SAINT PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the FBI has declined to share information related to several recent shootings under investigation. In a statement released Feb. 16, Superintendent Drew Evans said the Federal Bureau of Investigation formally notified the BCA on Feb. 13 that it will not provide access to information or evidence it collected in the Jan. 24 shooting death of Alex Pretti. The BCA also reiterated requests for information, evidence access and cooperation in its investigations into the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good and the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. It remains [...]

MARSHALL, MN — The Marshall Police Department responded to more calls in 2025 than any year in its history, according to Director of Public Safety Jim Marshall. “In 2025, we actually, in my over 30 years in law enforcement, our Marshall Police Department responded to the most calls that we’ve ever in one year, and that was 13,123 calls for the year,” Marshall said. He called it a “busy year” for the department, noting officers have worked to navigate rising call volumes with existing staffing. Investigators followed up on 922 criminal cases in 2025 and made 466 arrests. The department recorded [...]

IVANHOE, MN — The Lincoln County Corn and Soybean Growers Association held its annual meeting and scholarship auction this month at the Ivanhoe VFW, drawing approximately 150 attendees. The evening included a meal, the annual meeting and the scholarship auction. No new members were elected, and the current board will remain in place for another year. A total of $29,500 was raised to support 21 scholarship recipients, including 14 students from the RTR school district, six from Minneota and one from Elkton. The event was supported by 121 sponsors, along with 67 sponsors contributing specifically to the scholarship auction. Lincoln County [...]

MARSHALL, MN — Bluepeak has announced a $35 million investment to expand and upgrade its fiber-optic broadband network in southwest Minnesota. The project will overbuild the company’s existing infrastructure with Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) technology, providing internet speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second for residential customers and up to 10 gigabits per second for businesses. The expansion is intended to improve reliability and increase network capacity across the region. Bluepeak has also expanded backbone capacity, upgraded key network components and strengthened overall infrastructure across its Minnesota footprint to support growing digital demands. “We’re proud to continue our investment of expanding access [...]

IVANHOE, MN — The Lincoln County Corn & Soybean Growers Association will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, February 7, at the VFW in Ivanhoe. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by supper at 6 p.m. The meeting is open to Lincoln County corn and soybean growers, and new members are welcome. The evening will include a live scholarship auction to help support local youth, along with a drawing for door prizes. The event is brought to the community by the Lincoln County Corn & Soybean Growers and their checkoffs, with support from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and the Minnesota [...]

MARSHALL, MN — United Way of Southwest Minnesota is seeking volunteer readers for Jumpstart’s annual Read for the Record event on February 26,  a nationwide reading celebration that highlights the importance of quality early childhood education.  Read for the Record will attempt to set a global record for the largest shared reading experience. Over the past 20 years, more than 30 million people have participated nationwide. Locally, more than 1,100 volunteers have read to over 26,000 children during the past 11 years. UWSWMN coordinates the event across elementary schools (kindergarten through second grade), preschools, childcare centers, and libraries in Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Yellow Medicine, and parts [...]