Jury selection is set to begin on Wednesday, June 5th in Cottonwood County District Court for the murder trial of No Name Given Happy, a 26-year-old from San Diego, California. Happy faces six felony charges, including second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony. The charges stem from a fatal stabbing at the Phat Pheasant Pub in Windom on New Year’s Eve, which left 30-year-old Benjamin Matter dead and another person injured. Judge Christine Wietzema is presiding over the case. During a pretrial hearing, she denied three defense motions — including a venue change, a request to suppress statements, and a motion to release the weapon for testing. The trial is expected to last approximately two weeks. Happy remains in custody as the legal proceedings move forward.
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Windom Police Department reported a damage to property at North Point Storage at 2057 4th Avenue on the 15th. The reporting party stated that someone had cut off her lock and broke into her rental unit. She stated that her lock was missing and there was damage to the door near the locking mechanism. The reporting party stated she didn’t believe anything was missing. This matter is under investigation.
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The Windom Fire Department held it’s first Community Appreciation Day, this past weekend, at the Fire Hall. Although the weather was a bit chilly, it did not deter the community of coming out. Attendence was above and beyond what initial expectations were. According to Fire Chief Ben Derickson they lost count after 250 community members stopping in, and it was just a great event all the way around. KDOM had a fun time broadcasting live from the event and it was fun to see so many friends, neighbors and community members gathering for a great cause. Raffle winners were announced and the Fire Department contacted winners via phone call… I’m not going to lie, I thought this was our year to win a prize… Guess we’ll try again next year!!! It’s hard to be too disappointed knowing that all proceeds go to such a great organization. Fire Chief stated he was just so happy to see so many community members coming over to the Fire Hall and he looks forward to next year!
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Meetings Today include:
- Red Rock Central School District Board of Education will hold a Work Session Meeting at 5pm in Lamberton. Items include Budget-SOD, Transportation, and the Superintendent contract.
- Mt Lake City Council will be meeting on Monday May 19th at 6:30pm, at 5:45pm in the Mt Lake City Hall.
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Meetings on Tuesday:
- Murray County Board of Commissioners at 8:30am
- Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the Drainage Authority at 9am
- The Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners at 9:00am
- St James City Council at 5:30pm
- Windom City Council at 6:30 pm with Facility Tours at the end of regular meeting.
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The Windom Area School Board will hold a Special Board Meeting this Wednesday, May 21st at 5:30 PM, in the Windom City Council Chambers. The board is expected to take action to approve the resolution canvassing the returns from the recent special election. This meeting can be attended in person or meeting can be viewed on YouTube at Media SB22.
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On April 29th, the Windom City Council and staff toured 5 of the 13 key city facilities to get an inside look at operations and infrastructure. Stops included the Electric Power Plant, where new generators and a renovated office were showcased. At the Wastewater and Water Treatment Plants, Superintendent Ryan Anderson walked the group through the treatment processes and highlighted recent upgrades and state compliance requirements. The tour continued at the Street Department, where staff showed snowplows, maintenance equipment, and facility workspaces. At the Windom Airport, Manager Scott Benson highlighted hangars, fuel systems, and upcoming improvements, including a planned crosswind runway. The council will continue their tours in the upcoming months. At the end of the City Council meeting on the 20th, Council members will visit a couple more facilities and will contact the Hospital to see about touring the grounds and facilities and new building. These tours help to gain valuable insight into how these departments keep Windom running smoothly.
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Today starts the re-routing traffic to the Emergency Room at Windom Area Health. The resurfacing of the parking lot is expected to be completed by weeks end.
The highlighted map is available below. (follow the green highlighted by red arrows)
