RAYMOND (KMHL) – Three people from Missouri were killed in an accident that occurred last week in Kandiyohi County. The Minnesota State Patrol says Justin Ecker, 41, was driving a 2016 Lexus S-U-V that was involved in a crash with a 2019 Volvo semi-truck driven by a Raymond man. Ecker and two passengers in the Lexus – Carol Ecker, 64, and Jonathan Ecker, 39, all of Missouri – died in the crash. The driver of the semi-truck was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the Willmar hospital. The accident occurred at the intersection of State Highway 40 and Kandiyohi County Road 7 [...]

UNDATED (LEARFIELD) - The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) is reacting to this week's report from the state Health Department showing that adverse events and instances of patient harm rose significantly last year. MNA President Mary Turner says the report is troubling, but not surprising. "This report in one sense is like total justification for what we've been talking about for over two decades in the nursing profession here in Minnesota," said Turner. The MDH report points to staff shortages as a key factor in the increase in adverse patient events. In 2021, the total number of reported events increased to 508--up [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) – A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash with with a pickup truck Thursday afternoon in Marshall. Marshall Police say a 21-year-old Sioux Falls man was airlifted to Sioux Falls after the accident that occurred at the intersection of Highway 19 and Channel Parkway in Marshall. There is not more information on the motorcyclist’s condition – the pickup driver was not injured in the crash.

GILFILLIAN ESTATE (LEARFIELD) - The first debate between Minnesota's gubernatorial candidates was a contentious one Wednesday at FarmFest. The forum was the first time incumbent governor Tim Walz (DFL) and challenger Scott Jensen (R) met on stage in front of a live audience, and they traded barbs over issues affect farmers, rural Minnesota, crime and even Minnesota's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At times, the forum got rather heated. On issues of agriculture - Walz called it a "false argument" that it's family farms versus larger operations in Minnesota. "We in Minnesota are proving that there's room for everyone and that [...]

Photo credit: Jeremy Williams - Marshall Public Schools MARSHALL (KMHL) – Cleanup is underway in southwest Minnesota after strong storms moved through the Marshall area last night. The storms knocked out power to area several area communities, knocked down trees and even caused some structural damage in the Marshall area. In Marshall, the most noticeable damage occurred at the new Marshall School District's CTE Center. A large storage shed on the property was knocked down. The district was using the buildingfor storage. According to the National Weather Service, a wind gust of 74 mph was recorded nearby by equipment at [...]

GRANITE FALLS (KMHL) – A fire damaged a home in Yellow Medicine County Sunday. Firefighters from Clarkfield, Hanley Falls, Boyd, Cottonwood, and Granite Falls worked together to put the fire out and salvage a portion of the home. According to a press release, a volunteer firefighter was passing by and noticed the fire and reported it. The fire fighter than rescued the family dog from the home, the homeowners were not at home at the time. The fire appears to have originated in the attic, the attic was destroyed and collapsed into part of the home. The cause of the fire [...]

GILFILLIAN ESTATE (KMHL) – FarmFest 2022 kicks off today at the Gilfillian Estate near Redwood Falls. The three-day celebration of agriculture offers 50 acres of farm and ranch equipment, buildings, silos and machinery. Highlights of day one include: 9:30 AM - Minnesota First Congressional District candidate's forum 10:30 AM - Congressional Candidate Forum on Ag and rural issues 11:00 AM - Farm safety demonstrations 12:00 PM - Linder Farm Network Noon Show 1:00 PM - Live Music Al Lang 1:00 PM - Kids Pedal Pull & Smokey The Bear Meet and Greet Wednesday there will be a Governor’s candidate forum.  There [...]

MARSHALL (KMHL) – Noting that state education funding has not kept up with inflation, the Marshall School Board formally approved a request to ask voters to approve an operating levy in November. The district is asking voters to re-affirm a $675-dollar per student levy to help fill the gap in funding. The school district has been covering the gap with reserves in recent years, but district officials say that isn’t able to continue. The request is similar to a previous operating that was in place prior to 2018. According to school officials, the tax impact on a $200,000 home would be [...]

GILFILLIAN ESTATE (LEARFIELD) - Farmfest 2022 gets underway tomorrow (Tues) at the Gilfillan Estate near Redwood Falls, and the state Agriculture Department will be highlighting programs at its booth.  Commissioner Thom (TOM) Petersen says zero-percent disaster recovery loans are still available. "So if you had drought last year, avian influenza, if you were hit by these big storms we had this year, you can use those zero (interest) disaster loans," said Peterson. "And we've seen quite a bit of activity in those." Farmers can also learn about grant programs to increase productivity, improve efficiency, develop new agricultural products, and more.   There's [...]

UNDATED (LEARFIELD) -  State Agriculture Commissioner Thom (TOM) Petersen says almost three-thousand farmers have applied for grants to cover expenses from last year's severe drought, and officials hope to get checks out in a couple of weeks. Peterson indicates those grants likely won't be as large as originally expected because of the total amount appropriated by the legislature -- eight-point-one million dollars. Peterson says, for example, those who applied for the maximum grant of 75-hundred dollars will likely receive between 40 and 50 percent of that.