Jackson County Sheriff’s Office reported 31 Calls from February 3rd to February 9th. Deputies dealt with a Hit and Run, a Domestic Disturbance in Heron Lake and in Jackson, the Okabena Fire Department was paged to a barn fire in Rost Township. The Heron Lake Fire Department and Brewster Fire Department were also paged for mutual aid. Deputies responded to a car vs deer crash with injuries on CR 9 north of Okabena. The Heron Lake Fire Dept and Heron Lake Ambulance assisted at the scene. Both the driver and passenger were transported to a local hospital for minor injuries. For all reported calls for the Jackson County Sherriff’s office click on link below.
Jackson County Sheriff Report February 3rd-9th
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Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office reported 83 calls in the week of February 2nd to February 8th. Deputies conducted 59 Civil Processes, assisted other agencies 4 times, handled a Domestic Assault and conducted 3 Traffic Stops. 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 Citizen’s Report Feb 2nd to 8th
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Windom Area Schools took a vote last night to move a $27.5 million ballot question forward for the May 13, 2025 Election. According to a Press Release shared by Superintendent, Jamie Frank, the bond will fund essential improvements to the district’s fine arts and athletics facilities. The release went onto say through assessments, including a facility study and community-wide survey, the Windom Area School Board identified key infrastructure needs to support student success in academics, arts, and athletics. The proposed improvements aim to address long-standing facility challenges and create high-quality, reliable spaces for both school and community use. Superintendent Jamie Frank stated, “From flooded fields to performances in a gym, our district lacks functional activity spaces. Our students showcase their talents every day, and they deserve facilities that reflect our commitment to learning, leading, and excelling together. This plan is based on community input, and we’ve worked to ensure it aligns with our district’s needs while remaining fiscally responsible.” The Proposed projects include an Athletic Complex, Fine Arts Center, Expanded Auxilary Gym, Wrestling Room Remodel and Locker Room Reconfigurations. The district will hold a series of informational sessions on the referendum. Thursday March 20th at 7pm, Wednesday April 30th at 5pm and Wednesday May 7th at 5pm. All sessions will be held in The Nest Lobby at the Windom Middle School. The district’s website will also have a page dedicated to the referendum. The website will include a tax calculator that will allow residents to see the tax impact of the proposed bond.
To learn more, visit www.windom.k12.mn.us or contact Superintendent Jamie Frank at jfrank@isd177.com
FULL RELEASE:
Windom Area Schools News Release 2-10-25
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For the past several days Jackson County Sheriff, Shawn Haken stated his department has been dealing with a scam where callers are claiming to be deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and demanding money due to warrants. Haken went onto say the scammer also identified themselves using the name of a real deputy in an attempt to make the potential victim believe the call was legitimate. Haken stated they have received over a dozen calls from local county residents who knew it was a scam but just wanted to double check they didn’t have a warrant. Haken also stated the scammer is also using a practice called Spoofing where the scammers change their phone number and caller ID name to a local (507) number to make it seem real and to conceal their true identities. Haken advised to NOT to rely on a Caller ID to verify who’s calling. It can be nearly impossible to tell whether the Caller ID information is real. Fortunately, the Sheriff stated, none of our residents have fallen for the scam! Sheriff Haken listed a few tips for handling these calls:
* If you get a strange call from a supposed law enforcement agency or any local business/agency demanding money for something, hang up. Law enforcement agencies won’t call out of the blue for warrants or subpoenas and demand money or account information. If you want to check into it, visit the official website for contact information. If you have questions, call that Law Enforcement agency and explain what happened and they can confirm that it was a scam.
* Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial information to someone who calls.
* Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.
* Are they making you feeling pressured to act immediately? Hang up. That’s a sign of a scam.
BE SMART. NEVER GIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION OUT IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DID NOT INITIATE THE CALL. Ask for a phone number to call the person back. Then take a minute and call your known contact at the business, bank, or law enforcement agency or call someone you trust. It is so much easier to make sure it is them now then trying to get your identity, money or life back. These scammers are real. They are brutal and there is no reason to be their victim.
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