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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Heidi Jones announces candidacy page
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NOW is not the time! page
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Monday, February 26, 2018
A little of this, a little of that page
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Volume 33 Issue 23
Fire at Prosper apartments page
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Hurricane News page
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Local communities “doing all things with kindness” By Miranda Cox miranda@fillmorecountyjournal.com
February 5, 2018. A date imprinted within the minds of the students of Mabel-Canton and those of the surrounding communities forever. It started off like any other day. The dreaded Monday morning. The early hours signifying the dawn of a new week. But that is where the similarities stopped. Just before 8:00 in the morning while on the way to school, traveling along their standard route through Hesper, the Arneson bunch, consisting of senior Avery, freshman Jack, eighth grade twin brothers Alex and James, and seventh-grader Aiden, fell victim to the unfavorable road conditions. Hitting a slick and snow covered patch, the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero crossed into the opposing lane, colliding with 15-year-old Gage Dahlberg in his Ford F150 while simultaneously on his way to
A photo of the Arneson kids on the first day of school. From left to right are Avery, Jack, Aiden, James, and Alex. Photo submitted
Kingsland hears custodial crew and union concerns By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
See HEALING Page 2
New Lanesboro board member takes oath of office
dents blameless, we’ll work with the families… I anticipate this to be very smooth.” He said his communication efforts will start immediately. The board heard from John Rostad, who explained he’s the field representative for the Minnesota School Employees Association. He said that he’d met with Superintendent Hecimovich regarding Kingsland considering contracting with an outside vendor to provide See KINGSLAND Page 7
By H annah Wingert hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
At the February 15 Lanesboro school board meeting, Steve Storhoff was officially seated as the newest school board member. He will fill Terri Scott’s vacated seat until her term is up. Superintendent Matt Schultz noted that February 19-23 is School Board Recognition Week. “On behalf of the district, I want to thank all of you,” he said to the board members. “Thank you for your unique perspectives
Your community banks
for generations!
that you bring to this position.” Superintendent Schultz has spoken with the Lanesboro City Administrator Michele Peterson about partnering with the city to renovate the ball field. He is hoping that they will receive a Twins Field of Dreams grant to help cover some of the costs. “I feel that we are pretty strong to get it,” he commented. In-kind or monetary donations will also be accepted. The peer observation and teacher assessments are going See LANESBORO Page 19
Since 1856
Since 1901
The Kingsland School Board unanimously approved starting the 2018-19 school year roughly two weeks earlier than usual, to allow more time over the summer in 2019 to complete heating and ventilation system upgrades. As previously discussed, the school year will start around August 20, and graduation will likely be May 17. This decision was reached during the regular board meeting at 6:30
p.m. on February 21. Members present were Doug Plaehn, Ann Oeltjen, Leah Stier, Tiffany Mundfrom, Heather Betts, and Interim Superintendent James Hecimovich. Jackie Horsman was absent. Regarding the change in the school year, Superintendent Hecimovich said, “It’s going to take some communication on my part, because anytime you start school two weeks early… families have vacations planned, we have State Fair, FFA, 4-H. We are going to hold the stu-
school in Decorah. Avery and Aiden died at the scene. As for the girls’ brothers, both Jack and James were taken via EMS Ambulance to Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah, Iowa, and have since been released, the former having been observed for a liver laceration and concussion while the latter dealing with a broken collarbone and rib. The other, Alex, was airlifted by EMS Air to Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis., and, having gone through a number of surgeries concerning a broken femur, fractured pelvis, fractured elbow, and chest tubes, has recently been discharged. In such a time of tragedy, perhaps the greatest hope can be found in the heartfelt ways in which communities near and far, big and small, have come together as a vast support system. Indeed, all being basketball players themselves, countless schools have set donation boxes, among