Catie Dahl & Sheriff Eric Wallen - LCSO Facebook COTTONWOOD, MN – A local woman is being hailed as a hero after her quick actions saved a man from drowning in Cottonwood Lake.  On January 20, Catie Dahl braved sub-zero temperatures to assist a man whose vehicle had broken through the ice. Running from her home, she crawled to the edge of the open water and held onto the man, reassuring him until rescuers from the Cottonwood Fire Department arrived.  In recognition of her bravery, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Cottonwood Fire Department and Ambulance Service, [...]

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 [...]

MURRAY COUNTY -- Murray County election results are in, with 100% of precincts reporting. Voters selected officials for County Commissioner seats and Soil and Water Supervisor positions. In County Commissioner District 1, Loy Woelber secured the seat with 844 votes (99.29%), while write-ins accounted for 0.71%. District 2 saw Mark K. Carlson emerge victorious with 725 votes (75.92%), defeating Trevor J. Humphrey, who received 227 votes (23.77%). In District 5, Roger Zins won with 527 votes (68.8%) over Randy Donahue, who garnered 237 votes (30.94%). For the Soil and Water Supervisor positions, all candidates ran unopposed. Jason Miller won the special [...]

LYON COUNTY -- Lyon County voters made their selections for key local positions, with three County Commissioner seats and several Soil and Water Supervisor roles on the ballot. In District 2, Todd Draper won the County Commissioner seat with 2,104 votes (99.39%), with write-ins receiving 0.61%. District 4 saw Gary Crowley elected with 2,600 votes (99.35%). In District 5, Rick Anderson narrowly defeated Tom Chandler, earning 1,263 votes (52.54%) to Chandler’s 1,134 (47.17%). For Soil and Water Supervisor roles, all candidates ran unopposed. Gary Laleman won in District 1 with 10,884 votes (99.57%), Mason Johnson took District 3 with 10,623 votes [...]

MARSHALL -- In Marshall's recent city election, incumbent Bob Byrnes was re-elected as mayor with a commanding 72.14% of the vote, totaling 4,264 votes. His opponent, Noel H. Ayala, garnered 1,595 votes (26.98%), while write-in candidates received 52 votes, or 0.88%. In Ward 1, Amanda Schroeder was elected as council member with 1,514 votes, securing 98.7% of the vote. Write-ins accounted for 1.3%. Ward 2 saw a closer race, with Amanda Schwartz leading with 1,039 votes (44.77%). David E. Sturrock received 705 votes (30.37%), and Dereck C. Deutz followed with 573 votes (24.69%). In Ward 3, James Lozinski was re-elected as [...]