Faribault County Assessor Brady Rauenhorst came to the Faribault County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday with a request to have the board create an Assistant County Assessor position in the Assessor’s Office. Rauenhorst explained that the reason for his request is because the Assessor’s Office is facing several challenges that require additional leadership and…… read more »
Category Archives: Local News
Southern Plains Education One of the Recipients of a Grant from the Minnesota Department of Education
Governor Tim Walz announced on Thursday nearly $10 million to support Minnesota’s special education workforce. The Education Pipeline grants awarded by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will support and train special education teachers in over 35 districts, charter schools and cooperatives. The Special Education Teacher Pipeline grant program was established in 2023. MDE awarded…… read more »
Blue Earth Council Approves Tiny Home Village Development Proposal
The Blue Earth City Council met on Monday and were presented a housing development proposal from the Housing and Redevelopment Authority and Square Konstruktion of New Ulm. The proposal is to build a tiny home village on the property of 14th and Moore Streets, across from the Tennis Courts. The site would hold eleven 20×24…… read more »
Wells Farmer to Host Chinese Commodity Team on Thursday
Faribault County soybean farmer Jeff Ignaszewski is hosting a Chinese commodity team on Thursday afternoon at his Wells soybean farm. With 27 year of experience, he farms 1,200 acres between farms in Freeborn and Faribault County. When Ignaszewski considers the importance of China, he is quick to refer to this statistic: every third row of…… read more »
B.E. Council Approves Change Order for the City Hall Project
The Blue Earth City Council met on Monday and Tom McCone, from Brunton Construction, proposed a change order for the City Hall Project. During the demo phase of the project, it was discovered that the exterior, as well as the interior walls of the building had zero insulation. With the goal of making the building…… read more »
Corn Progress Mixed in MN & Iowa, While Beans Maturing Behind Average According to the USDA
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the crop progress report for Minnesota and Iowa for the week ending August 18th. Field activities included small grain harvest, cutting and bailing hay and preparing for fall harvest. In Minnesota, corn silking was 95%, with 62% in dough stage, 3 days behind average and 6% was in…… read more »
Disaster Relief Program for MN Veterans Now Active
A disaster relief program for veterans recently was activated. Funds are available to Minnesota veterans affected by natural disasters, such as flooding earlier this summer. The $500 grants are not based on financial status. The benefits are being made available as the result of a declared emergency and the governor’s issuance of an emergency executive…… read more »
FEMA Teams to Begin Making Rounds in Faribault County on Saturday August 17th
Disaster Survivor Assistance teams from FEMA are out to assist in communities affected by the summer storms and flooding. Teams will help residents navigate the federal assistance programs. Disaster Survivor Assistance personnel will be in Faribault County to help homeowners and renters apply with FEMA and quickly identify and address immediate and emerging needs. They…… read more »
MN Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly in July
Employment and labor force in Minnesota changed little over the month, with the state losing a small number of jobs and recording slightly fewer would be workers in July, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Minnesota’s Unemployment Rate increased to 3.2% as employers dropped a statistically flat 1,100…… read more »
Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Remains Steady Again in July
Unemployment remained steady for another month while Iowa’s workforce continued to shrink. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.8% in July, unchanged since April and 0.2% lower than July 2023. The state’s labor force participation rate fell to 66.4% from 66.5% in June, with a majority of those leaving the workforce doing so because…… read more »