CLARKFIELD, Minn. — A 51-year-old Clarkfield man died Wednesday afternoon after a skid loader accident in rural Yellow Medicine County.  The Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call around 1:40 p.m. on August 20 reporting that a skid loader had slid into a drainage ditch near the 2900 block of 440th Street. Emergency responders found the machine on its side, fully submerged in water.  After an extended recovery effort, the operator, identified as Dustin Lucius Virkus, was pronounced dead at the scene.  The Clarkfield Fire Department, Clarkfield and Granite Falls Ambulances, Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, Wing Bain [...]

MARSHALL — Lyon County has issued its second state of emergency this summer after weekend storms brought damaging winds and flash flooding. The declaration, approved Tuesday by county commissioners, will allow Lyon County to seek state aid for recovery efforts. Officials said the county does not meet federal requirements for individual assistance but qualifies for state-level support. Damage reports included bent solar panels and a skylight issue at Lakeview School in Cottonwood, as well as equipment damage at Marshall Public Schools and siding loss at Southview Elementary. Crews cleared the broken solar panels, and temporary repairs were made to the skylight [...]

MARSHALL — U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach discussed agriculture, housing, healthcare, trade, and tax policy during a recent visit to Marshall, highlighting the concerns she says are most often raised by residents across Minnesota’s 7th District. On agriculture, Fischbach said workforce shortages remain a major challenge. “Particularly in the ag community, workforce is an issue,” she said. “We’re looking at those visa programs, seeing if there’s something we can do to smooth them out, make them better. A lot of the ag folks asked for removing the seasonality on some of those visa programs, so we’re looking at that, seeing if there’s [...]

GLENCOE, Minn. — A Cottonwood man was injured in a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday evening in McLeod County. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a 2024 Ford F-350 was traveling eastbound on Highway 212 and collided with a 2019 Dodge Ram, sending one of the vehicles into the ditch.  The driver of the Ford, 61-year-old Dane Kenneth Meyer of Cottonwood, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Allina Health.   The driver of the Dodge, 45-year-old Jacob Ryan Ackerson of Glencoe, was not injured.  Assistance was provided by the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office and Glencoe Fire Department. 

MARSHALL – The volunteer fire departments in Wilmont and Walnut Grove have each received a $10,000 grant through the Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, a joint effort of State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). The program, announced today, August 18, in recognition of Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Day, awarded $1.5 million to 150 volunteer fire departments nationwide. Four departments in Minnesota were selected, including Wilmont Fire & Rescue and the Walnut Grove Fire Department. The grants help small-town fire departments purchase essential equipment such as protective gear, rescue tools, and communication devices. Many rural departments operate with limited budgets, [...]

MARSHALL — Southwestern Minnesota faces another round of storms Sunday night into Monday, with the National Weather Service warning of heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding. Scattered showers and thunderstorms persisted through Sunday afternoon, bringing locally heavy rain and small hail. More organized storms are expected this evening and overnight, with the potential for damaging wind gusts up to 65 mph and quarter-size hail. The greatest concern is heavy rainfall, particularly in areas already saturated from 4 to 6 inches of rain over the weekend. A Flood Watch is in effect for Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, and Cottonwood counties from 7 p.m. [...]

ECHO, Minn. — The annual Echo Days celebration returns Friday and Saturday.  Festivities kick off Friday, Aug. 15, with a car show at 4:30 p.m., along with the Legion beer garden, burger stand, music, and karaoke.  Saturday, Aug. 16, features a full schedule, including ZooMan reptile shows at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.; the Little Scrappers pedal pull at 3:30 p.m.; and a performance by the Larry Olson Band from 2–4:30 p.m. All-day attractions will include vendors, a petting zoo, bounce houses, children’s games, and food trucks. A whole hog roast meal will be served from 4–7 p.m.  The celebration [...]

REDWOOD COUNTY — Two people were injured in a one-vehicle rollover crash late Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the intersection of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 4 and CSAH 2, according to the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office.  Authorities said the vehicle, a 2014 Chevrolet Impala driven by 31-year-old Gregorio Haala of Springfield, was traveling south on CSAH 2 around 10:19 p.m. when Haala swerved to avoid a deer and a power pole. The car rolled about two times before coming to rest.  Both occupants were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The vehicle sustained disabling damage and was towed from the [...]

ST PAUL, Minn. — A former Tracy business owner has pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by swindle after taking more than $200,000 from customers who never received the appliances they purchased.  The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday that Darin Lee Horner admitted in court to taking money from multiple customers between 2017 and 2019 without ordering the appliances, instead using the funds for personal expenses, including house payments.  Horner operated Affordable Appliance Plus in Tracy until May 1, 2019. Prosecutors say more than 50 people were defrauded in the scheme.  “It’s hard to afford your life when thieves [...]

MINNEAPOLIS – The Pohlad family announced Wednesday that they will continue as the principal owners of the Minnesota Twins while bringing in two new limited partnership groups. “For more than four decades, our family has had the privilege of owning the Minnesota Twins,” said Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad in a statement. “This franchise has become part of our family story, as it has for our employees, our players, this community, and Twins fans everywhere.” Pohlad said the family spent recent months exploring “a wide range of potential investment and ownership opportunities” before deciding to retain majority control. The addition of [...]