WILLMAR—Over the past year, Kandiyohi County has been concentrating on bringing high-speed broadband to all corners of the county. The County Board has even pledged to use up to 75% of its American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus relief money to fund various broadband projects.
At the Feb. 15 County Board meeting, the commissioners approved a letter of support for a grant application being pursued by a party outside of Kandiyohi County. Vibrant Broadband from Litchfield is applying for a USDA ReConnect
WILLMAR—The world and its workforce have changed dramatically over the past several years and employers need to change right along with them. That was the overall message at the Workforce Solutions Summit held Thursday in Willmar.
Sponsored and produced by a partnership of several regional economic development and community organizations, the summit brought dozens from the surrounding business area to the Willmar Community (sic) Center. There were presentations on labor market trends, diversifying
WILLMAR—The end user for the massive logistics facility being constructed in the Willmar Industrial Park has finally been identified publicly.
“It’s official; it is FedEx,” said Aaron Backman, executive director of the Kandiyohi County and city of Willmar Economic Development Commission.
The project is estimated to be worth more than $30 million, and includes the construction of a 217,000-square-foot distribution center, located between Willmar and Trott Avenues Southwest along
WILLMAR—At their annual visit to the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners, District 17 Senator Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, and District 17B Representative Dave Baker, R-Willmar, were on hand to not only give an update on what is happening in St. Paul, but to also take in the concerns and priorities of the board.
“We’re here today to listen,” Baker said.
The topic the group spent the most time on during Tuesday’s meeting was broadband. Since early 2021, the county board has
WILLMAR— Despite a shortage of trained inspectors, Kandiyohi County was able to stop 230 violations of the state’s aquatic invasive species rules at boat launches of several county lakes this year. Any one of those violations, if the boats had reached the water, could have led to increased spread of aquatic invasive species, which are known to have a negative impact on the ecosystems of the lake.
“We did catch a good number of violations this year,” said Russ Hilbert, county
As a means of alleviating nursing home staffing shortages, Ridgewater College announced this week that it will be offering nursing assistant classes—at no cost—to participating students.
These classes will be offered on both the Willmar and Hutchinson campuses starting Jan. 3 with the 32 students already enrolled, scheduled to complete their courses by Jan. 31.
Once trained, the Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) will become eligible for employment at Minnesota long-term care facilities that
WILLMAR—Twenty-three homes along 30th Avenue Northwest in Dovre Township of Kandiyohi County might soon have access to high-speed broadband. A proposed Charter project would bring speeds up to 100 megabits download and 20 megabits upload to the area, which is currently considered unserved by the state.
“It is kind of isolated,” said Kandiyohi County Administrator Larry Kleindl at the Dec. 21 Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners meeting. “We are trying to get them some broadband
WILLMAR—Their business dreams include a barbecue restaurant, a fashion line, a shoe store, a family entertainment destination and the continued success of a community coffee house.
The seven men and women—Candace Aaker, Nick Aaker, Mohammed Abdi, Daniel Carranza, Fatouma Hachim, Hans Hibma and Victoria Hibma—who participated in the second class of the Elevate Business Academy celebrated those dreams in front of a small crowd of friends, family, business leaders and elected officials from across
WILLMAR—The streetscape project being proposed for the intersection of Litchfield Avenue and Fourth Street Southwest in downtown Willmar has hit a rather large snag. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, which administers the Small Cities grant program from which most of the funding is coming, has raised serious concerns about the plan and whether it will fund a major aspect of the project.
The city was awarded a $750,000 grant from the program, with $400,000 earmarked
WILLMAR—The property tax levy that funds Willmar Public Schools will decrease 1% in the next year.
The Willmar School Board voted at its meeting Monday to adopt the levy, following its Truth-in-Taxation public hearing.
The board also heard a presentation about possibly developing a full football stadium at the new turf football field between the Willmar Civic Center and Willmar Senior High School.
Kathryn Haase, director of business and finance, led the board through a review of the property tax
