The Pope County Board of Commissioners adopted its preliminary budget and property tax levy for 2021 at its regular Board meeting on Tuesday. After a careful review of requested expenditures by County management and outside entities, the Board adopted a preliminary property tax levy for 2021 of $9,361,058, which is the same amount that was levied for 2020. Because the...

The Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission Board of Directors will hold its regularly scheduled business meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 22 with board and employees participating by teleconference. The agenda can be found at www.umvrdc.org. The public may stream and listen to the meeting and participate during the citizen comment portion at the following: Dial +1 312 626 6799...

A Yard Game Meetup will be held 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) in Rice Park. Yard games will be provided by the Willmar Public Library. Refreshments will be provided, and all ages are welcome. *** The Lake Lillian United Lutheran Annual Pork Chop Supper will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, September 18. There will be Don Boll's grilled pork chops,...

The Lac qui Parle Sheriff's Office responded to a variety of calls in the past week, including: a report of stolen political signs; a horse in a ditch; an injured coyote on the shoulder of a roadway (the coyote was dispatched); a theft of items out of a truck that sitting in a driveway overnight; a deputy getting flagged...

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office is reporting that a collision between a pickup and a FedEx truck south of Sunburg on Wednesday afternoon injured two people. The accident happened at the intersection of Kandiyohi County Road 40 and County Road 7 in the northwest part of the county, when the pickup went through a stop sign. The Sheriff's department said...

Pope County businesses and non-profit organizations are reminded that Pope County CARES Act Grants are available to local entities, with applications for the program being accepted through September 30. The Pope County CARES Act Grant program has been established by the Pope County Board of Commissioners to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding to Pope County businesses...

Project Turnabout Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Mike Schiks is retiring at the end of September. Schiks has led the Granite Falls-based addiction recovery center since 2006. Marti Paulson, the organization's Chief Operating Officer, has been named the new Director and CEO. Project Turnabout is celebrating its 50th year of providing drug, alcohol and gambling treatment services.

Renville County HRA/EDA is completing its 2020 Renville County Housing Study, and will hold a Housing Study Kick Off Event 3:30 p.m. Thursday, September 24. At this Housing Study Kick Off Event, Maxfield Research, the consultant assisting Renville County with this study, will provide an overview of the current housing situation and identify current and anticipated future housing needs. Renville County...

Over the past few weeks, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office has taken numerous reports from Public Works about street signs being stolen out in the county. Stop signs, yield signs, bridge ahead signs and other various signs have been reported stolen mainly in the northeastern portion of the county. Meeker County is also seeing similar issues in their county.  This...

Republican incumbent State Representative Tim Miller of Prinsburg is seeking another term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Miller has served District 17A since he was first elected in 2015. He successfully defeated his DFL opponents in 2016 and 2018. His Democratic opponent will be Appleton resident Benjamin Dolan, an attorney making his first foray into politics. Dolan was born...