As of this weekend, all of Minnesota is under substantial or high transmission of COVID-19.  CDC data shows only four of the state's 87 counties are in the less-severe substantial category.  The entire state has become a hotspot for coronarvirus in a little over a month.  Per federal guidance, all state residents are recommended to wear masks indoors while in public regardless of vaccination status. Yesterday, health officials listed 1,918 new cases and six additional deaths.  With those numbers introduced, the state's totals show over 646,000 infections and about 7,805 deaths overall.  About 3,305,165 people have received their first shot of [...]

The Minnesota department of transportation has begun a project to move stop lines closer to intersections across District 8 in southwest Minnesota.  Stop bars, also known as stop lines, are 24 inch-wide, solid white lines that extend across all lanes in one direction to indicate where to stop.  Stop lines provide drivers with an additional visual reminder to stop before entering or crossing traffic at an intersection. Red reflective strips were also installed on some stop sign posts to make them more noticeable.  The stop bars were placed closer to the intersection to provide drivers better sight lines, shorter crossing or [...]

A pet food entrepreneur is now the owner of a former Del Monte plant in Sleepy Eye.  Steve Trachtenberg paid 2.6 million dollars for the factory, which closed in October of 2019.  The property will be used as the headquarters for the company that creates pet food products with labels like Chasing Our Tails, Alive Pet Food, and Venison Joe's.

Ramsey County District Court Judge Laura E. Nelson has denied a temporary injunction allowing people with permits to carry guns at the Minnesota State Fair.  The motion was filed by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, which argued the fair ban violated state law and the Second Amendment. Nelson found gun rights can sometimes be subject to reasonable restrictions.  However, the groups can seek to overturn the fair's ban for future years.

The pursuit was last heading westward toward Lincoln County and the suspect vehicle was a tan Jeep Liberty and the suspected driver was Juan Antonio Ruiz. Ruiz was believed to be in possession of a handgun and had a Lyon County outstanding felony warrant for 1st Degree Assault and a second Department of Corrections outstanding warrant for Predatory Offender Failing to provide Notice of Change of Address.  The Jeep Liberty was believed to have been spotted near the intersection of US Hwy 75 and travelling west on ST Why 19 by the Lincoln County Law enforcement. The vehicle was positively identified by [...]

A Latin King Gang member and three other people were arrested after $5,000 worth of methamphetamine was found in the execution of a search warrant. On August 20, 2021, approximately $3,000 cash was seized by the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Lyon County Sheriff's Office, the Brown, Lyon, Redwood, Renville Drug Task Force, and MN State Patrol. Three of the four arrested individuals have previous felony level drug convictions. These individuals are a 38 year old Montevideo woman, a 51 year old rural Cottonwood woman, a 38 year old Granite Falls man, and a 71 year old rural Cottonwood man. [...]

Farmers and ranchers impacted by drought in Minnesota now qualify for federal emergency disaster assistance. The USDA designation makes hard-hit producers eligible for emergency loans and other assistance. Just last week ag secretary Tom Vilsack was in Minnesota and noted the shortcomings of current federal ag support programs. "Frankly our programs, as good as they are, as much help they can provide, are not really equipped for the kind of weather situations we're now facing and will be facing in the future." Blue Earth, Clay, Cottonwood counties are the primary areas covered by the disaster designation, with farmers in 15 nearby [...]

On August 18th, 2021, at approximately 1:21 AM, the Renville County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a fire in a turkey barn, 2 ½ miles north of the City of Morton, in Beaver Falls Township. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered the barn to be fully engulfed in flames. The Morton, Franklin, Olivia, Danube and Redwood Falls Fire Departments worked to save the structure but the barn eventually collapsed and is considered to be a total loss. Morton MRU and CentraCare Ambulance also assisted at the scene. 26,500 young turkeys perished as a result of the flames on the Willmar Poultry [...]

Latest numbers show over 7,000 fully-vaccinated Minnesotans have still become ill with COVID. These are considered "breakthrough cases." Yet, state officials say this rate remains low.  State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says, "It does appear that there are more breakthrough cases with Delta than with the earlier strains." But lead infectious-disease epidemiologist Kris Ehresmann says, "The vaccines continue to do the job that we need them to do, and that is to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death." Officials say the best way to tamp down the resurgence of COVID is for more Minnesotans to be vaccinated.  Governor Tim Walz announced [...]

State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says Minnesotans with compromised immune systems should check with their health care provider in a few days about whether a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine could increase their protection against COVID.  Guidance from the federal government is expected soon on which patients might benefit.  Malcolm stresses: "There are plenty of vaccine doses already here in the state to vaccinate, give third doses to this eligible population, along with everyone else who's eligible for first and second doses." Federal officials say at this point a third, or what some call a "booster" shot, is [...]