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As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to expand, U.S. lawmakers are speaking out about the potential threat it poses to the integrity of elections. In a recent statement, Secretary of State Steve Simon warned, “Make no mistake, A.I. and deep fakes in particular are a huge challenge to the administration of elections.” Deepfakes, a type of AI that creates convincing fake images, audio, and videos, have become a growing concern. Senator Amy Klobuchar explained, “That’s why we call it deep fake. It’s not the real person. It’s going to confuse voters.” In August, Minnesota passed a law criminalizing the [...]

Early Tuesday afternoon, a chaotic scene unfolded in Swea City as Kossuth County Sheriff's deputies attempted to carry out their duties. According to the Kossuth County Sheriff's Office, deputies were responding to a call for service at the corner of Ash and 3rd Avenue when they noticed a separate incident involving a young man and woman near the corner of 3rd Avenue and 1st Street. Upon approaching the male, later identified as 19-year-old Timothy Nelson of Swea City, deputies allege that he immediately fled on foot and tried to conceal a backpack he was carrying. Realizing that something was amiss, deputies [...]

An Emmetsburg daycare provider, Hannah Priest, has recently plead not guilty to one count of child endangerment resulting in death. The 28-year-old was arrested on September 1st after an investigation into the death of a 23-month-old child. The incident occurred on January 19th of this year when emergency medical technicians responded to a report of an unresponsive child at a residence in Emmetsburg. The child was rushed to Palo Alto County Hospital and later transferred to a hospital in Des Moines, where he tragically passed away five days later. After an investigation by the Iowa DCI and Iowa Office of the [...]

There was a car-semi accident on Monday afternoon on U.S. Highway 169 in Blue Earth that resulted in one person being hospitalized. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the incident occurred around 12:20 pm near the Interstate 90 interchange. The patrol reported that a 2024 Peterbilt semi, driven by 23-year-old Brody Fritsche of Armstrong, and a 2002 Honda Civic, driven by 25-year-old Eder Gonzalez of Canisota, South Dakota, were both traveling northbound on Highway 169 when they collided. Gonzalez sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to the Blue Earth Hospital for treatment. Fritsche and two passengers in the Honda were [...]

In a major legal move, 18 states, including Minnesota, have banded together to file an antitrust suit against online retail giant Amazon. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 17 state attorneys general joined forces on Tuesday to accuse Amazon of illegally leveraging its dominant market position to keep prices high and limit competition. The case follows unsuccessful negotiations between Amazon and the FTC last month, during which the company refused to budge on its business practices. According to Politico and the Wall Street Journal, the complaint centers on Amazon's alleged actions to prevent lower prices on competing websites and force merchants [...]

It's Homecoming week at Fairmont High School. Dress up days for the students this week include Music Day on Monday, Bikers vs. Surfers on Tuesday, Wednesday the Seniors dress up as Senior Citizens and Grades 7-11 dress up as their younger selvers, Thursday is Class Color Day,  and Friday is Red and White Day. Coronation of the King And Queen will be Friday at 1:20 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Ironman Volleyball, the Candidate Games, and Powder Puff Football are Thursday night beginning at 7. The Parade will take its traditional route through Downtown Plaza beginning Friday afternoon. Homecoming buttons [...]

Martin County will be holding a public informational meeting in Thursday, September 28th at 5:30 p.m. at the Martin County Courthouse. This meeting will be regarding the rezoning application submitted to the City of Fairmont for property located at 800 East Margaret Street in Fairmont for the proposed Public Safety and Justice Center. This meeting is open to the public and may be attended by members of the Fairmont City Council and Fairmont Planning Commission.

PUBLIC NOTICE Description of Proposed School Construction Project Martin County West Public School District, ISD #2448-01 is proposing a two question bond referendum on November 7, 2023. The first ballot question would authorize $63 million in bonding authority to finance the construction of a new, PK-12 facility and the replacement of outdoor athletic facilities on the two existing school sites in Sherburn. The existing middle/high school in Sherburn, along with the two existing elementary schools (in Sherburn & Trimont), would all be demolished. The second ballot question would authorize an additional $9 million in bonding authority to finance a 400 seat [...]

ALGONA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa police officer died after being shot while trying to arrest a man who was later captured in Minnesota, officials said Thursday. Algona Police officer Kevin Cram was shot just before 8 p.m. Wednesday as he tried to serve an arrest warrant on 43-year-old Kyle Ricke, said Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Cram, a 33-year-old husband and father who had been an officer in Algona since 2015, was pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting prompted a Blue Alert to let the public know a suspect who posed a potential [...]

MADELIA, Minn. (AP) — A meat processing company in Minnesota on Friday agreed to pay $300,000 in penalties after an investigation found it employed children as young as 13 to work in hazardous conditions, such as operating meat grinders, while they worked overnight shifts and longer hours than allowed by law. Tony Downs Food Company, based in Mankato, also agreed to obey child labor laws and hire a compliance specialist as part of a consent order with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. “In this case, Tony Downs has agreed to take important steps to prevent child labor violations,” department Commissioner Nicole [...]