News

A two-vehicle accident in Osceola County on Sunday morning has resulted in the death of a woman and a nine-year-old child.   According to Iowa State Patrol, the accident took place at the intersection of County Road A34 and U.S. Highway 59 east of Ashton. The report states that the collision was caused by a failure to stop at a stop sign by the driver of a 2005 GMC, 27-year-old Dore Hernandes Canales of Sioux City. The cars, the GMC and a southbound 2016 Ford driven by 22-year-old Benjamin Gibson of Sibley, left the intersection following the crash, with the GMC [...]

As most Minnesota schools prepare to start after Labor Day, the Minnesota School Boards Association conducted a survey from Aug. 3 to 9 that has revealed 349 open teacher positions in greater Minnesota and 519 teacher vacancies in the seven county metro area around Minneapolis/St. Paul. The survey further revealed that of the 349 open teacher positions in greater Minnesota, 217 of the positions never had anyone apply for them. Additionally, the survey discovered 571 paraprofessional openings in greater Minnesota, with the Minneapolis metro needing 698 paraprofessionals. Of the openings in greater Minnesota, 352 of them had no applicants. Moorhead Public [...]

Residents of Estherville, IA had a rude awakening Saturday morning when a water main leak led to a drinking water advisory for an area west of the Des Moines River, south of Highway 9, east of Grandview Drive and north of and including Park Road. Officials from the City of Estherville Water Supply have advised residents in the affected area to boil their water before drinking or cooking or use an alternate source. It is recommended not to drink the water without boiling it. The advisory will remain in effect until the Water Supply is able to adequately disinfect the water, [...]

On Thursday afternoon, a fatal crash occurred in New Ulm that authorities suspect is related to alcohol consumption. The victim in the crash was an 82-year old New Ulm woman whose name has yet to be released. The accident happened around 2 p.m. on Broadway (Highway 68) at the 15th South Street intersection. According to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report, a BMW 435 was headed south on Highway 68 when it collided with an SUV heading north. The driver of the BMW, 53-year-old John Roy DeLeo of Lake Crystal, was injured and taken to New Ulm Medical Center with non-life-threatening [...]

Last Saturday night, at approximately 11:30pm, the St. James Golf Course and Rivers Edge Grill caught fire. Jason and Jen Kuester, owners of the course, arrived on scene soon after the fire departments and were quick to plan to keep the golf course running.   Jason reports that the golf course is still functioning, and that people may book tee times on a tee-time app as well as be able to use credit cards for payments. In addition, the Kuesters are in the process of setting up a temporary space for office equipment, as well as tables and restaurant space for [...]

Big Spirit Lake has recently seen an explosion of an eye-catching bright pink and purple slime on its waters. Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, believes that this slime is the byproduct of an intense algae bloom. He states that due to the low oxygen levels in this decaying mass of organic material, purple sulfur bacteria has been able to bloom. Hawkins also mentions that this summer has seen an increase in algae blooms because of the current weather conditions, and that this is a signal to further reduce the amount of nutrients getting into [...]

Minnesota saw a drastic increase in speeding violations during July, with over 20,000 citations being issued statewide. 291 agencies took part in the month long law enforcement campaign, with 47 of them reporting drivers going as fast as 100 mph. The St. Paul Police Department issued the highest number of citations in the metro area, with 770, followed by Eden Prairie with 367. The highest out of state was Elk River with 430. In addition to sending thousands of drivers off with a ticket, police also arrested 14 drivers for DWI after pulling them over for speeding in Eden Prairie. Crystal [...]

Wednesday morning a Madelia man was injured in a collision on Highway 169 in Mankato. Eduardo Antonio Torres Benavi, 24, of Madelia, was driving a 2003 Honda Accord northbound on near the Riverfront Drive exit in North Mankato when his vehicle collided with a northbound Peterbilt semi-truck driven by Leroy Robert Hulstein, 79, of Edgerton. Torres Benavi was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System Mankato for treatment of what were termed non-life threatening injuries in the state patrol report. Hulstein was not injured. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

41yo Christopher McNab, a resident of Lake Park, was arrested last Thursday and charged with 2nd degree theft and 3rd degree burglary after allegedly stealing a motorcycle from a business storage shed in Lake Park. According to a criminal complaint provided by the Lake Park Police Department, the theft is thought to have taken place on July 28th. McNab is currently being held at the Dickinson County Jail, with a $10,000 bond. If found guilty, he could face jail time of up to 5 years for both charges combined. An investigation is ongoing.

Monday afternoon, police in Superior arrested 58yo Rebecca Bedow for 2nd degree arson. Bedow is accused of using gasoline to set fire to a shed located at 109 South 6th Street. The complaint states that the shed has a value exceeding $750. Bedow is currently being held in the Dickinson County Jail with a bail of $5,000. If found guilty, Bedow faces up to 5 years in prison in addition to a $10,000 fine. 2nd degree arson is considered a class C felony.