JACKSON – One person was injured when their vehicle lost control on Tuesday in Jackson County, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. At approximately 4:48 Tuesday afternoon, a 2002 Chevy was traveling eastbound on I-90 near Jackson when the driver lost control and rolled on the snow and ice-covered roads.  The driver of the Chevy, 61-year-old Randall Raak of Edgerton, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Jackson hospital.   Assistance was provided by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jackso County Ambulance, and Fire Department. 

MARSHALL – The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is calling on the public to submit creative names for its fifth annual Name a Snowplow contest. Past winners like Taylor Drift, Plowy McPlowFace, and The Big Leplowski showcase the playful spirit of the tradition. Submissions are open until noon on Friday, Dec. 20. Each person can submit one Minnesota- or winter-themed name, limited to 30 characters, via the MnDOT website. Inappropriate or political names, as well as past winners, won’t be considered.  MnDOT will review entries and invite the public to vote on finalists in January 2025. The top eight names will [...]

MARSHALL — Minnesota could see a record number of fatalities from all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes in 2024, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  DNR spokesperson Bruce Lawrence reported that 30 people have died in ATV-related crashes this year, with a median age of 44. Of those fatalities, 23 were male operators.  Lawrence noted that many of the crashes involved ATVs being driven on roads, where vehicles either rolled over or were struck by other traffic.  “You know road use is there depending on the county where you live without restrictions. There is a handful, probably upper 30, now that allow [...]

MARSHALL -- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is offering grants to help livestock and specialty crop producers strengthen their operations against extreme weather.  “This grant provides funding for livestock and specialty crop producers to buy and install supplies and equipment that would make their operations more resilient against extreme weather, so that being drought, flooding, storms,” said Farm and Business Development Coordinator Courtney VanderMey.  Producers can receive up to $10,000 for projects such as water-handling equipment, wells, irrigation systems, livestock vans, misters, shade structures, or windbreaks. A 50% cash match is required for all grants.  Farmers have already put previous grant [...]

MARSHALL — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz sold for $28 million at an auction hosted by Heritage Auctions on Saturday. Including fees, the final cost to the buyer reached $32.5 million, significantly surpassing the initial estimate of $3 million.  The live auction attracted competitive bidding, with the price quickly rising as phone bidders competed for 15 minutes. The slippers, one of four known surviving pairs from the 1939 film, are regarded as a significant piece of movie history.  The slippers were previously displayed at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, [...]

MARSHALL -- The American Red Cross is encouraging individuals to donate blood and help save lives this holiday season. Two blood drives are planned in Minnesota for tomorrow, Wednesday, December 11.  In Redwood Falls, donations will be collected at CentraCare from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In Ghent, a blood drive will take place later in the day at KB’s Bar & Grill, running from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Eligible donors must be at least 16 years old (with parental consent in some states), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in good health. Blood donations can be made [...]

MARSHALL -- Shaun Johnson, lead singer of the a cappella group Tonic Sol-Fa, will perform in Marshall tonight as part of his Big Band Cool Yule Holiday Tour.  The concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Schwan Center for the Performing Arts and will feature Johnson alongside a big band composed of musicians from the upper Midwest.  Tickets are available at Marshall Radio, online through Marshall Radio’s Big Deals, and at the door. 

SAINT PAUL – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now offering funding for controlled atmosphere storage facilities through its Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program. This type of storage technology helps extend the shelf life of perishable commodities such as fruits, vegetables, and floriculture products by regulating levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. “Controlled atmosphere storage facilities are used by the produce and floriculture industries here in Minnesota. Our growers can now benefit from having this type of storage facility added to the list of eligible structures for Farm Storage Facility Loans, allowing producers to [...]

MARSHALL -- Fatalities on Minnesota roads are up significantly from last year. Minnesota State Patrol District Investigator Kenny Willers says, “As of December 1st, we’ve had 424 fatalities on our roadways. One of the big things is this is 16% higher than last year. Unbelted fatalities are 39% more this year than they have been in the past.”  Willers noted unbelted motorists are especially a concern in southwest Minnesota, “Especially in southwest Minnesota we see a lower number of people wearing their seat belts and unfortunately that’s effecting them in their everyday driving when they crash." Willers has seen firsthand the life-saving [...]

SAINT PAUL -- Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) officials announced Wednesday that the state’s financial outlook has worsened ahead of the upcoming legislative session. The November 2024 Budget and Economic Forecast projects a $616 million surplus for the FY26-27 biennium, a $1.1 billion drop from prior estimates, attributed to declining income and sales tax revenues and rising expenditures for long-term care and special education.  The state had previously passed a historic $72 billion two-year budget in 2023, fueled by a record $17 billion surplus. However, the new forecast signals a growing structural imbalance, adding complexity to lawmakers’ task of crafting the [...]