Today is Presidents’ Day! It’s a federal holiday officially known as Washington’s Birthday. This holiday is observed each year on the third Monday in February. It was originally established to honor President George Washington, whose birthday is February 22nd, but it has since come to recognize all U.S. presidents. Because it is a federal holiday, several offices and services are closed today such as Federal government offices, post offices, banks, most county and state offices, and financial markets, including the New York Stock Exchange. Some local city offices and schools may also be closed so residents should check with individual offices for specific hours. Most retail stores and restaurants remain open, so check them out for their awesome Presidents’ Day sales.
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Upcoming Meetings:
- The Murray County Board of Commissioners meets Tuesday, February 17th at 8:30 a.m. in the Murray County Government Center, which is open to the public. On the agenda is a Soil and Water quarterly allocation request, along with two public hearings. An 8:45 hearing will be held on a tax abatement request from Tim and Jean Runkle. A second public hearing is scheduled for 10:30 regarding Judicial Ditch 27 and a proposal involving impoundment, reroute and partial abandonment. Commissioners will also open bids at 9:00 a.m. for the Horticulture Building remodel project. Other agenda items include ditch bills, a Des Moines River Watershed Partnership cost-share request, city law enforcement support contracts, emergency alerting platform discussion, 2026 computer purchases, county phone system replacement, several highway and construction items, and a work session discussion on county property and broadband. The meeting can also be viewed live on Zoom, with a link available on the Murray County website.
- Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the Drainage Authority will meet at 9am on Tuesday at the Jackson County Court House.
- The Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners meets on the 17th at 9:00am at the Cottonwood County Courthouse.
- The Saint James City Council will be meeting on Tuesday at 5:30pm in Saint James City Hall Council Chambers. Meetings can be viewed live or anytime on the City of Saint James YouTube Channel.
- The Mountain Lake School Board will meet Tuesday, February 17 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 101. Reports will cover the district’s Chromebook cart update, upcoming meet-and-confer and board meeting dates, a scheduled safety meeting with Cassie Bowser, the superintendent’s report, and the annual Driver’s Education report. Action items include approval of the Spring 2026 coaching staff, a memorial bench honoring Tim Kirk, the FY 2027 Achievement and Integration budget, and the 2026–27 membership agreement with the SWWC Service Cooperative. The board will also consider staffing matters, including an after-school student custodial worker position, summer custodial postings and wage increases, wage adjustments for student workers, the resignation of an elementary paraprofessional, adoption of a conflict of interest disclosure form, and the hiring of Jennifer Siebenaler as K–12 principal.
- The Mountain Lake City Council meets Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. at Mt Lake City Hall. Council members will consider approval of bills and payroll, recent Lake Commission, Utilities Commission, and City Council meeting minutes, as well as 2026 fire and ambulance contracts. The public will have up to ten minutes to address the council with comments or concerns. Under city administrator business, council members will hold discussion and take action on the third and final reading of the Tobacco Ordinance #3-26, as well as a discussion and possible action on Tiny Houses Ordinance #4-26. The meeting will also include commission and board updates.
Windom residents will see the first official step toward a possible sale of WindomNet Tuesday night. The first reading on the proposed sale to Federated Broadband will be held during the Windom City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, and the meeting is open to the public. City Councilwoman discussed the proposal during a recent Kaleidoscope interview on KDOM, explaining the process has been underway for some time.
Soundbite: “Federated came to us, the City of Windom, approaching us about buying the telecom system. And this has been months in the making — long process, many, many meetings, many different talks about this.”
Quade says the City hired CCG Consulting to determine the value of WindomNet’s broadband business, while Federated hired its own engineering firm to evaluate infrastructure and future needs.
Soundbite: “The business is worth between 5.5 and 6.2 million, and any sale within that range would be considered fair market value… Federated’s offer to the City of Windom was for 6 million.”
Quade also pointed to declining customer numbers in recent months, particularly following the transition from cable to streaming services.
Soundbite: “We lost 164 customers in two months between that switch from cable to streaming.”
She says reports also indicate nearly two million dollars in potential system upgrades may be needed moving forward, while the current telecom bond payoff stands at approximately 4.75 million dollars. Quade stated that even with the sale to Federated it would maintain a local presence in Windom.
Soundbite: “They will have staff at that building. They will have an open door — you’ll be able to go into that local office and talk to a person face-to-face.”
After reviewing the reports and financial outlook, Quade says she believes selling the system is the responsible choice.
Soundbite: “I’m not really willing to risk the taxpayer’s money. I’m voting to sell.”
You can hear the interview in its entirety by going to home page on this website, click podcasts and click on Kaleidoscope.
Again, the first reading on the proposed sale of WindomNet to Federated Broadband will take place Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. during the Windom City Council meeting in Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public.
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The Red Rock Central School Board will meet Wednesday, February 18 at 5:00 p.m. in the district media center. The board is scheduled to act on approvals for coaching and inspection services, and one resignation. The board will review the proposed 2026–2027 school calendar, the 2025–2026 Pay Equity Report, and a Memorandum of Agreement related to the school nurse position.
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The Windom Area School Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, February 18th at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Windom City Council Chamber, located at 444 9th Street in Windom. The primary item of business is approval of a resolution canvassing the returns of the recent special election. That item is listed for board action. The meeting will be streamed live on YouTube at Media SB22 for those unable to attend in person.