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MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is holding two in-person open houses for a project on Highway 4 from Sherburn to St. James, which is planned for 2024 construction. The public is invited to attend in Trimont on Wednesday, August 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Triumph Hall, 41 2nd Avenue NW, or in Sherburn on Thursday, August 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Sherburn Theatre, 116 North Main Street. Staff from MnDOT will be available to provide more information about the project, including the roadway improvements and detour information. There is no formal presentation planned, [...]

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — A 52-year-old Minnesota man was charged Monday with killing a teenager and stabbing four other people in a dispute that allegedly began with a lost cellphone during a weekend tubing excursion on a western Wisconsin river. Investigators said in court documents that Nicolae Miu, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, attacked the group after people accused him of approaching children in the water. Miu told investigators that he had acted in self-defense. He faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in St. Croix County, which sits along Wisconsin’s border with Minnesota. [...]

Maday Family Farms traces its history to Joseph Peter Maday who was born in 1838. Joseph and his wife, Josephine and their two children came to America in 1881. The family settled on a farm in Cook County, Ill., in 1886 and three years later moved to Silver Lake Township in Martin County. In the following years, eight more children were added to the family. After generations of the family farmed in Martin County, Joseph Peter’s great-great-grandson, Louis Malcom Maday, farmed the family’s land with his wife, Marvis and their 17 children: Barbara, Richard, Thomas, Marsha, Jeanne, Dianne, Mary Pat, David, [...]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota farmer is accused of making $46 million by passing off chemically treated corn and soybeans as organically grown. James Clayton Wolf was charged July 7 in federal court with felony wire fraud. Prosecutors say Wolf falsely labeled crops grown on his rural Cottonwood County farm as organic and that he defrauded grain buyers and undermined the nation’s organic labeling system. Organic crops are grown from non-GMO seeds and without chemicals or fertilizers. They generate higher prices at market than non-organic crops. Organic crop certification is controlled by the federal National Organic Program, run by the U.S. [...]

A two-car collision Friday night on I-90 east of Fairmont claimed the life of a Granada man. 72 year-old Gary Roland Peterson of Granada was driving eastbound on I-90 in Rutland Township when his 1998 Buick Riviera collided with a 2016 Chevy Cruze, also eastbound, driven by 45 year-old Gerald Louis Stephan of Forest City, Iowa. Peterson, who was not wearing a seat belt, suffered fatal injuries in the crash at mile marker 106 in Rutland Township. Stephan, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System Fairmont with what the State Patrol termed non-life threatening injuries. [...]

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed an emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation in the City of Fairmont – City staff identified ash trees on the Heritage Acres site off Lake Avenue that appeared to be dead or dying. Upon investigation it was apparent that these trees had become infested with EAB. Photos were sent to the MDA for confirmation that same day.   There are several things residents should look for when checking for emerald ash borer: · Be sure you’ve identified an ash tree. This is an important first step since EAB only feeds on ash trees. Ash have [...]

A Bricelyn man was killed in a three-vehicle accident Tuesday on I-90 east of Blue Earth. John William Brooks, 80, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened just after 5 p.m. in Blue Earth City Township. The Minnesota State Patrol report says Brooks was eastbound in a 1978 Chevy Nova that was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup, also eastbound. The pickup was driven by Joel Luther Robinson, 36, of Wells. The crash report says after being struck, the Chevy Nova then crossed the centerline and collided with a westbound Winnebago motorhome. Chad Ryan Yarrington, 44, of [...]

On Saturday at 9:12 a.m. local emergency personnel were dispatched to a report of a vehicle that had struck railroad signals at the State Street crossing in Fairmont. The driver of the vehicle, 57 year-old Larry Allen Gronbach of Fairmont, had apparently suffered a medical issue and lost control of the pickup truck he was driving. The northbound truck struck the crossing arm equipment, then crossed the opposite lanes of traffic before coming to rest in the ditch. Airbags were not deployed and the driver was not wearing a seat belt. Gronbach was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System Fairmont with [...]

Volunteers on the steering committee for the 3rd Annual 4 Under 40 event are seeking nominations from the public through June 15 for the 4 Under 40 award. The committee will honor individuals who live or work in Martin County for their commitment and contributions both professionally and personally. Anyone is welcome to nominate more than one individual in any given year.   The criteria to be nominated for the award is the nominee must live or work in Martin County and be at least 18 years old and not yet 40 by the date of the event. “Those being nominated often [...]