News

Blue Earth, MN – United Hospital District (UHD) recognized 37 employees celebrating five and 10-year work anniversaries at their annual Service Recognition Luncheon, held at Average Jo’s Restaurant. The 2022 honorees account for a combined 480 years of service. UHD CEO Rick Ash, who emceed the event, noted that UHD’s success as a patient-focused organization is due in large part to the commitment shown by these employees. 2022’s longest serving employee is Ronda Dahl, RN, who is celebrating her 45th year at UHD. Ronda has worked in nearly every nursing department at UHD since she first started in 1977, including Operating [...]

MANKATO, Minn. — All six eligible Mayo Clinic Health System hospitals scored the highest safety marks from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization that collects and analyzes data to help patients choose their preferred health care destinations.   These hospitals meet the requirements for eligibility in The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score and earned "A" grades — the best possible — for patient safety:   · Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota. · Eau Claire, Wisconsin. · Fairmont, Minnesota. · La Crosse, Wisconsin. · Mankato, Minnesota. · Red Wing, Minnesota. "We are incredibly proud that each of our eligible hospitals [...]

According to a Press Release  from the Fairmont Police Department, a 53-year old man was found unresponsive near the railroad tracks in the 500 block of Main Street in Fairmont at 6:44 this morning (May 10.)  According to the Fairmont PD, the incident appears to be consistent with a medical issue with no signs of foul play. There is no concern for the safety of the general public due to this incident. The name of the deceased will be withheld until notification of family members. The incident remains under investigation until a final cause of death is determined.

The Fairmont High School Robotics Team participated in the Minnesota State High School League State Robotics Tournament on Saturday, May 7th, at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The team completed the qualification round with a match record of 3-4-1 and a ranking of 22nd of the 36 teams participating. Thirty-six of Minnesota’s 190 robotics teams qualified for the tournament based on their performance in a FIRST Regional Competition earlier in the season.

MANKATO, Minn. – Construction on eastbound I-90 between Sherburn and Fairmont is expected to begin on Monday, May 9, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in the eastbound lanes during construction. Additional work will require temporary road restrictions in the westbound lanes during construction. Separate temporary eastbound on and off ramp closures will be required for approximately one week each at Hwy 263 and at Martin County 39 (190th Ave.) during the project. Motorists are encouraged to monitor www.511mn.org in advance of the ramp closures. Construction on the 15 miles of I-90 is expected to be [...]

The City of Fairmont Park Department invites the public to the annual Arbor Day celebration on Friday, April 29. The program will be held 1:30 p.m. at Holden Park, 710 Washington Ave. in Fairmont. Mrs. Striemer’s fourth-grade students will perform a short program. City Forester, Chad Striemer, will plant a Princeton Sentry Ginko tree with the students assistance. In case of inclement weather, the program will be held at the Public Works facility at 801 E. Margaret St. in Fairmont, with the tree planting at a later date. For more information, contact Nick Lardy at (507) 235-9330.

(BERGEN, MN) — Federated Rural Electric in Jackson assisted Bergen Meat Processors with a $60,461 Revolving Loan Fund check. Bergen Meats is upgrading its wastewater treatment system adding tanks, pumps and aerobic treatment system to treat the wastewater from slaughter and processing operations.   Federated and Bergen Meats signed the 10-year loan paperwork on April 25. As funds are repaid to Federated, they can be loaned to other organizations.   Bergen Meat Processors, southeast of Windom, operates a custom-slaughtering business that processes beef, hogs and sheep; it is owned and operated by Jay and Paulette Scott, along with their son Bo. [...]

A one-vehicle incident Monday evening caused injury to an Elmore man. According to a report from the Minnesota State Patrol, 45 year-old Shawn Philip Richards of Elmore was driving a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix southbound on Highway 169 just north of Elmore when he lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a power line, and rolled over. Richards was transported to UHD Hospital in Blue Earth with what was termed non-life threatening injuries by the Patrol report. Faribault County Sheriff's Department, Elmore Fire Department, Blue Earth Fire and Ambulance all responded to the incident which was reported at 8:31 p.m. Monday.

AMES, IA – The 6th Annual Iowa Rural Summit last week included a special recognition of “rural heroes” – and Kossuth/Palo Alto Economic Development Director Maureen Elbert was one of the seven individuals honored at a special reception at Iowa State University. The Rural Summit brings together leaders from small towns across Iowa each year, and this year’s event included a special tribute to a group of individuals who have made a difference in their rural community or region. The event also recognized the contributions of Rand Fisher, the recently retired Iowa Area Development Group CEO. The Rand Fisher Rural Leadership [...]

According to a report from the Minnesota State Patrol, a 59 year-old man from Cottonwood, Minnesota was injured in an early morning one-vehicle accident on Monday.  A 2015 Kenworth driven by Thomas L. Bahn of Cottonwood was southbound on State Highway 15 in Westford Township near Truman when it left the roadway and rolled into the ditch at 5:25 a.m. Monday. Bahn was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System Fairmont with what the report described as non-life threatening injuries. The Minnesota State Patrol, Martin County Sheriffs Office, Fairmont PD, Truman Fire, and Mayo Ambulance all assisted at the scene.