposed language changes to Policy #740 – Drug, Alcohol, and Cannabis Testing Policy as presented and to post for a 30-day comment period and also moved and accepted the low bid from Schwalbach’s in the amount of $10,560.00 for a Bosch mini-split system for the HR Office/Vault.
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Windom Area School Board of Education will be meeting on Monday June 10th at 6:30pm at Windom City Hall in the Council Chambers. Meeting can be viewed live or anytime at Media SB22 on YouTube. There will be a Public Hearing starting at 6:30pm to consider granting a residential property tax abatement. Request submitted by Borsgard Construction, LLC. Abatement period – 5 years commencing on first year of taxes payable for full assessed value related to new home. Based on 2024 tax rates, estimated total abatement could be approximately $2,571.70. Address of Property: 705 Plum Avenue, Windom, MN 56101. All parties interested in commenting on this proposed abatement may attend the public hearing or submit written comments to the address below prior to the hearing.
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Windom Area Health Foundation is launching a new Mental Health Fund. The Foundation Board voted to start this resource as a way of further supporting steps Windom Area Health is taking to provide increased care options, plus simply better resources for our community. The Board committed $50,000 for startup funds and will be looking for significant community donations to strengthen this Fund. The June 21st Golf Tournament sponsored by Windom Area Health, will be a fundraiser for this initiative. The Board will be developing policy/procedure this summer, with an anticipated LIVE date this fall. The purpose of the fund is three-fold:
- Support community initiatives around decreasing stigma and furthering responsiveness training/certification for mental health professionals.
- Support WAH initiatives, trainings, or certifications related to improved mental health responsiveness.
- Support families with an unmet financial need due to a mental health crisis.
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Thousands of Minnesotans covered by MinnesotaCare need to start paying monthly premiums again this summer to keep their insurance. Monthly premiums were paused during the pandemic. About 46,000 Minnesotans with lower incomes who rely on MinnesotaCare should watch their mail for a bill from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Enrollees must pay their premium by the due date on their bill to avoid losing coverage. The first bill is due June 13. Although MinnesotaCare premiums are returning, some Minnesotans will continue to pay no premium while others will have reduced premiums through the end of 2025, thanks to the federal Inflation Reduction Act. About 102,000 people are enrolled in MinnesotaCare. For more information visit the DHS website